Easter, also known as Pascha (Greek
Πάσχα: Passover), the Feast of the
Resurrection, the Sunday of the Resurrection, or Resurrection Day,
is the most important religious feast of the Christian
liturgical
year, observed between late March and late April (early April to
early May in Eastern Christianity). It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which his followers
believe occurred on the third day after his death by crucifixion
some time in the period AD 27 to 33 (see Good Friday).
In the Roman Catholic Church, Easter is actually
an eight-day feast called the Octave of Easter.
Easter also refers to the season of the church
year, lasting for fifty days, from Easter Sunday through Pentecost.
In most languages of Christian societies, other than English,
German
and some Slavic languages, the holiday's name is derived
from Pesach, the Hebrew name of Passover,
a Jewish holiday to which the Christian Easter is intimately linked. Easter
depends on Passover not only for much of its symbolic meaning but also for its
position in the calendar; the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples
before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover seder, based on the
chronology in the Synoptic Gospels. The Gospel of
John has a different chronology which has Christ's death at the time
of the slaughter of the Passover lambs, which might have been for theological
reasons but which is regarded by some scholars as more historically likely
given the surrounding events. This would put the Last Supper slightly before Passover, on 14 Nisan
of the Bible's Hebrew calendar (Leviticus
23:5). According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "In fact, the
Jewish feast was taken over into the
In the Catholic church
the Stations of the Cross are recited every Friday during Lent followed by Holy
Mass. The faithful are encouraged to do acts of penance and charity during the
Lenten season beyond what is prescribed by law. It is commendable to abstain
from smoking, watching too much television, indulging in idle talk, etc.
Charity includes almsgiving, kindness, concern and helpfulness towards all,
especially the old, the sick and the unfortunate. Parents must to see to it
that minors, though not bound by the law of fast and abstinence, are educated
in the authentic sense of penance and encouraged to do acts of penance suitable
to their age. Finally, all members of the faithful are encouraged to avail
themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession).
In Western Christianity, Easter always falls on a
Sunday from March 22
to April 25
inclusive. The following day, Easter Monday,
is a legal holiday
in many countries with predominantly Christian traditions. In Eastern
Christianity, Easter falls between April 4
and May 8.
Easter
and the holidays that are related to it are moveable
feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian
calendars (which follow the motion of the sun and the seasons). Instead, they
are based on a lunar calendar similar—but not
identical—to the Hebrew Calendar. The precise date of Easter has
often been a matter for contention.
In the
United
Kingdom, the Easter Act of 1928 set out legislation
to allow the date of Easter to be fixed as the first Sunday after the second
Saturday in
At a
summit in Aleppo,
Syria,
in 1997, the World Council of Churches proposed a
reform in the calculation of Easter which would have replaced an equation-based
method of calculating Easter with direct astronomical observation; this would
have side-stepped the calendar issue and eliminated the difference in date
between the Eastern and Western churches. The reform was proposed for
implementation starting in 2001, but it was not ultimately adopted by any
member body.
A few
clergymen of various denominations have advanced the notion of disregarding the
moon altogether in determining the date of Easter; proposals include always
observing the feast on the second Sunday in April, or always having seven
Sundays between the Epiphany and Ash Wednesday,
producing the same result except that in leap years Easter could fall on April 7.
These suggestions have yet to attract significant support, and their adoption
in the future is considered unlikely.
Certain variations in the Easter Vigil exist: Some
churches read the Old Testament lessons before the procession of the Paschal
candle, and then read the gospel immediately after the Exsultet. Some churches
prefer to keep this vigil very early on the Sunday morning instead of the
Saturday night, particularly Protestant churches, to reflect the gospel account of the
women coming to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. These services
are known as the Sunrise service and often occur in outdoor
setting such as the church's yard or a nearby park.
As
with many other Christian dates, the celebration of Easter extends beyond the
church. Since its origins, it has been a time of celebration and feasting.
Today it is commercially important, seeing wide sales of greeting
cards and confectionery such as chocolate Easter eggs, marshmallow bunnies, Peeps, and jelly beans.
Despite
the religious preeminence of Easter, in many traditionally Christian countries Christmas
is now a more prominent event in the calendar year, being unrivaled as a
festive season, commercial opportunity, and time of family gathering —
even for those of no or only nominal faith. Easter's relatively modest secular
observances place it a distant second or third among the less religiously
inclined where Christmas is so prominent.
However
your family celebrates the