Easter Day
“耶稣受难那天，可以说是世界上最糟糕的日子，可是三天后就是
复活节了，所以，只要我们耐心等待、勇敢承受，再大的困难也能跨
越……”这当然不是什么至理名言，只不过从基督教一个最为古老的节
日里悟出的一点点道理。
对于中国人而言，复活节兔子、复活节彩蛋和复活节巧克力已不再是什
么新奇的东东，可是，当我们在地球的另一端与西方人同声庆祝“复活
节”的时候，可曾想过所谓的受难日是在什么时候？用英文怎么表达？
复活节日为什么偏要强调“春分”？以及一系列与“复活节”有关的名
词，到底是怎么回事？
瞧，“春之女神”抱着她的小兔子向您招手了，很难想象吧？基督
教最古老最有意义的一个节日，实际上是以古代北欧的黎明女神“伊奥
斯特”命名的。伊奥斯特，原意是指“冬日逝去后春天的太阳从东方升
起”，由于该词喻意“新生”，于是被基督教教徒借用，期冀“光明的
恩赐者耶稣再次回到人间”。
The Christian origins of Easter
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone
who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it" (John 3:16-17).
As Christianity grew and spread throughout the world, it was common
practice to adopt, modify, convert or take over existing non-Christian festivals.
Because Eostre was the goddess of spring and her symbolism dealt with renewal
and rebirth, the Christian belief in the resurrection of Christ fit well with these
themes.
Jesus Christ passed over from death to life, the Church invites her
members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in vigil and prayer.
After being lit outside, the candle is carried into the church, where most of
the worshippers are waiting in darkness, which symbolises the darkness of Christ's
tomb.