Ukrainian Easter eggs - Pysankas

EASTER has roots in the EAST or LEVANT and represents resuscitation of life or SPRING. Celebrants of many cultures and religions rejoice in sharing flowers, decorated eggs, Easter breads and "bunnies", all symbols of fertility. Once Easter was related to DEMETER, CYBELE or CERES, names among many others, for spring personified.

Cybele

Easter is connected with the VERNAL EQUINOX which often falls on March 25th. In calendar, ephemeresis (ephemeral) or almanac terms, Easter once marked the new year. In fact, it was so in France and Venice until the 16th. century.

Temples for Ceres often were round. Cybele was often represented as having a "round" figure or being pregnant.

EASTER, once known as EASTRE or EAOSTRA, suggests a tie with ESTRus and ESTRogen which denote feminizing hormones related to mating and fertility. DEMETER and CYBELE were honored by festivities with elements similar to those of modern Easter - a period of purification - elements of sacrifice, blood, death - and a culmination in a joyful banquet on March 26th or the vernal equinox which marks the arrival of spring.

Floralia was celebrated with Florid Flowers
Birds and Bees

The popularity of EASTRE disturbed Christians who passed an edict in 325 by the Council of Nicea declaring that the resurrection of Lord Jesus was to be celebrated as Easter. Furthermore, the date was moved to the first Sunday after a full moon that followed the vernal equinox. A similar intent motivated another edict declaring that the birthday or NATIVITY Day of Jesus Christ was to coincide with the birthday of the once popular Deity MITHRA, on December 25th.

The ancients prepared for Easter during February or Februa, terms meaning "purification" now referred to as LENT. The end of LENT occurs when slowly or LENTamente in Spanish, daylight LENgthens to a point when it is as long as night (nox). The EQUIvalence of day and night is a mark of the VERNAL EQUINOX and the arrival of SPRING. The Nicea edict moving the date of Easter forward, added elements based on the moon cycle, perhaps from an awareness that the moon influences fertility as denoted by ideas in MONTH or MENS, MENStruation and in EASTER or OISTROS, EASTRUS, ESTRUS, and ESTROGEN.

Seeds Gonadal Gonia

Easter exposes how Medicine and Biology are linked with Arts and Humanities. Clearly, EAST, EASTER link to YEAST and to LEAVEN, enLIVen, LIVen, LEVant, eLEVate, LIVing, LIVER, LIVE, LIFE, LEAF, LEVity, LEVitate and LEAF, LUNG, topics relegated to future explorations. Now it may be more timely to remain focused on poetic roots about the mysteries of life SPROUTING in SPRINGing.

Persephone introduces Spring Fever

EASTERN or LEVANT cultures contributed to Europe, magnificent EASTER traditions. In Ukraine, artistically decorated easter eggs, "Babkas" (Baba means grandmother) or tall round leavened Easter cakes, crowns of wheat and flowers and revelry, punctuate Christian celebrations with glimmers of more ancient times.

Ceres' Easter Bread and an Easter Bunny.

SECULAR celebrants of SPRING may find in CEREBRAL CERES or DEMETER a warning that the world can easily become barren and that every Spring is a time for celebrations of the mysteries of life, regardless if such is called EASTER, PASKHA, PASSOVER, or RAMADAN. Those inclined to look at the "roots of things" may like to ponder the statement by Ovid who said:

"...all Things are Ceres' Gifts ... "
(even these Cerebral thoughts)

Happy Easter or "Tempus Vernus".

P.S. An "earthy" view of life, live, liver, leaf, lung, cereal, cerebrum, seed, semen, sperm, zoid, spermatozoid, yoke, zygote, and so forth are left for later.