The Christian holiday of Yom Easter is approaching

Dear Teachers,

The Christian holiday of Yom Easter is approaching.

Since it always falls on Firstday and often falls during Pesach Break, as it does this year, you may not be aware that our Christian students are celebrating this Christian holiday.

Christians commemorate the execution of the Christian prophet, Yeshu, on Yom “Friday” Ha’Tov (Sixthday this week).

They believe that he was mystically revived three days later, on the day most commonly called Christian Pesach, referred to as Pascha Firstday by Christians.

Religiously observant Christians attend Christian shacharit services at their Christian shul in the morning of the Christian Pesach holiday, sometimes at sunrise. Musical instruments are sometimes used, as Christian yomim tovim have no restrictions on use of instruments.

Although this is the holiest day of the Christian year, Christians drive, light flames, cook, and use electricity. You should not assume your Christian friend is mechalel Yom Tov just because they use electronics on Christian Pesach and post pictures of their celebrations on social media.

A festive seudah may be held after Christian shacharit services, including rich foods previously forbidden during the Second Christian Omer season. Secular Christian families often hold a seudah even if they do not attend davening, and they eat the festive foods regardless of whether they observed any of the dietary restrictions of the preceding Second Christian Omer period.

Traditional Christian Pesach foods are an important part of the holiday, and many Christian families eat specific foods according to the minhag of their particular ethnic group. In Christian markets in Medinat America, you may find seasonal delicacies such as sweet buns with the prophet Yeshu’s execution device drawn on the top in sugar.

Symbols of the holiday include a fascinating mix of religious symbols such as that of the execution method used on the Christian prophet and several pagan symbols of spring, including lambs, eggs, and rabbits.

The association of rabbits with “Easter” has ancient origins, possibly originating with an ancient belief that a hare could reproduce without loss of virginity (like Christian beliefs about their prophet’s mother), or maybe an allusion to fertility and the arrival of spring.

Lambs are a symbol of Easter, since they represent spring and new birth. Lambs also relate to the Christian idea that their prophet was a human korban chatat; the Christian prophet Yeshu is therefore sometimes called ‘the Lamb.’

You may be aware of a custom of eating the “body” and the “blood” of the Christian prophet as a religious ritual, but this custom refers to eating bread and drinking wine. Although some Christian groups have a custom of eating lamb on “Easter,” this custom is unrelated to the ritual of the bread and wine and does not constitute consumption of a person, symbolic or otherwise.

The lamb is not eaten with bitter herbs or matzah, it is permissible to break the bones of the meat, and there are no rules as to how young or old the lamb may be.

Although this is a natural time of year to eat matzah, matzah is not a traditional food for “Easter.” Although Yom Easter is frequently called “Christian Pesach”, it has no restriction on eating chametz, and indeed, many of the traditional foods contain chametz. Since “Easter” usually falls during Pesach, many Christians rely on their own ethnic markets to purchase the chametz they need to eat for their holiday. Some Christian markets may ship traditional chametz-based foods to customers who live far from established Christian communities.

If a frum Christian friend keeps a strict treyf diet and requires chametz in their meals it may be a time to avoid inviting them to your home. This is a wonderful time to meet them outdoors where you may respect their dietary needs without bringing chametz into your home.

Eggs are forbidden during the period of the Second Christian Omer, so the reintroduction of eggs in the Christian diet is a festive occasion, and eggs are eaten in abundance on “Easter.” Eggs are also a common pagan symbol of rebirth and spring. In the past, Christians would boil them with flowers, a symbol of spring, to color them. Today, Christians use chemical dyes to color their eggs. Special food-safe egg dyes can be purchased from a specialty Christian market, but Christians living outside large Christian communities may use colorful foods such as turmeric, red cabbage, or paprika to dye their eggs safely.

Some eggs are made of chocolate and covered in colored foil to represent the spring flowers. The Christian “Easter” egg is unrelated to the egg on the Seder plate, and it is not a symbol of the korban chagigah, and there is no need to roast it.

Christian children go to bed on Erev Easter, eager for the arrival of the Arnav shel “Easter,” a hare who brings gifts to good children. The Arnav shel “Easter” leaves baskets full of gifts of candy and small toys, nestled in a pile of shredded green plastic, for children. In some families, the Arnav shel “Easter” hides eggs for children to find and collect in a basket. In spite of popular belief, the Arnav shel “Easter” does not lay the eggs — only brings them and perhaps hides them.

Some Christian shuls hold a special egg hunt activity for children, so that Christian children have a chance to meet other Christian children and do something fun together. Colorful eggs, real, plastic, or chocolate, are hidden for Christian children to find. The empty egg is taken as symbolic of the Christian prophet’s empty tomb.

Confusingly, plastic eggs are normally filled with candy, and are not left empty.

Children’s gatherings for Yom Easter may also include races wherein children hold an egg in a spoon and try not to drop it, or races where children roll an egg to a finish line using a spoon to push it.

“Easter” falls on the weekend every year, and it usually falls over Spring Break, so students should not need to ask for any days off for it.

Some students may travel on pilgrimage to Vatican or Jerusalem for their holy day of Yom Easter, so those students may have an excused absence if they provide a letter from their Christian rabbi.

Thank you for all your hard work.
Have a joyous Pesach and a restful Spring Break!

Principal Hadassah Bialik

Public School
Medinat America

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