Introduction
Society has always been big on holidays. These events are celebrated with as much pomp and pageantry that could only be equaled by preparations for a state or royal visit and met with much excitement by everyone. Of all these holidays though, there are two which seem to stand out from the pack. These are Christmas and Easter. Although considered mostly religious events by most, it has become non denominational enough to warrant its celebration by most of the world.
Religious Significance
As religious events, both holidays mark a type of birth for the one they consider to be the Savior of the world although for highly different reasons. Christmas, marks his birth in the human world while Easter celebrates his rebirth as a spiritual leader taking his place in the heavens as a God.That is technically the big difference between the two holidays. Religiously speaking that is. Modern society however does not give too much weight to religious significance these days. Thus the current commercialization of the two holidays in order to make it more open as a celebration to people across the board.
Religious followers choose to celebrate Christmas as the birth of their personal savior, Jesus Christ. It also marks the beginning of the religious calendar for most Christian faiths. However, as a non denominational event, Christmas had to be given a more commercial feel and generic meaning in order to make it more understandable and accessible to others. Hence the emergence of various Santa Claus incarnations and the tradition of gift giving among friends and family.
Christmas was given a magical feel because of the time of the year when it is celebrated. The falling white snow, building of snowmen, families gathering to open gifts and rekindle relationships… These all fall under the magic that Christmas holds for everyone. It does not really require a religious belief in order to realize that special events require the gathering of family and some sort of commeration of the event, the gift giving.
Easter on the other hand is more about the celebration of a rebirth. It is the marker of the end of the Lenten Season which celebrates the passion and death of Jesus Christ. It is significant in the sense that by his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, he has fulfilled his role as “Savior of Mankind”. Once again, there was a need to make the event more accessible to those of the non religious sector of society. So the Easter Bunny was created as a way to celebrate the joyous occassion through games and family gatherings, less religion, more about celebrating life in itself.
Conclusion
However, Easter is not an American tradition as others may think. It was originally celebrated in the fashion that has become familiar to us — the Easter Bunny, The Easter Egg Hunt, etc. , were all introduced to American soceity through the German settlers who came to settle in Pennsylvania.
Christmas on the other hand is celebrated in similar , yet unique fashions all over the world because of the way the holiday has become easily adaptable to the exisiting traditional social celebrations during that time of the year.