h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What about the whole Lent thing? What's all that about?

See this thread of ask h2g2 for a discussion of fasting and Lent: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F19585?thread=170424&post=1806990#p1806990

Well, I shall be travelling to The North to visit my boyfriend's parents who don't approve of me (the older woman), and who will make me sleep apart from my beloved even though we live together.

Also the diet means no gorging on chocolate

Still, looks like I might have a job by then so I can be pleased about the long weekend

k

Aargh. Discovered that in Canada we don't get Easter Monday off. Only a three-day weekend? Compared to the four-week holiday I got back at Leeds Uni, it's terrible.

I suppose I could have included Lent, Ash Wednesday and Shrove Tuesday, but it is a long way before Easter and not actually associated (Lent is to commemorate Jesus' fast in the desert, which was years before his crucifixion).

Can you get your favourite Eggs there Bagpus?

Mmm... Easter eggs...*drool*

I don't mind tha big, hollow ones but my favourites are the little Rolo eggs.

I can get Cadbury's cream eggs, certainly. People were moaning that they were bringing them out so long before Easter, and there's me saying "Actually, back home they sell them all year round."

I think they make them all year round now

Yes, but not in Canada it seems. I'll have to stock up for the long grey autumn months.

How do I celebrate Easter.In one sence it does't differ much from other days.I celebrate that my creator has given me the blessing to be able to get up. I thank him. I ask him to give me wisdom for any decisions I might be making. I desire to live each day in a way that will please Him.This is all possible because Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my rebellion(placing myself in the place God wants to inhabit by his Holy Spirit).This is the very center of my life. On that(Easter) day in history Jesus's ressurection occured and became the victor over satan.In this life there is always that Question who is in control of our life , is it God or satan.LOng time ago I made the decision to let God, in the prescence of the Holy Spirit take control.This decision brings a growing experience of meaningful life(ressurrection, restoration in my relationship with Him)This is why I celebrate this Holiday by meeting with other Followers of Jesus in a day of Worship,Praise,and rejoicing.Would you like that kind of meaning to life.That opportunity is yours.
It Is Really quite simple. Yet I have to say to the human mind it is very difficult because of our sinful nature. There are three steps that each person has to take to come to peace with his maker.

These are the steps.

1- Recognize our alination with our creator.
Be honest with yourself and with Him and tell him so in
conversation(prayer).
2- Believe with all sincerty that Jesus death on the cross Paid the
price that is required for restoration.
3- Tell him that you are reaching out and accepting that gift of
life and restoration.

When we take those steps by faith He will place his Holy Spirit in our heart and life. That is something to celebrate


Blessings and peace,

Researcher Dave

I just want to expand on the "Christians added nothing to easter" I said earlier. To me it seems there was already a lot of traditions regarding this spring celebration. The eggs and lambs thing and such. Then some Christians come along and tell us that Jesus died during this time, and that we should go to church. We did that then, but besides that we continued all the other traditions. Except we were now told we did it because of Jesus and that the lamb is a sacrificial lamb, instead of just being a spring symbol. So it doesn't seem to me Christians added much, besides the "go to church" part.

Any celebration becomes to you what you perceive it yo be. Example if your birthday celebration becomes a drag it is that because you perceive it to be so. You may have reasons to perceive it so.If you perceive it to be a joyous occasion that is what it is.
If your perception is that "Christians haven't added anything to Easter except perhaps going to church." maybe your right in your perception.There are many people who have added going to church to their Easter celebration. If that is the only time they go to church maybe that is all that it is, an add on celebration.There are many ways we celebrate christian holidays that are neither wrong nor right in them selves.When we take the egg as an {easter) symbol if we see in the egg the potential of new life when the chick hatches it can be a meaningful symbol.If on the other hand we think of the egg as something to be consumed It has no meaning except something for our pleasure that is very fleeting.Several hours latter the satisfaction is gone.
When someone says something about Easter my mind immediatly relates to the ressurection of Christ.Therefore my perception of Easter is a celebration of His ressurection,Of the celebration of the new life He has given me.
The time of the year when we have this celebration was set long before the Roman holiday which coincides with (Easter) ever came into being.The passover feast began when God delivered the Isrealites from slavery to Egypt.I think that was somewheres about 2000 years before Christ was born.The sacrifical lamb was the center of the passover feast.It was no coincident that Christs death on the cross and his ressurection happened at the time of year the Jews celebrated the passover feast.
Anybody that doesn't have a connection with Christ cannot celebrate Easter with this kind of meaning.
Thanks for communicating your feelings,Hope to hear more from you.

God,s Blessings and Peace

Researcher Dave

So, can you press the Linda button for preaching?

What I don't like is that if you asks someone why we celebrate Easter, they will tell you it is because Jesus died on the cross and all that. And as you said yourself, there was even a celebration down in Israel before he was put on the cross. Apparently the reason why he choose to go there during that time.

People should be made aware of the real reasons that we celebrate Easter, Yule and those holidays. I don't like how Christianity tries to get rid of other peoples cultural heritage.

You're wrong, Xanatic. Christians don't celebrate Easter to displace older festivals, they celebrate it because *that's when it happened*. OK, Christmas is a fair cop, but Easter is there for a reason. Saying that it's expediency is actually quite insulting - as I said before, this is the central tenet of the Christian faith, so saying that it's only celebrated to spite the pagans is quite untrue.

I'll celebrate Easter on h2g2 meet-up in Esbjerg, Denmark.

We do egg jarping (pronounced yarping) which comes from Northern England. You wrap eggs in onion skins and hard boil them. The eggs need to be uncracked, so I usually do more than I need to make sure I have enough. The perfect ones are put in a basket and on Sunday morning, each person present picks one. It then goes like a game of conkers. Two people face each other and one strikes the other person's egg with their egg. The eggs are then turned and the other person hits their egg against the first person's egg. The one with the uncracked egg is the winner of that turn, and they do the same to the next person. This goes on until there is only one egg with at least one uncracked end, which is the winner. I then have lots of hard boiled eggs to eat. (My family only eats eggs made of chocolate).

I don't really associate lambs with Easter. It's just a general metaphor that has been used for Christ, along with many others.

If Easter is The Real Thing, Jim, why does it keep moving around, while Christmas always appears on the same day?

March 31st is my wife's birthday, so Easter does assume an importance in our heathen household this year. We tend to call it Chocolate Sunday for my daughter (3), but this year, as I'm trying to turn her into a geologist (I need someone to go to the Natural History Museum with) she's getting an egg made out of rose quartz, which inevitably is pink.