Símbolos e Significados da Páscoa
Autor: curiosidades da língua inglesa | Publicado: 2011-04-09T08:54:00-07:00

&nbsp;EASTER EGGS 

&nbsp;Of all the symbols, the easter egg is the most awaited by children. 
In pagan cultures, the egg brought the idea of ​​early life. People used to give eggs to friends, wishing them good luck. The Chinese have used to distribute among friends colored eggs in the spring, as a reference to the renewal of life. 
There are many legends about the eggs. The best known is the Persians: they believed that the earth had fallen from a giant egg, and for this reason, the eggs became sacred. 
The early Christians of the East were the first to give colorful Easter eggs symbolize the resurrection, birth into a new life. European countries used to write messages and dates on eggs and donate them to friends. In others, like Germany, the custom was to give children. In Armenia decorate hollow eggs with pictures of Jesus, Mary and other religious figures. 

Color eggs with colors of spring to celebrate the Passover, was adopted by Christians in the eighteenth century. The church donated the eggs to the faithful benthos. 
The replacement of hard-boiled eggs and chocolate eggs painted by, can be justified by the prohibition of the consumption of animal flesh, by some Christians during Lent. 
The most accepted version is that the appearance of the chocolate industry in 1830 in England, made the consumption of chocolate eggs increase. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;RABBIT 
The rabbit is a rodent mammal that spends much of his time eating. He has cute hair and good eats carrots and vegetables. Rabbits need to chew food well to prevent their teeth grow continuously. 
For its great fertility, the rabbit became the most popular symbol of Easter. Is it symbolizes the Church, through the power of Christ, is fruitful in its mission to spread the word of God to all people. 
&nbsp;LAMB 

The lamb is the most ancient symbol of Easter, is the symbol of the covenant made between God and the Jewish people at Passover of the Old Law. In the Old Testament, Easter was celebrated with unleavened bread (no yeast) and with the sacrifice of a lamb as a reminder of the great deed of God in behalf of his people, the liberation from slavery in Egypt. So the people of Israel celebrated the deliverance and God's covenant with his people. 
Moses, chosen by God to liberate the Jewish people from slavery of the Pharaohs, celebrated the passage to freedom, sacrificing a lamb. 
For Christians, the lamb is Jesus, Lamb of God who was sacrificed on the cross for our sins, and whose blood redeemed us, "dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life." It is the new covenant of God made by His Son, now not only a people but all peoples.

&nbsp; Paschal Candle 

It is a great candle lit in the church, on Easter Saturday. Means that "Christ is the light of the people." 
This candle, engraved with the Greek letters "alpha" and "omega", which means: God is the beginning and end. The digits of the year are also written in the Pascal Candle. 
The paschal candle symbolizes that Christ rose from darkness to light our way.
&nbsp; SUNFLOWER 

Sunflower is a yellow flower, composed of many petals, usually large in size. It got this name because it is always facing the sun. 
The sunflower as a symbol of Easter, is the pursuit of light that is Jesus Christ and, as it follows the astrorei, Christians seek in Christ the way, the truth and the life.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; BREAD AND WINE 
The bread and wine, especially in antiquity, were the most common food and drink for many people. Christ in instituting the Eucharist is the most common foods served to symbolize his constant presence among the people and willingly. Thus, the bread and wine symbolize the eternal covenant of the Creator with his creature and his presence among us. 
Jesus knew who would be persecuted, arrested and nailed to a cross. So, combined with two of his friends (disciples) to prepare the feast of Passover in a safe place. 
When everything was ready, Jesus and the other disciples came together to celebrate the feast of Passover. This was the Last Supper of Jesus. 
The institution of the Eucharist was made by Jesus at the Last Supper, when he offered bread and wine to his disciples saying "Take, eat, this is my body ... This is my blood ...". The Lord "instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and his Blood so to perpetuate the Sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He comes again, thus entrusting to his beloved Spouse, the Church, the memorial of his death and resurrection: sacrament of life, a sign of unity, bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, which fills the soul of grace and we are given a pledge of future glory "[3]. 
The Passover reminds Jews by the passage of the Red Sea in search of freedom. 
Today, we celebrate Easter recalling the journey of Jesus life, death and resurrection.


&nbsp; Colomba Pascal 

The pie-shaped "dove of peace" means the coming of the Holy Spirit. Legend has it that the tradition arose in the town of Pavia (northern Italy), where a baker would have presented the Lombard king Albuíno with delicacy. The sovereign, in turn, would have saved the town from an invasion through the cruel satisfaction.


&nbsp; SINO 

Many churches have bells that are suspended in towers and play to announce the celebrations. 
The bell is a symbol of Easter. On Easter Sunday, playing festive bells joyfully announce the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. 
Lent (Quaresma)

The 40 days preceding Easter are dedicated to preparing for the celebration. In Jewish tradition, there were 40 days of keeping the body in relation to the excesses, to recall the past 40 years in the wilderness. 

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Holy Oils (Óleos Santos)
In ancient times the fighters and warriors are anointed with oils, because they believed that these substances gave them strength. For us Christians, oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit, who gives us strength and energy to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.