But also it was a time of happiness as in Gods eyes we where all forgiven and given a second chance.
Church of England are very religious and continue to follow the old fashioned style of Church, they have there own ceremonies to show this and in many ways these have been present in this religion for many, many years.
They treat Advent as a time of joy as a time of happiness and a time of coming.
To them the word Advent in the Latin language is “Coming”, which is exactly what happened it was the coming of Jesus.
To celebrate each week they have special readings which represent something to do with the coming of Jesus, and coincide of how Jesus was born, during this time they have a display which is called an Advent ring which has 4 purple/red candles, one is let every Sunday up to Christmas and on Christmas day to signify the end of Advent and the arrival of Jesus a white candle is lit in the middle.
Easter is always on a Sunday but C of E break Easter up into several days, starting with Good Friday, this they say was the day Jesus was killed and in the Church this is a day of sadness and repent where the Vicar/ priests wear black garments for their ceremony. They normally hold a service round the cross between 2-3, as this is when Jesus died. But traditionally they held the service from 12-3 with it dying out, as did Jesus.
In some places they hold worship Station, this is 14stations telling the story of his death, the story is also told on Good Friday. 2Days later is Easter Sunday, originally Easter Day, which is the resurrection of Jesus, this is a time of happiness and to show this the priests wear white to show a sign of purity and peace, on this day prayers and sang of rejoice not sadness and people come together to help each other. Easter is a time of sadness for the loss of Jesus but subsequently it’s a time of happiness as we are all forgiven By god and this is what Church of England celebrate.
Methodist though very similar to Church of England celebrates Advent and Easter in slightly different ways.
To start with Methodists are more out going and aren’t afraid to show their feelings in the present of God, they have a much happier and enthusiastic view to church.
Advent to them is celebrated in many ways, they believe that the lighting of the four candles on the Advent ring represents different things happening, the first candle in meant to represents the word “Prophet” the lead up to the coming of Jesus the second candle is meant to represent John the Baptist, who was one of Jesus’ distant cousins, he lead the way for Jesus telling of his coming and of how he will be the worlds savior, the third is for Mary (this name was very common at the time), and the forth candle is for the people, us, Christians.
They hold mass Christmas Eve which ends at midnight and the beginning of Christmas Day.
As I’ve already mentioned Methodist like to have fun more entertaining services that keep people entertained but at the same time tell people of the Death of Jesus Christ.
On Good Friday instead of there normal singing and him they unfortunately sing very little and the him/songs they do sing are very solemn to reflect the death of Jesus, but once again, with the true spirit of the Methodists on Easter Sunday the Joy comes back into the ceremonies with songs of Joy and happiness and the fun begins again.
To promote Easter and celebrations they provide the younger Generation with small wooden crosses made out of palm which is given to them 2weeks before Easter on palm Sunday and some bring these to the Easter celebrations, so bringing Jesus’ glorious entrance into his re-birth, this attracts people of all different generations to take part in the celebrations.
Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas, this is the leading up to the birth of Jesus, over the years peoples opinions have changed on what Advent is all about.
For many ordinary people like myself Advent is the leading up to Christmas, but for different people of different Religions it has many different meanings.
Church of England strongly believe that Advent is a time for preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ, it’s a time for us all to come together as a family for this special time of the year. To strong Christians of Church Of England they believe Easter is a time for gatherings, joyfulness and a time to show each other how we long to be together, on the other hand I asked many people of the younger generation who are C of E and they believe Advent is a time for Calendars and the lead up to Christmas and nothing more, for many of the religion it depends upon the Age and of How strong their faith is. I am C of E and I believe that Advent is a time for family and friends and that it’s a time of preparation for Christmas(I’m not a strong believer).
Methodists are in many respects very similar to Church of England, but again have their differences, they do see Advent as a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus more so that Church of England, as they have a stronger view on it, many of the children realize that Advent isn’t just a time for Calendars and coming of Christmas they see it as a time for the preparation for the coming of Jesus, the children are more recognizable of this fact.
But still not all see it as this, as I stated previously for C of E I asked two Methodist children one telling me that Advent was the preparation of the coming of Jesus the other telling me that it was a time to get decorations ready for Christmas and a time for calendars.
Easter has a completely different response for Church of England than for Christmas they seem it as a time for re-birth and a second chance, they see it as a time for forgiveness of God and a chance to make a different, they see it as a time to help one another, this Festival to them is a time for helping, sharing giving and loving one another, they see this as a time for communities to come together to help each other in times of need and that we all have to live together and love each other for who we are.
For a lot it means a time for Easter Eggs and chocolate but by this they are able to see the Tomb n which Jesus was laid as this is what Easter eggs are for showing.
For Methodists Easter is a time of Joy and sadness, Easter means to them the chance for a second chance in the sight of God, they see it as a time of forgiveness they see Easter as a time for re-birth, they use eggs to represent this, as a chick is born and comes out of a hollow egg, Jesus is reborn and comes out of the hollow tomb where he resided in his death.
Easter is a time for sadness on good Friday but on Easter it’s a time for celebrations, singing, joy and a time for people to be happy with one another, not all know the true reason of Easter but any Methodist who has some sense of there religious beliefs generally know the truth that Easter is a time to remember the miracle of Jesus’ rebirth.
2) Over the years people have lost the true meaning of what Festivals are all about, they don’t seem to want to remember the past but are more intent with looking into the future at what is to come, and consequently in my eye’s the true meaning of many festivals have seem to have been forgotten through history.
I suppose that Christmas and Easter have become more commercialized over the past years, this has been because shops advertise there products to try and force people to buy gifts and Easter eggs, they do this to make a profit that is for certain but then again at the same time there trying to promote the fact that these are very important parts of out History and we should celebrate them as much as possible, even if it means delving into our own pockets for gifts for others.
But then Christmas and Easter is the times in the year where more people go to Church, they do this for the fact that they still believe in the Christian beliefs which have been held in our history and our lives ever since the time the church was formed.
So yes Festivals have lost their religious meanings to some respect as they have become over commercialized and business men are just out to make a profit, but still the real meanings and beliefs behind the festivals are still there as people continue to prove this by attending church at these times and by committing themselves to help others more, that’s what Festivals are all about and many still stick by this belief and consequently Festivals will never lose there religious meaning even though occasionally they can be forgotten by some.
