People compare the Passover in Israel with the Lunar New Year in China when every Spring Festival arrives. Of course, this idea is a strategic need to educate non-believers but Christians should be clear and understand that although there are seemingly many similarities between the two festivals, the idea basically cannot stand scrutinizing if given careful consideration. Not only are they irrelevant, but they are even entirely contrary to each other.
Some people have made a list of the similarities between the Spring Festival and Passover, which is quite representative.
1. They are both the biggest festivals of the year and family reunions.
2. They are at the same time, which is the beginning of a year.
3. They have the same meaning: in China, it is "overstepping," and it is "over-passing" in Israel.
4. They are celebrated for the same reason: in Israel, it is avoiding "the one who kills," while in China, it is avoiding the legendary monster called "Nian" (meaning 'year').
5. They are of the same importance: to Chinese, it is passing the old year (which used to mean going through a hardship for the poor, particularly at the end of a year, in the ancient times as if they were moving through to the next level of a game, if not they would die); to Israelis, it is a matter of life and death.
6. They both have the same solution: Israelis paint blood (red) on door frames and Chinese stick couplets on each side of the outer door frames. Yet, the two peoples stay behind closed doors, and the whole family kept vigil until dawn.
This comparison between the Passover and the Spring Festival, though consistent, is suspected of being far-fetched.
Passover in Israel begins on the 14th evening between March and April of the Gregorian calendar. This is based on a passage in Exodus of the Bible. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God ordered the slaughter of lambs and smeared blood on the door so that when the angels who killed the eldest sons of the Egyptians could cross the door and call it "overstepping," and the Jews made this festival to commemorate it.
The next day is Unleavened Bread. Later Passover and Unleavened Bread were celebrated together. This is a holiday established by Jews to commemorate God's salvation and conservatism and give thanks to God.
However, when Christians commemorate it, they think that Passover is a preview of Christ Jesus. Because "Christ the Passover lamb has been slaughtered and sacrificed." (1 Cor. 5:7) On the red door frame is the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, which forgives our sins and resists those who kill people.
This origin comes from the last supper between Jesus and the twelve apostles at Marco House. It was recorded in Matthew in the New Testament to commemorate Christ's Covenant with his believers with precious blood to be forgiven. This is also the direct source of Christian Holy Communion.
There were also two significant controversies in early Christian history until Passover was abolished at the Nicaea Conference in 325, and only Easter was observed.
The Spring Festival in China originated from offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors at the end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties (estimated more than 4,000 years ago, translator's note). This is the biggest traditional festival of the year in China. Beginning from the Wintry sacrifice of Laba in the lunar calendar or the kitchen sacrifice on the 23rd of the last month of the old year, the festival will last until the 15th of the first month of the new (Chinese) year. New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month are the festival's main events, which have been observed for more than 4,000 years. However, it was confirmed as a festival from the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Whether it's sweeping away dust during the Spring Festival, watching the New Year, sticking couplets at the Spring Festival, playing firecrackers, drinking Laba (wintry worship) porridge, eating rice cakes, making dumplings, eating spring rolls and dumplings. The main content is to worship gods and Buddhas, pay tribute to ancestors, remove the old and place the new, welcome and pray for a good year.
During the Spring Festival, every day's activities have profound meanings related to ghosts and gods, seeking benefits and warding off evil spirits, hoping to make a fortune in the new year.
The Spring Festival presents four characteristics:
1. The family offers sacrifices to gods, ghosts, and ancestors.
2. Family reunion dinner.
3. Lively entertainment activities, such as lion dances, dragon lanterns dances, walking on stilts, farm dancing, and so on.
4. Visit relatives and friends. From a folk culture's perspective, the negative side of this series of activities is that it is full of folk superstitions, and idol worship is solemn, such as worshiping the kitchen god, the door god, the wealth god, the fertility god, and various ghosts and gods. They whip cattle to welcome the spring and pray to the gods for a good year, etc. On the positive side, there are sacrifices to ancestors, family reunions, new clothes, the old ones, and various entertainment in the Spring Festival.
Also, there is a folk legend about the so-called "Nian" (also meaning 'year'). It is said that there was a fierce monster named Nian, who went from village to village to find human flesh and mutilate living beings every 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. Once, the "Nian Beast" jumped into a town, which coincided with two shepherds whipping cattle in a competition. When the beast Nian heard the whipping sound, he was scared to run away. Fled to another village, it saw a red dress basking in front of a door. It was so frightening that it turned around and ran away. Later, the beast Nian ran to a house and saw the bright lights inside, which made him dizzy and ran away for his life. This was the origin of setting off firecrackers and pasting couplets, which meant using firecrackers and red couplets to ward off evil spirits and drive away from the monster Nian.
From the content of Passover and Spring Festival, Passover commemorates God's salvation. It is a day of confession to God and is a day of eating, drinking, and entertainment. Spring Festival is a custom festival. On this day, ghosts and gods from all walks of life can bow down, and everyone can relax, eat, drink and have fun through the festival. So the Passover and Spring Festival are different.
There is one thing in common in the moral of Spring Festival and Passover, that is, they both acquiesce in the existence of God. But the God in Passover is very clearly portrayed - He is eternal and unique, whereas the default gods in the Spring Festival moral are numerous, and this cognition of God is hazy and mixed. As Calvin said, it is only an "endowment of the human heart" in the understanding of God. This phenomenon is widespread in all ethnic groups of humanity. That is, "Heaven" and "God," which were recorded in ancient Chinese books, are the reflection and refraction of this "endowment of the human heart."
According to the Christian faith, this is a universal revelation from God to humanity. God presents this kind of revelation in nature, human heart, and experience or history. As David said: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky announces his means." Before people fall into depravity, God also revealed himself to others by supernatural means in his work.
This is also the cause of some folk superstitions. If people want to know God, they must know God again and get this knowledge from God's special revelation.
The Passover in Israel was formed under the special revelation of God. God made his chosen disciples know him by his word Bible, the book of truth, and by some miracles. Christians are a group of people who receive his special revelation, eventually, get his redemption and renewal of life, and then move towards the eternity of life. If people want to leap from universal revelation to special revelation and genuinely know God, God's choice is naturally fundamental. It bears the brunt, but God's intention is often realized with the help of us Christians.
We should learn from the inner vigilance and confession of Passover, review the grace given to us by God, examine our shortcomings in the presence of the Lord, confess our faults to God, avoid indulging our desires and purify our hearts through festivals. In the real soul conflict and game, we use God's truth as a shield and keep our faith awake in the chaotic secular world without being humiliated by the material world.
- Translated by Charlie Li
春节与逾越节的区别在哪？
每到春节都有人拿以色列的逾越节与中国的春节相提并论。当然，这种说法也是出于对非信徒宣教的一种策略性需要。但对一个基督徒来说，心里应该清楚和明白，这虽然有很多相似之处，但如果细致考量，基本是经不住推与敲的。不但风马牛不相及，乃至是相悖相反的。
有人列出这么一个春节与逾越节的相同点，颇具代表性。
一、都是一年中最大的节日；全家一起团聚。
二、一样的时间；都是一年之始。
三、一样的含义；中国是“过”，以色列是“逾越”。
四、一样的起因；以色列是躲避“那灭人命的”，中国是躲避那叫作“年”的兽。
五、一样关键；中国人叫“年关”，以色列人是生死关头。
六、一样解法；以色列是涂红门框，中国是贴对联，但都是闭门不出，全家守夜到天明。
这种将逾越节与春节的比对，虽说一致，但从寓意和内涵上比对的话，那么，就有牵强附会的嫌疑了。
以色列的逾越节是在犹太历的尼散月，既公历3-4月之间的14日黄昏开始。这是依据圣经《出埃及记》的一段记载而来。摩西率以色列人出埃及时，上帝命令宰杀羔羊，涂血于门，以便天使击杀埃及人的长子时，见有血记的以色列人家即可越门而过，称为“逾越”，犹太人遂立此节以志纪念。
次日为除酵节，后来逾越节与除酵节合并一起庆祝。这是犹太教徒为了纪念神的救赎和保守，为了感恩神而设立的节日。
但基督徒在纪念的时候，认为逾越节是预表基督耶稣的。因为“逾越节的羔羊基督已经被杀献祭了。”（哥前5:7）红色的门框上，就是耶稣基督在十字架上流出的血，赦免我们的罪，抵挡那灭人命的。
这一渊源出自圣经新约《马太福音》里记载的耶稣上十字架前，在马可楼与十二使徒的最后的晚餐的内容，以此纪念基督用宝血与信徒立约，使信徒罪得赦免。这也是基督教圣餐仪式的直接源头。
此外，有关基督徒过不过逾越节，在初期基督教历史上曾存在着两次大的争论，直到325年的尼西亚会议上废除了逾越节，只守复活节，而且基督徒过逾越节是被看做异端的。那些坚守逾越节的信徒，只能被迫跑到沙漠或洞穴中去过逾越节。因此，过逾越节主要是犹太教徒所坚守的。因为，犹太教只信奉圣经中的《旧约》，否定圣经中的《新约》。所以，我们在信仰上绝不能轻易地与犹太教混为一谈。
中国的春节，其源头是出于殷商时期年头岁尾的祭神祭祖活动。这是中国一年中最大的传统节日。从农历腊八的腊祭或二十三的灶祭开始，一直到正月十五。其中除夕和正月初一是最高潮，距今已经沿袭4000多年。但确定为节日却是从汉武帝时期开始的。
在春节期间的生活中，不管是扫尘、守岁、拜年、贴春联、燃爆竹或者喝腊八粥、吃年糕、包饺子、吃春卷和汤圆，都是以祭祀神佛、祭奠祖先、除旧布新、迎喜接福和祈求丰年为主要内容的。
春节每一天的活动，都是有深刻含义的，都与鬼神相关的，趋利辟邪，希望在新的一年里发财得福。
春节共呈现四大特征；
一、家庭或某个组织举行祭祀神鬼、祖先等活动。
二、阖家团圆，吃团年饭等。
三、热闹的娱乐活动，如耍狮子、舞龙灯、踩高跷、扭秧歌等。
四、走亲访友。这一系列的活动，若从民俗文化角度上看，消极糟粕的一面是，民间迷信充斥其间，偶像崇拜特别严重，如拜灶神、门神、财神、喜神及各路鬼神。再有鞭牛迎春，向天神祈求丰年等。积极向上的一面是，祭祀祖先，阖家团聚，除旧布新，迎春场面的各类娱乐等。
此外，对于所谓的“年”还有一段民间传说。说是有一种凶猛的怪兽叫“年”，每到腊月三十，便走村窜户觅食人肉，残害生灵。一次，这个“年兽”窜到一个村子里，适逢两个牧童在比赛抽牛鞭子。年兽听见啪啪的鞭声，吓得望风而逃。逃到另一个村子，又迎头看见一家门口晒着件大红衣裳，惊吓的掉头就跑。后来年兽跑到一户人家，见里面灯火辉煌，刺得它头昏眼花，又夹着尾巴跑了。这是放鞭炮和贴对联的来源，意思是用鞭炮和红对联辟邪驱赶年兽。
从逾越节与春节的内容来看，逾越节是纪念神的救恩，是一个向神忏悔的日子，收敛吃喝与娱乐的日子。春节却是一个风俗节日，在这个日子可能各路鬼神都能得到跪拜，大伙儿也能藉着节日放松、吃喝玩乐。因此逾越节和春节在本质上是不一样的。
春节与逾越节的寓意里有一个共同点，就是都默认神的存在。但逾越节里的神非常清晰，是自有永有的，且是独一的。而春节寓意里默认的神却是特别多的，这种对神的认知是朦胧而杂糅的，如加尔文所说的不过是在认知上帝上的“人心的一种禀赋”而已。这种现象，在人类各民族中都是普遍存在的。就是中国古籍中记载的“天”、“上帝”等，都是这种“人心的禀赋”的反映与折射。
按照基督信仰来说，这是神给以人类的普遍启示。这种启示是神在自然界、人的内心和经验或历史的事实上呈现出来的，如大卫说的：“诸天述说神的荣耀，穹苍传扬他的手段。”这是人在堕落以前，神在工作之约内，也籍着超自然的方法将自己启示给人。
这也是一些民间迷信思想产生的原因。人如果真正要认识神，就必须对神进行再认识，从神的特殊启示中得到这种认识。
而以色列的逾越节，是在神的特殊启示下形成的。神籍着祂的话语《圣经》这部真理之书，籍着一些神迹让被祂拣选的门徒去认识祂。基督徒就是接受祂这种特殊启示的一群人，最终将得到祂的救赎和生命的更新，继而走向生命的永恒。若要让人们从普遍启示跨越进特殊启示之中，真正的认识神，神的拣选自然是根本性的，首当其冲的，但神的拣选往往是借助我们这些基督徒来实现的。
我们应该吸取逾越节中内在警醒和忏悔的一面，回顾神给我们的恩典，察验我们在与主同在中的不足，忏悔自己对神的亏欠，避免籍着节日放纵自己的欲望，净化自己的心灵。在真正的灵魂冲突与博弈中以神的真理作为盾牌，在浑噩的世俗中保持信仰上的清醒而不被世俗辱没。
People compare the Passover in Israel with the Lunar New Year in China when every Spring Festival arrives. Of course, this idea is a strategic need to educate non-believers but Christians should be clear and understand that although there are seemingly many similarities between the two festivals, the idea basically cannot stand scrutinizing if given careful consideration. Not only are they irrelevant, but they are even entirely contrary to each other.
Some people have made a list of the similarities between the Spring Festival and Passover, which is quite representative.
1. They are both the biggest festivals of the year and family reunions.
2. They are at the same time, which is the beginning of a year.
3. They have the same meaning: in China, it is "overstepping," and it is "over-passing" in Israel.
4. They are celebrated for the same reason: in Israel, it is avoiding "the one who kills," while in China, it is avoiding the legendary monster called "Nian" (meaning 'year').
5. They are of the same importance: to Chinese, it is passing the old year (which used to mean going through a hardship for the poor, particularly at the end of a year, in the ancient times as if they were moving through to the next level of a game, if not they would die); to Israelis, it is a matter of life and death.
6. They both have the same solution: Israelis paint blood (red) on door frames and Chinese stick couplets on each side of the outer door frames. Yet, the two peoples stay behind closed doors, and the whole family kept vigil until dawn.
This comparison between the Passover and the Spring Festival, though consistent, is suspected of being far-fetched.
Passover in Israel begins on the 14th evening between March and April of the Gregorian calendar. This is based on a passage in Exodus of the Bible. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God ordered the slaughter of lambs and smeared blood on the door so that when the angels who killed the eldest sons of the Egyptians could cross the door and call it "overstepping," and the Jews made this festival to commemorate it.
The next day is Unleavened Bread. Later Passover and Unleavened Bread were celebrated together. This is a holiday established by Jews to commemorate God's salvation and conservatism and give thanks to God.
However, when Christians commemorate it, they think that Passover is a preview of Christ Jesus. Because "Christ the Passover lamb has been slaughtered and sacrificed." (1 Cor. 5:7) On the red door frame is the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, which forgives our sins and resists those who kill people.
This origin comes from the last supper between Jesus and the twelve apostles at Marco House. It was recorded in Matthew in the New Testament to commemorate Christ's Covenant with his believers with precious blood to be forgiven. This is also the direct source of Christian Holy Communion.
There were also two significant controversies in early Christian history until Passover was abolished at the Nicaea Conference in 325, and only Easter was observed.
The Spring Festival in China originated from offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors at the end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties (estimated more than 4,000 years ago, translator's note). This is the biggest traditional festival of the year in China. Beginning from the Wintry sacrifice of Laba in the lunar calendar or the kitchen sacrifice on the 23rd of the last month of the old year, the festival will last until the 15th of the first month of the new (Chinese) year. New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month are the festival's main events, which have been observed for more than 4,000 years. However, it was confirmed as a festival from the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Whether it's sweeping away dust during the Spring Festival, watching the New Year, sticking couplets at the Spring Festival, playing firecrackers, drinking Laba (wintry worship) porridge, eating rice cakes, making dumplings, eating spring rolls and dumplings. The main content is to worship gods and Buddhas, pay tribute to ancestors, remove the old and place the new, welcome and pray for a good year.
During the Spring Festival, every day's activities have profound meanings related to ghosts and gods, seeking benefits and warding off evil spirits, hoping to make a fortune in the new year.
The Spring Festival presents four characteristics:
1. The family offers sacrifices to gods, ghosts, and ancestors.
2. Family reunion dinner.
3. Lively entertainment activities, such as lion dances, dragon lanterns dances, walking on stilts, farm dancing, and so on.
4. Visit relatives and friends. From a folk culture's perspective, the negative side of this series of activities is that it is full of folk superstitions, and idol worship is solemn, such as worshiping the kitchen god, the door god, the wealth god, the fertility god, and various ghosts and gods. They whip cattle to welcome the spring and pray to the gods for a good year, etc. On the positive side, there are sacrifices to ancestors, family reunions, new clothes, the old ones, and various entertainment in the Spring Festival.
Also, there is a folk legend about the so-called "Nian" (also meaning 'year'). It is said that there was a fierce monster named Nian, who went from village to village to find human flesh and mutilate living beings every 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. Once, the "Nian Beast" jumped into a town, which coincided with two shepherds whipping cattle in a competition. When the beast Nian heard the whipping sound, he was scared to run away. Fled to another village, it saw a red dress basking in front of a door. It was so frightening that it turned around and ran away. Later, the beast Nian ran to a house and saw the bright lights inside, which made him dizzy and ran away for his life. This was the origin of setting off firecrackers and pasting couplets, which meant using firecrackers and red couplets to ward off evil spirits and drive away from the monster Nian.
From the content of Passover and Spring Festival, Passover commemorates God's salvation. It is a day of confession to God and is a day of eating, drinking, and entertainment. Spring Festival is a custom festival. On this day, ghosts and gods from all walks of life can bow down, and everyone can relax, eat, drink and have fun through the festival. So the Passover and Spring Festival are different.
There is one thing in common in the moral of Spring Festival and Passover, that is, they both acquiesce in the existence of God. But the God in Passover is very clearly portrayed - He is eternal and unique, whereas the default gods in the Spring Festival moral are numerous, and this cognition of God is hazy and mixed. As Calvin said, it is only an "endowment of the human heart" in the understanding of God. This phenomenon is widespread in all ethnic groups of humanity. That is, "Heaven" and "God," which were recorded in ancient Chinese books, are the reflection and refraction of this "endowment of the human heart."
According to the Christian faith, this is a universal revelation from God to humanity. God presents this kind of revelation in nature, human heart, and experience or history. As David said: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky announces his means." Before people fall into depravity, God also revealed himself to others by supernatural means in his work.
This is also the cause of some folk superstitions. If people want to know God, they must know God again and get this knowledge from God's special revelation.
The Passover in Israel was formed under the special revelation of God. God made his chosen disciples know him by his word Bible, the book of truth, and by some miracles. Christians are a group of people who receive his special revelation, eventually, get his redemption and renewal of life, and then move towards the eternity of life. If people want to leap from universal revelation to special revelation and genuinely know God, God's choice is naturally fundamental. It bears the brunt, but God's intention is often realized with the help of us Christians.
We should learn from the inner vigilance and confession of Passover, review the grace given to us by God, examine our shortcomings in the presence of the Lord, confess our faults to God, avoid indulging our desires and purify our hearts through festivals. In the real soul conflict and game, we use God's truth as a shield and keep our faith awake in the chaotic secular world without being humiliated by the material world.
- Translated by Charlie Li
