The significance of Easter Sunday lies in the fact that it is the day when Jesus raised from death after his crucification. Find out about celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the origins of Easter. Easter is considered to be the most popular of the Sunday Masses held and attended by believers of the Christian community. The day is celebrated as the resurrection day of Jesus Christ. This implies that post crucification Jesus raised from death. The day of crucification is observed as Good Friday, which is followed by the Easter Sunday. According to the calendar of the church, this day is considered to be very important. Throughout the globe, countless feasts are held and prayers and Masses are held to celebrate the resurrection. It is believed that through birth, death and subsequent resurrection, Jesus the son of God paid for all the sins committed by his believers and that of mankind. In this articleThe Origin of EasterMethod of Calculating the Date of EasterHow is Easter Observed?The Origin of Easter Although there is no mention of any particular event that mark the origin of Easter, but it is believed by the church that it comes from Estre, who is the Goddess of spring according to the Anglo-Saxon era. ‘Ostern’ is a German word that is also believed to probably denote Easter, and this again refers to the Estre of the Anglo-Saxons. According to the Latin Festa Paschalia, which refers to a seven day feast, can be considered to be the origin of the celebration of Easter. It is interesting to note that the Greek term Pascha, or the Hebrew Pesach actually marks the Passover observed by the Christians today. Method of Calculating the Date of Easter There have been quite some controversies and difference of opinions on how the date of Easter is to be decided. There is a certain method involved but in simple terms, it can be said that both the Catholics and the Protestants, that is, the followers of the western churches, commemorate Easter on the first Sunday that comes after the first moon of the spring equinox. Since the sixth century, the astronomical calendar follows a certain “paschal cycle” which is an 84 year old cycle. According to this calculation, the first spring full moon ought to be on 21 March. This occasion of “full moon” does not correspond to the full moon in the astronomical sense. So the calculation becomes quite complicated in determining the actual date of Easter. However, it is seen that Easter is observed anytime between the 22nd of March and 25th of April. The eastern churches have a different viewpoint. This refers to the Russian and Greek churches that follow the Julian calendar and calculate on the basis of a 19 year old Paschal cycle. This results in determining the period anywhere between, 21st of March and 3rdApril. The interesting part is that there is no collision of dates, but as per both the methods of calculations, the date falls around the same time. Precisely, the two celebrations of Easter as per both the eastern and western churches are observed within a period of five weeks. How is Easter Observed? There has been mention of Christians celebrating the resurrection of Christ every Sunday since the medieval period, where they read scriptures, psalms and the Eucharist. It was also prohibited to kneel down during the prayers. Then during the following two centuries, the resurrection was celebrated on a particular day each year. Then there was a clash of celebrations with the Jewish Passover and the differences arose as to whether the date should be the same as the Passover, or it should be observed on a Sunday. Since Easter is a spring festival, which is a celebration of fertility, eggs have become an integral part of the festival. Although some puritan Christians do not associate Easter with eggs as it is related to some Pagan rituals. However, it is a time to celebrate with friends, family and community and share the good feelings on this happy occasion.
The significance of Easter Sunday lies in the fact that it is the day when Jesus raised from death after his crucification. Find out about celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the origins of Easter. Easter is considered to be the most popular of the Sunday Masses held and attended by believers of the Christian community. The day is celebrated as the resurrection day of Jesus Christ. This implies that post crucification Jesus raised from death. The day of crucification is observed as
Good Friday, which is followed by the
Easter Sunday. According to the calendar of the church, this day is considered to be very important.
Throughout the globe, countless feasts are held and prayers and Masses are held to celebrate the resurrection. It is believed that through birth, death and subsequent resurrection, Jesus the son of God paid for all the sins committed by his believers and that of mankind.
The Origin of Easter
Although there is no mention of any particular event that mark the origin of Easter, but it is believed by the church that it comes from Estre, who is the Goddess of spring according to the Anglo-Saxon era. ‘Ostern’ is a German word that is also believed to probably denote Easter, and this again refers to the Estre of the Anglo-Saxons. According to the Latin Festa Paschalia, which refers to a seven day feast, can be considered to be the origin of the celebration of Easter. It is interesting to note that the Greek term Pascha, or the Hebrew Pesach actually marks the Passover observed by the Christians today.
Method of Calculating the Date of Easter
There have been quite some controversies and difference of opinions on how the date of Easter is to be decided. There is a certain method involved but in simple terms, it can be said that both the Catholics and the Protestants, that is, the followers of the western churches, commemorate Easter on the first Sunday that comes after the first moon of the spring equinox.
Since the sixth century, the astronomical calendar follows a certain “paschal cycle” which is an 84 year old cycle. According to this calculation, the first spring full moon ought to be on 21 March. This occasion of “full moon” does not correspond to the full moon in the astronomical sense. So the calculation becomes quite complicated in determining the actual date of Easter. However, it is seen that Easter is observed anytime between the 22nd of March and 25th of April.
The eastern churches have a different viewpoint. This refers to the Russian and Greek churches that follow the Julian calendar and calculate on the basis of a 19 year old Paschal cycle. This results in determining the period anywhere between, 21st of March and 3rdApril. The interesting part is that there is no collision of dates, but as per both the methods of calculations, the date falls around the same time. Precisely, the two celebrations of Easter as per both the eastern and western churches are observed within a period of five weeks.
How is Easter Observed?
There has been mention of Christians celebrating the resurrection of Christ every Sunday since the medieval period, where they read scriptures, psalms and the Eucharist. It was also prohibited to kneel down during the prayers. Then during the following two centuries, the resurrection was celebrated on a particular day each year. Then there was a clash of celebrations with the Jewish Passover and the differences arose as to whether the date should be the same as the Passover, or it should be observed on a Sunday.
Since Easter is a spring festival, which is a celebration of fertility, eggs have become an integral part of the festival. Although some puritan Christians do not associate Easter with eggs as it is related to some Pagan rituals. However, it is a time to celebrate with friends, family and community and share the good feelings on this happy occasion.
