Easter - is it represented in tattoos
In eighth-century England, the month of April was called Eosturmonath, or the month of Eostre, after the goddess Eostre. The English term is derived from the Saxon spring festival Eostre. Saint Bede the Venerable, author of the 6th-century Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastical History of the English People"), claims that the English word "Easter" comes from Eostre or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and springtime. Other historians believe that the word "Easter" comes from in albis, a Latin phrase meaning alba or "dawn" in the plural, which in Old High German became eostarum, the forerunner of modern English.
Others call this holiday "Resurrection Sunday" or "Resurrection Day", after the Greek word Ἀνάστασις, Anastasis, "resurrection".
In Latin and Greek, the Christian holiday was and still is called Pascha), a word derived from the Aramaic (Paskha), a cognate of the Hebrew word (Pesach). The word originally referred to the Jewish holiday known in English as Passover, commemorating the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.
Whatever you call this holiday, its origins certainly lie in pagan rituals. Modern Easter traditions are a mixture of ancient paganism and Christianity. For example, eggs and bunnies are pre-Christian symbols of spring.
Easter egg. This symbol refers to the ancient Babylonians. They believed that an egg fell from the sky into the Euphrates River and was "hatched" by the fertility goddess Astarte (also
known as Ashtura, Ishtar). At Easter, the Pagans exchanged eggs as gifts during the spring festival.
The Easter egg is one of the oldest symbols associated with Easter. Its roots can be traced back to ancient times when eggs were used as a symbol of fertility and new life in many cultures around the world. The ancient Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Phoenicians all celebrated spring festivals the rituals of which included decorated eggs. The egg was also a
popular symbol among early Christians, who used it to represent Jesus' resurrection from the grave on Easter Monday. In medieval Europe, eggs were often decorated with intricate designs using gold leaf, watercolors, and elaborate engravings. The most famous of them are those made by Faberge.
When choosing an egg silhouette for a tattoo, one must understand the complex shape of the egg itself, which does not allow for compromises, and here, of course, one must take into account the composition that will complement or highlight the egg itself with colors and plot. This is the reason why egg is not a common subject for tattooing.
The tradition of dyeing eggs originated at least about 2,500 years ago in the Trypillian culture, which lived in Central Europe. Historians believe that the ancient Persians, or Zoroastrians, painted eggs for Nowruz, or the Persian New Year. The Christian custom of coloring Easter eggs was adopted from the Persian tradition of Nowruz. The early Christians of Mesopotamia dyed them red "in memory of Christ's blood shed at His crucifixion".
Pysanky - the art of decorated eggs or pysankas (from the Ukrainian verb pysaty, to write) dates back to antiquity. In prehistoric Trypillian culture. Myths say that the peoples who lived in the region (now known as Ukraine) worshiped the sun. They believed it was the source of all life because it warmed the earth and allowed it to grow and flourish beneath it. Eggs decorated with symbols of nature were chosen for sun worship ceremonies and became an integral rite of spring. The purpose of creating Pysanky was to transfer goodness from the household to design and to repel evil. Similar variants of this form of artwork can also be found in other Eastern and Central European cultures. During pagan spring festivals, eggs were offered as gifts or sacrifices to several different pagan gods. In medieval Europe, these offerings were made as prayers or offerings for bountiful harvests, fertility and protection. Eggs were considered appropriate offerings to gods and goddesses associated with spring and agricultural abundance due to their connotations of rebirth.
The exact origin of the Easter Bunny tradition is unknown. In America this tradition arrived with German immigrants in the 1700s. The Easter Bunny is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit, sometimes dressed in clothes, carrying Easter eggs. The origins of the Easter bunny can be traced back to German Lutherans. The Easter Bunny originally acted as a judge, judging whether the children had been good or naughty by Easter. A similarity emerges to Santa Claus, only the bunny brings eggs and sweets. The custom was first mentioned in Georg Frank von Frankenau's book De ovis paschalibus ("On Easter Eggs") in 1682, referring to the German tradition that the Easter bunny brought eggs to children.
Folklorist Jacob Grimm, one of the famous Grimm brothers, claimed that the Easter Bunny was associated with a goddess whom he believed to be called "Ostar" in old German. He derived this name from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who in 731 B.C. was mentioned by the early medieval monk Bede, considered the father of English history. In Neolithic Europe, hares were given ritual burials alongside humans. Archaeologists have interpreted this as a religious ritual in which bunnies symbolize rebirth. During the Iron Age, hare burial rituals were common, and in 51 B.C. Julius Caesar mentioned that in Britain, rabbits were not eaten because of their religious significance.
Recent archeological research confirms the worship of Eostre in parts of England and Germany, the main symbol of which is the hare. Therefore, the Easter Bunny seems to recall this pre-Christian spring festival that heralded the vernal equinox. When new life emerges in spring, the Easter Bunny returns again, providing an enduring cultural symbol that reminds us of the cycles and stages of our own lives.
The bunny has found its independent niche as a tattoo subject, not only as a symbol of Easter - as an independent element, comparable to a pet, something personal and close :)
A separate section can be devoted to Easter as a symbol of Christianity, celebrated by all the people of Christendom. Today, Christianity has absorbed pagan traditions and their deities. Christian motifs are also common and in demand in the world of tattoos. They are often scenes depicted in the Bible, as an individual composition with its own
personal and religious meaning, the performance of which requires great skill and is labor-intensive to execute - in proportional to the plot.
It seemed that we had summed everything, but our editor asked to add one more offhand reference to Easter - what do you know about the island .... Te pito o te Kainga a Hau, in Maka language means "small piece of land", but in Rapa Nui there are two words pronounced pito, one meaning "end" and one meaning "navel" and thus the phrase can also mean "Navel of the World". Another name Mata ki te rangi means "Eyes that look to the sky"
Neither do we :) Today we know this island under the name Easter Island. It is one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands. The nearest inhabited land is Pitcairn Island, 2075 km away. The nearest continental point is in the center of Chile, 3512 km away. Easter Island covers approximately 64 square miles. Dutch explorers in honor of the day of their arrival in 1722, named the island Paaseiland, or Easter Island.
The Birdman Cult Festival was held on Easter Island, Orongo, on a narrow ridge between a 1,000-foot drop into the ocean on one side and a deep crater on the other. The most sacred place in Orongo is called Mata Ngarau, where priests chanted and prayed for success in the annual egg hunt. Birdman could win the Rapa Nui contest.
It was to carry the first sooty tern (manu tara) egg of the season from the islet of Motu Nui. He had to swim back and forth to Rapa Nui. He had to climb the Rano Kau sea cliff to the cliff village of Orongo. If you didn't become a meal for sharks and didn't fall off a steep cliff, egg was also by your side - you were declared a Birdman, your head was shaved, and you would enjoy all the privileges for a year.
P.S.
The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 existing monumental statues called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people who closely guard the secrets of their obelisks. It was these unusual statues that caught our attention. Why ? You will be able to find out about this in our next publications, we will continue the search for tattoos of western tribes with the tattooing traditions of Oceania and its inhabitants. I’ll whisper :) the first will be the inhabitants of the World’s navel RAPA NUI
