by Roseanna White | Mar 26, 2018 | Holidays, Word of the Week
I’ve done this Word of the Week before, but it was six years ago, so I figured a revisit wouldn’t be begrudged by anyone. 😉
When Anglo-Saxon Christians first started celebrating the Mass of
Christ’s Resurrection, they gave it the name Easter, after Eastre, the
goddess of fertility and spring, whose holiday was likely the vernal
equinox. Have you ever looked up Eastre? She was a magician-goddess, and one of her tricks was to turn a chicken into a rabbit…but it still laid eggs. This, friends, is where we get the Easter Bunny bringing eggs for our baskets. Not exactly something that has to do with why we’re celebrating the day as Christians…
Now, all neighboring languages use a word derived from Latin pasche, or passover, for the holiday. (Which makes a whole lot more sense. I really wish English did this too!)
Easter eggs are attested from 1824 (though let it be noted that eggs are part of the Passover feast too, so there’s legitimate reason to include them in Resurrection celebrations). The Easter Bunny is from 1909. And as a
matter of fact, Easter Island is so named because the discoverer did so
on Easter Monday.
Although Christianity has a long history of “taking over” pagan
holidays and traditions and using them to get new converts to observe
Christianity instead, I have to say I don’t like the English word. I’d
never paused to consider it until my piano teacher back in the day
refused to use the word “Easter” and instead called it “Resurrection
Day.” (Of which I fully approve!) She would even re-title songs for our
recitals when necessary. One year I was playing “Easter Song” on the
organ, and it became “Resurrection Song.”
This is something I try to do in my speech, though I do frequently slip and old habits take over. But I’ve at least trained my kids to correct me. 😉 So around here, we’ll be celebrating Resurrection Day this Sunday–with a sunrise service, a breakfast at church, and then visiting a local nursing home before the family gathers for a scavenger hunt and dinner.
How do you celebrate the resurrection of our Lord?
by Roseanna White | Dec 22, 2017 | Holidays
I’m wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas! I’ll be taking a break from blogging, but I’ll be back on January 2 … with some fun. That will be release day for A Song Unheard, so in usual Writing Roseanna fashion, I’ll be celebrating with a big giveaway! Be sure to check in then to get in on the fun.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the time with friends and/or family. Here’s wishing you a holiday season filled with Joy, and much time for reading. 😉
by Roseanna White | Dec 11, 2017 | Holidays, Word of the Week
Last weekend, my church went to a nursing home (where we visit once a month) and sang carols with the residents. At which point, I realized that I’d never paused to look up the origin of the word!
Carol dates from around 1300, meaning, “a joyful song.” It came into being as a noun and a verb at around the same time, the verb meaning “to dance in a ring.” Etymologists aren’t entirely sure where the word comes from–the English is undoubtedly from the Old French carole, but before that, their best guess is that it’s from the Medieval Latin charaula (a dance to the flute), which is in turn from the Greek khoraules (flute player).
By the end of the 1300s, it was being used to mean “to sing with Joy or festivity” and was used particularly of joyful Christmas hymns by about 1500 onward.
It took a while, however, for the word to take on the meaning of “go around from place to place and sing Christmas carols.” That first appeared in 1879, though it was said at the time to be a revival of an old English custom.
Do you like to go caroling? Is it a traditional in your family or church?
by Roseanna White | Dec 4, 2017 | Holidays, Word of the Week
We’ve all heard “wassailing” in some of the old Christmas songs. And you probably have an awareness (vague or otherwise) of wassail being a drink. But if you’re anything like me (before I had to research it for a book a few years ago), that’s the extent of your knowledge. 😉 Which of course makes it a perfect Word of the Week during this Advent season!
Wassail is from the Old Norse ves heill, which literally means “be healthy.” It was first a salutation and then became a sort of drinking salute among the Danes in England, which then spread to the natives. But 1300, it wasn’t only something one said while lifting a glass, but also what was in the glass–particularly spiced ale that was served on Christmas Eve.
By 1600, it had taken on a bit of a “carousing” meaning, which then extended by 1742 to the practice of going house to house on Christmas Eve, caroling and offering the traditional spiced drink. In Colonial America, wassail was traditionally sold by the poor to the rich–an excuse for them to come in and see how the other half lived, and a way for the rich to give alms to the poor.
So this season, if you lift you glass in salute (whatever might be in it), try saying “Wassail!” and see if anyone understands, LOL.
by Roseanna White | Nov 27, 2017 | Holidays, Word of the Week
This weekend, advent begins. And so, it seemed the perfect word to study a bit this week. =) And then we’ll focus on holiday-themed words throughout our December Mondays!
Advent means, of course, “coming.” It’s from the Latin adventus, and specifically in Church Latin refers to “the coming of the Savior.” Since the days of Old English, it’s been the word used for the season leading up to Christmas. But it’s certainly worth noting that it doesn’t just mean that coming of the Savior–it’s also the word traditionally used when looking forward to when Jesus returns.
I love keeping that in mind each Advent season. That we’re not only looking backward, to when our Lord became man, but also looking forward, to when He’ll return for His church.
Final note on the word–these days it’s also used to mean any “important arrival,” but that generalization wasn’t accepted until the 1740s. Before that, it was exclusively used in the sacred sense in English.
by Roseanna White | Nov 23, 2017 | Holidays
I know I’ve been terribly silent on the blog the last couple of weeks, but I wanted to jump on to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of wonder at how good is our God. To all who joined me on Monday for my chat on the holiday, thank you! I had such a fun time hearing about what you’re all thankful for this year, and sharing the stories I had on my heart.
Today, just a quick prayer.
This prayer comes from a volume of Puritan prayers entitled The Valley of Vision,
compiled by Arthur Bennett. He doesn’t say who wrote each one, but I am
always struck by the sincere, heart-wrenching faith of those who penned
these words. I pray this one speaks to you today.
Praise and Thanksgiving
O my God,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admired, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee
in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding,
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the powers of language
to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time
and eternity.
Amen
May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!
When Anglo-Saxon Christians first started celebrating the Mass of
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, 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. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.