Where the word ‘Easter' comes from and how only 2 European languages use it
'Happy Easter!' is a wish that will be articulated by many this Sunday, certainly by those observing the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus – with both Western (Gregorian) and Orthodox Easter being celebrated on the same day this year.
Advertisement
What is interesting is that among the European languages, the word 'Easter' is only found in English and German, while in other Germanic languages and most European languages, the word for the festival is derived from the corresponding word for 'Passover'.
Passover is the Jewish festival commemorating the liberation of the Israelites in ancient Egypt after the Tenth Plague – when the Angel of Death killed all the firstborns in Egypt including the Pharoah's, but passed over the homes of Israelites whose door posts had, on God's command, been smeared with lamb's blood.
The linguistic environment of the early Christian era encompassed a few significant languages.
These included Aramaic, a northwest Semitic language which was a long-standing literary and liturgical language and the lingua franca of the ancient Near East by the time of Jesus; and Hebrew, the dominant language of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament and the language of the Jews.
A painting of a Passover feast. The Jewish festival commemorates the liberation of the Israelites in Egypt after the Tenth Plague. Photo: Fine Art Images/Other significant languages were Greek, the language of the Septuagint – a pre-Christian translation of the Hebrew Bible, the original language of the New Testament and the lingua franca of Levant at the time; and Latin, the language of the Roman Empire and soon an important language of the Christian Church.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
15-05-2025
- RTHK
Non-stick pans 'need oil and care to prevent peeling'
Non-stick pans 'need oil and care to prevent peeling' The consumer watchdog found that four out of the 24 pans did not meet European standards for non-stick performance. Photo: RTHK The Consumer Council recommends using oil while cooking with non-stick pans and performing proper maintenance to prevent the coating from peeling. In laboratory tests conducted on 24 models to test their non-stick performance after extended use, an instrument was used "to abrase" pan surfaces 500 times before pancakes were cooked without any oil. They repeated the cooking process five times, expecting the pancakes to be easily removed from the pan with a spatula each time. The watchdog found that four did not meet European standards for non-stick performance – the Rossetti Torino Non-Stick Stir Fry Wok, Vita Craft's Mocomichi Hayami Wok, EZ Cook Professional's IH Non Stick Fry Pan and Ideale Chef's Mix 316 Stainless Steel 3-Ply Non-Stick Deep Frypan. However, the watchdog said that using oil during cooking, along with proper maintenance, could help prevent incidences of sticking or the coating from peeling. It also advised against using metal spatulas with non-stick pans and warned against overheating the pans when they are empty to minimise wear and tear on the coating. Additionally, it recommended allowing pans to cool to room temperature before washing, avoiding using abrasive materials to prevent scratches and replacing the pan if peeling occurs. "When [consumers] are looking for non-stick pans, [they should] look clearly on the labelling," said Angel Cheung, the council's director of research and survey. "What kind of pans that are suitable for their stoves... [depends on] households, some may be using gas stoves, some may be using induction cookers. "You need to look at whether the non-stick cooking pan is suitable both for the appliances that you use at home and if there are any labelling or warning statements on the packaging."
South China Morning Post
01-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Secret message discovered in violin reveals its Nazi camp origins and a story of survival
During World War II, within the walls of the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, a Jewish prisoner secretly penned a short note and hid it inside a violin he had crafted under harrowing circumstances – a message to the future that would remain undiscovered for more than 80 years. Advertisement 'Trial instrument, made under difficult conditions with no tools and materials,' the worn note read. 'Dachau. Anno 1941, Franciszek Kempa.' The origins of the violin, built in 1941 by Franciszek 'Franz' Kempa while imprisoned by the Nazis at Dachau, near Munich in southwest Germany, remained unnoticed for decades. It was not until art dealers in Hungary sent the instrument out for repairs – after having stored it for years among a set of bought furniture – that its history came to light. Art collector couple Tamas Talosi (left) and Szandra Katona inspect the Dachau-built instrument dubbed the ''violin of hope'' in Magyarpolany, Hungary, on April 22, 2025. Photo: AP Although the instrument's craftsmanship pointed clearly to a skilled maker, the professional repairing it was puzzled by the poor quality of the wood and the crude tools used to create it, which did not match the evident skill involved. Advertisement 'If you look at its proportions and structure, you can see that it's a master violin, made by a man who was proficient in his craft,' said Szandra Katona, one of the Hungarian art dealers who discovered the origins of the violin. 'But the choice of wood was completely incomprehensible.'
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
What happens after a pope dies? Explaining the rites, rituals, funeral and burial
Well before the conclave to elect a successor, the death of a pope sets off a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals, including the certification of death, public display of his body for the faithful to pay their respects, and a funeral and burial. Pope Francis, who died on Monday, revised various rites last year, simplifying the funeral rituals to emphasise his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in keeping with his wishes. But the core elements remain, including the three key moments that must be observed between the death of a pope and his burial. Pope Francis dies at 88: first Latin American pope advocated for peace and compassion Why were changes to the funeral rites necessary? While it is common for popes to adjust the rules regulating the conclave that elects their successor, there had not been a revision of the papal funeral rites since 2000. The changes became necessary when Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022, and the Vatican had to work out a funeral for the first retired pope in 600 years. A few months later, Francis revealed he was working with the Vatican's master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to overhaul and simplify the entire book of rites. Explaining the reforms, Ravelli said the changes aimed 'to emphasise even more that the Roman Pontiff's funeral is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful man of this world'. The three main stations – or moments – occur first in his home, then in St Peter's Basilica and finally in the burial place. The reform allows the formal confirmation of death to occur in Francis' personal chapel rather than his bedroom. The change may be due to practicality: Francis chose to live in a small suite in the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel rather than the Apostolic Palace and has a personal chapel at Santa Marta. A woman sits in St Peter's Square as people wait to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis. Photo: AP The declaration of death Upon the pope's death, the head of the Vatican health service examines the body, establishes the cause of death and writes a report. The body is dressed in white and rests in the pope's personal chapel for the ritual pronouncement of death, presided over by the camerlengo, the Vatican official who runs the Holy See administration between the death or resignation of one pope and the election of another. The camerlengo is American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, one of Francis' most trusted aides. The rite no longer requires the body to be placed in the traditional three coffins made of cypress, lead and oak. Now, the pope's body is placed in a wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside. The pope is dressed in red liturgical vestments, his mitre – the traditional headdress of bishops – and the pallium woollen stole, a kind of scarf. The Pasqual candle, a large, decorated candle used at Easter, is placed nearby. The camerlengo drafts the formal declaration of death, attaching the certificate prepared by the health service chief. The master of liturgical celebrations, Ravelli, then decides when other faithful can pay their respects before the coffin is moved to St Peter's Basilica for public viewing. January 2023: Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, pays tribute to recently-deceased pope emeritus Benedict In the basilica When the body is brought into the basilica, the Litany of Saints chant is sung. The camerlengo leads the procession. Instead of placing the pope's body on an elevated moving frame, the simplified wooden coffin will face the pews, with the Pasqual candle nearby. The sealing of the coffin The night before the funeral, the camerlengo presides over the closing and sealing of the coffin in the presence of other senior cardinals. A white cloth is placed over the pope's face. A bag containing coins minted during his papacy is placed in the coffin along with a one-page written account of his papacy – known in Italian as a rogito, an official deed. It is read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies and then rolled up and slipped inside a cylindrical tube placed inside the coffin. Another copy is kept in the Vatican archives. The covers of both the zinc coffin and the wooden one bear a cross and the papal coat of arms. Francis' coat of arms, which he kept from when he was bishop, features a shield and the monogram of his Jesuit order, with the words miserando atque eligendo, Latin for 'Having had mercy, he called him'. It comes from an episode in the Gospel where Christ picks a seemingly unworthy person to follow him. Faithful and well-wishers will be able to pay their respects to the spiritual leader, who died on 21 April 2025, aged 88, until his funeral on 26 April. Photo: EPA-EFE The funeral and burial The funeral is presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals or, if that is not possible, by the vice dean or another senior cardinal. Various seals are impressed on the coffin before it is placed inside the tomb. Francis' reform allows for burial outside the Vatican and he had said he wants to be buried in the St Mary Major Basilica across town. His choice reflects his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there.
