by Roseanna White | Apr 1, 2015 | Ancient World, Holiday History, Remember When Wednesdays
So, this past winter I looked up the start of some of our most long-lasting Christmas traditions–namely, Santa Claus. And what I learned made me determined to revive the roots of the tradition, not abandon them altogether as I’d been tempted to do.
The Easter Bunny, on the other hand…I think I’m pulling the plug on him.
I actually made Xoe look up the history of the Easter Bunny last year and write a report on it for school, LOL. She was totally confused by what she found–or rather, by what it has to do with Jesus’s resurrection. Good question, my girl. Good question.
Easter is actually from the Roman goddess of spring, Estre. She was a magician, a trickster, and her most famous trick was when she turned a chicken into a rabbit–but which still laid eggs. The Easter egg, then, was an ancient memorial to this goddess and her magic. The egg laid by a rabbit. The Easter Bunny was the product of this magic. Easter, in ancient mythology, was the celebration of the arrival of spring.
It just so happens that the date coincides with the Jewish Passover, which is, of course, when Jesus was crucified and resurrected. And so, the traditions of the Romans merged with Christianity when it was brought to Rome. But unlike Santa Claus, this was no saint who gave selflessly in honor of Christ, and in whose name other gave so their gifts could be anonymous, as Jesus commanded. No, this is pure paganism.
Do I have a problem with searching for colorful plastic eggs? No, not really. It’s a scavenger hunt, which is totally fine. But I do wonder why we call it Easter instead of Resurrection Day. (Actually, my piano teacher growing up thoroughly objected to this and always, always called it Resurrection Day.) I do wonder why the Easter Bunny still shows up. I love celebrating the resurrection, and I’m happy to do it with food, with treats, with things that bring Joy–because it should bring joy!
But I’m all done with the word “Easter.” I’m all done with the traditions that have absolutely no tie to what I’m really celebrating. Resurrection Day, even more than Christmas (in my opinion, LOL), is the foundational day of my Christian faith. Without this day, my hope would be naught. Oh, Jesus still would have paid the price for my sin had He not risen–but if He had not defeated death, then I wouldn’t have hope in life eternal with Him.
This Sunday, my friends, is the anniversary of the absolute best day in human history. And I’m tired of calling it by something that cheapens it. This isn’t the day of spring, of the rebirth of the year, of magical bunnies who lay eggs. This is the day of Resurrection–of the rebirth of my soul. The day Jesus defeated sin and the grave.
Way better than a chicken-rabbit. Just sayin’.
by Roseanna White | Mar 30, 2015 | Word of the Week
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked up the etymology of hello…but for some reason, I’ve never shared. Obviously time to remedy that!
So the life of hello began with Old High German’s hala, hola. It was an imperative form of halon, holon, which meant “to fetch.” It was what people cried out to ferry boat captains to get them to pick one up.
English adopted it as early as the 1400s, using it as an exclamation meant to attract attention, spelling it holla, or hollo. But they didn’t stop there–they also came up with a “bewildering” amount of other forms, like:
halloo
hallo
halloa
halloo
hello
hillo
hilloa
holla
holler
hollo
holloa
hollow
hullo
Hello didn’t catch on among the British for most of history. Hullo became the standard there, while in the 1880s, America adopted hello as their standard form. It rocketed to the forefront of American speech with the advent of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell and his cohorts agreed there should be a standard greeting when answering the phone. Bell wanted “ahoy” (which I think is super fun, so I’ve been known to answer like that when it’s my hubby calling), but “hello” won out.
And now hello is quite common in Britain:
Hello, formerly an Americanism, is now nearly as common as hullo in Britain (Say who you are; do not just say ‘hello’ is the warning given in our telephone directories) and the Englishman cannot be expected to give up the right to say hello if he likes it better than his native hullo. [H.W. Fowler, “A Dictionary of Modern English Usage,” 1926]
by Roseanna White | Mar 26, 2015 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
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| The Black Sea coast in Bulgaria |
Since we began using Sonlight curriculum for our homeschooling when Xoe was in 1st grade, we’ve read a lot of missionary stories–and honestly, those stories are some of the best things we’ve read (in my opinion), even amidst all the literature I absolutely adore.
Maybe it’s because I love hearing how the light of Christ has been shone around the world. Maybe it’s because I’m always awed at hearing how He protects and provides for those living out the Great Commission. Maybe it’s because even the losses and sacrifices and martyrs still portray His greatness.
I’ve never felt the call to go into foreign missions myself, much as I admire those who do. My mission field is behind a computer, using the written word, and it’s something I’m passionate about–passionate in the true sense, something I’m willing to suffer for (which is where passion comes from). But I take great Joy in supporting those missionaries who do go out into the world.
Today, I’m sending off my husband on a missions trip. He’s traveling with a family that has long been friends of mine. They were full time missionaries for much of my growing-up years, and now the couple feel the call to return to Bulgaria, where they served for several years before. David is going along to try to help them find business opportunities to help employ the people in the gypsy village they hope to call home, and to provide resources for this couple too.
You may recall my post a few months ago about Stolen Blessings–these are the same people, the same general area in Bulgaria.
And so, I ask today that you pray. Pray for smooth travels into Eastern Europe. Pray for open doors where they’re meant to stride through and closed doors where they’re not. Pray for supernatural understanding. For wisdom. For knowledge. For the glory of the Lord to show up in ways no one expected. For divine appointments and blessings unforeseen. And of course, for safe, uneventful travels back home again.
The kids and I will be here, carrying on with business as usual. And praying. Lots. =) Thanks so much for joining me in those prayers!
by Roseanna White | Mar 25, 2015 | 17th-19th Centuries, Remember When Wednesdays
It’s the fourth Wednesday of the month…which means my turn on Colonial Quills!
Today, I’m sharing a really cool and inspiring story about a close call George Washington had during the French and Indian War…and how the hand of God was acknowledged by all to have preserved and protected him on that gruesome day.
by Roseanna White | Mar 23, 2015 | Word of the Week
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| My not-so-fabulous shot of the earth as seen at FSU’s planetarium |
Last week, we were super excited to get to visit a local university and see the planetarium with our homeschool group. And of course, this being my family, the night before we were talking about the word.
Rowyn (7) said, “Hey, I know why it’s called it called planetarium. Because we see planets!”
“But what about the arium part?” Xoe (9) asked.
“Hmm,” I said. “What do we think it could mean?”
Yes, I’m raising nerds, and I’m proud of it. 😉 They reasoned that –arium must mean something about an area. And we came up with some other words that have it, like aquarium (see, an area that holds water!), terrarium (an area that holds…terra? [Me: that means earth]), solarium (an area for solar? Oh wait, solar power means the sun–how can a place hold the sun? Ohhhhhh…I get it).
But just to be sure, we looked it up when we got home–that conversation had taken place in the car on the way home from ballet. Sure enough –arium is Latin for “a place for.” And planterium has been around since 1734!
Yep, we felt pretty darn smart. And thoroughly enjoyed our time at the area for planets. 😉
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads, she now spends her time writing fiction, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years, as well as a fantasy series and contemporary mysteries and romances. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.