Humanity's Team Newsletter – April 2021

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Since the days following the winter solstice gradually become longer and less dark, it was ideal symbolism for the birth of “the light of the world” as stated in the New Testament’s Gospel of John. 

Similar was the case with Easter, which falls in close proximity to another key point in the solar year: the vernal equinox (around March 20), when there are equal periods of light and darkness. For those in northern latitudes, the coming of spring is often met with excitement, as it means an end to the cold days of winter. 

Spring also means the coming back to life of plants and trees that have been dormant for winter, as well as the birth of new life in the animal world. Given the symbolism of new life and rebirth, it was only natural to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at this time of the year. 

The naming of the celebration as “Easter” seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at beginning of spring. The only reference to this goddess comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, a British monk who lived in the late seventh and early eighth century. As religious studies scholar Bruce Forbes summarizes:

“Bede wrote that the month in which English Christians were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus had been called Eosturmonath in Old English, referring to a goddess named Eostre. And even though Christians had begun affirming the Christian meaning of the celebration, they continued to use the name of the goddess to designate the season.”

Bede was so influential for later Christians that the name stuck, and hence Easter remains the name by which the English, Germans and Americans refer to the festival of Jesus’ resurrection.

From "The Conversation"

Did you ever wonder where the idea for Easter eggs came from?

The practice of painting eggs goes back to ancient times when decorated shells were part of the rituals of spring. Instead of chicken eggs, however, ostrich eggs were used.

The first Christians to adopt this tradition were from Mesopotamia, and they colored their eggs red, in memory of the blood of Christ.

From https://www.learnreligions.com/

People recite special blessings or prayers, make a particular effort to visit a synagogue or listen to readings from the Torah and eat a ceremonial meal. Readings of the Haggadah, the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery and their exodus from Egypt are particularly important. 

The center of the ceremonial meal is the Seder Plate and red wine or red grape juice. Each food has a special meaning in relation to the Passover story.

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/jewish/last-day-of-passover

On this day, tomb sweeping is one of the most important and popular activities to show respect to ancestors. It usually falls on April 4 or 5. In 2021, the Qingming Festival falls on April 4, the same day as Easter. The public holiday in China is from April 3 to April 5, 2021. 

Celebrating with traditional foods also take place, such as Sweet Green Rice Balls.

From https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/qingming-festival.htm

During Ramadan, adults of Muslim faith do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset, practicing fasting, which is a fundamental principle of Islam. At the end of the daily fast, during the night, Muslims share meals with each other, with family or friends which are called iftar. 

As fasting is seen as a spiritual principle, Ramadan is also a time where people abstain from anything impure such as alcohol consumption, cigarettes, bad behaviors, and impure thoughts, and instead dedicate themselves to prayer and charity. 

One of the main prophets of Islam was Muhammad. It is believed that in 610 A.D. Allah started sending him messages and revelations through the angel Gabriel. These revelations were only delivered during Ramadan, and it was through the course of five Ramadans that Muhammad compiled the messages into a 114 chapter book that would become known as the Quran, the holy book of Islamic faith, that Muslims believe holds the words of Allah.



From https://www.calendarr.com/united-states/ramadan/

As the awareness of our climate crisis grows, so does civil society mobilization, which is reaching a fever pitch across the globe today. Disillusioned by the low level of ambition following the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 and frustrated with international environmental lethargy, citizens of the world are rising up to demand far greater action for our planet and its people. 

The social and cultural environments we saw in 1970 are rising up again today — a fresh and frustrated generation of young people are refusing to settle for platitudes, instead taking to the streets by the millions to demand a new way forward. Digital and social media are bringing these conversations, protests, strikes and mobilizations to a global audience, uniting a concerned citizenry as never before and catalyzing generations to join together to take on the greatest challenge that humankind has faced. 

By tapping into some of the learnings, outcomes, and legacy of the first Earth Day, EARTHDAY.ORG is building a cohesive, coordinated, diverse movement, one that goes to the very heart of what Earth Day are all about — empowering individuals with the information, the tools, the messaging and the communities needed to make an impact and drive change. Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is.

From www.earthday.org