Easter calendar
Easter is one of the holiest festivals of the Christians and it commemorates the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. The date on which Easter falls differs from one year to another but according to the accepted custom, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon that happens after the spring equinox. How did Easter come about Does everyone know its origins In this article, we will look at some of these questions.
Easter is an annual festival that is observed throughout the Christian world. Bunnies, colored eggs and chickens all form part of the Easter tradition. It is also the time to gorge on special Easter foods such as baked ham, potatoes and much more mouth-watering dishes. Since Easter being a festival of merriment, people give gifts to each other to convey their wishes and blessings. Chocolate Easter Eggs and Easter bunny dolls are the prominent gift ideas in celebration of Easter.
History Of Easter
Easter is considered to be the most significant observance of Christianity, celebrating the resurrection of Christ. According to ancient Scripture, it is believed that Jesus came back to life after three days of his death on the cross. This resurrection of Christ Jesus is celebrated the world over by the Christians as Easter and it is the most well attended Sunday service for Christian churches. Have you ever wondered about the origins of Easter In order to understand this, we must go back to its early history and now, let us cover it in detail in this article.
Easter has its roots in pagan lore and legend and according to this legend; in those days there was an early spring festival that was held to celebrate the beginning of spring and the end of winter. The first full moon, following the vernal equinox was made the day for the celebration of the festival. History also has it that there was a fertility goddess named Eastre and also known by various other names and she was the goddess of offspring and springtime.
The festival of Eastre and the Christian observance of celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus, fell at the same time of the year and problems arose due to this fact. We do know that pagans are a different lot, whom did not like the idea of Christianity because they considered it as too solemn a religion. So, they did not consider Easter as a religious holiday. Since Christianity borrowed some of the pagan symbols and icons, which was made part of the Christian celebration, and also the dates fell at the same time of the year, the early church council decided to celebrate Easter, on the first full moon day after the vernal equinox. So, this is how Easter was created.
The Date of Easter
Now, why does the date for Easter change every year The festival of Easter is observed throughout the Christian world and the date for Easter shifts every year within the Gregorian calendar. To those people who wonder whats this Gregorian calendar is all about, it is nothing but the standard international calendar for civil use. It also regulates the ceremonial cycle of the churches of the Roman Catholic and Protestants. The current Gregorian rule which determines the date of Easter traces back to a very long period in history, and at that time the Roman world used the Julian calendar, which was put in place by Julius Caesar. Then, the Roman Emperor Constantine convened the First Council and it was decided to keep Easter on a Sunday, the same Sunday throughout the whole world.
The council constructed special tables to compute the date for Easter Calendar , so that it is determined indefinitely in advance. Though these tables were revised in the centuries that followed, there did exist different means of calculations that were in use throughout the world of Christianity.
Let us see why do Christian Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on a different date than Western churches! There exists one major difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendar and that is the leap year rule. It was in 1582, the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Gregory XIII who undertook the reconstruction of the Julian calendar, completed it and produced new Easter tables. This Gregorian calendar was adopted universally very slowly and later most of the Western Europe began to adopt it. But the Eastern Christian churches still determine the Easter dates using the older Julian calendar method. Now, we do understand the reason why in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Easter falls on a different date, which is usually later than the Western date. Therefore, the date of Easter depends upon whether which tables, that is, Gregorian or Julian are used.
For the computational purpose of the date of Easter, the rule is that the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon that happens on or after the day of March 21, which is the day of the spring or vernal equinox. The astronomical definition of the vernal equinox is that the apparent motion of the Sun as seen from the Earth determines it. Also called as spring equinox, it is one of only two times in the year when the Sun crosses the equator and this makes the length of the day and night approximately equal. So, Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.
Celebration of Easter
According to western Christianity, the end of the season of Lent is marked as Easter, a forty-day fasting period and spiritual following in preparation for the holy festival of Easter. Lent is nothing but the season of preparation by Christians before Easter. The beginning of the season of Lent or the first day is known as Ash Wednesday. During such Ash Wednesday services, the minister will rub ashes lightly to the foreheads of the worshippers to draw the sign of the cross. It is not that every Christian church observes this period of Lent or Ash Wednesday. As for the Eastern Orthodox churches, they observe Lent in the six weeks or forty days before the Palm Sunday and they continue fasting throughout the holy week of Easter. The season of Lent starts on Monday for them and it is the season of preparations before Easter. It is the time for reflection on Jesus Christ, about his life, suffering and his sacrifices, death, burial and resurrection. The Eastern Orthodox churches do not observe Ash Wednesday. Numerous Christian churches also call it as Resurrection day.
Now, do we know what this Palm Sunday is all about One week before his execution by crucifixion, Jesus Christ made the successful entry into Jerusalem and this is celebrated by Christians as Palm Sunday. And when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem, the crowds over there greeted him by waving and also covering his path with palm branches. So, we understand the name connection.
Easter Calendar for the Year 2007
Easter is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ and it is the first Sunday that follows the first full moon after vernal equinox. Since the western churches use the Gregorian calendar while the Eastern Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar, to calculate the date of Easter, that is why the dates are not usually the same. Easter Calendar Sunday begins with Palm Sunday, which is on 1st of April. This Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Calendar Sunday. It is also referred to as Passion Sunday, by many Christian churches and it is held to celebrate Christs return into Jerusalem. Holy or Maundy Thursday follows it, which is on 5th April, and it is to celebrate Jesus s Last Supper. 6th April is celebrated as Good Friday and it commemorates Jesus s crucifixion. The name is so called because Christians regard it as a day of their liberation. Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. And our Easter Sunday falls on 8th of April and Christians generally celebrate it by giving Easter eggs as gifts to each other.
One may wonder how bunny and egg became popular Easter symbols! Egg is an earthly symbol for the god of fertility and it symbolizes the beginning and the germination of life. Thus, colored eggs were often given as gifts to each other to celebrate the coming of spring. Bunnies, which are prolific breeders, were also considered as a symbol of fertility. So, now we know how we got the Easter Rabbit and colored eggs and it becoming part of the Easter tradition.
Easter Calendar is the most important festival of Christians and it is celebrated around the world with much fanfare and gaiety, though it may vary in different countries due to regional influences. It is a festival of color and joy. It marks the start of spring and it is observed to honor Jesus Christs return to life. Though the religious significance of Easter celebrations if fading away in the minds of people in todays fast paced like, it is indeed one of the holiest festivals of the Christians. So, no matter of ones religious belief, Easter is fun to celebrate the arrival of spring with lots of chocolate Bunnies and Eggs.
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