Easter
Easter is considered the most important Christian festival. Easter celebrates the central Christian belief that Jesus rose from dead three days after his Crucifi xion. Christians believe Jesus was the Son of God, and died on the cross to redeem humanity from sin. In addition to its religious meaning, the Resurrection symbolizes the revival of hope and a fresh
lease on life for all human beings. Christ’s victory over death signifi es to Christians the possible salvation of their eternal souls.
Origins of Easter
Eostre, the Mother Goddess
The English name for this celebration, Easter, takes its name from the pagan deity Eostre, the mother goddess of the Saxon tribes of northern A saleswoman polishes Easter bunnies on display for sale in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The Easter egg delivering bunnies are a typical Easter symbol.
Eostre was also the goddess of fertility. She was believed to be in charge of conception and birth, as well as pollination, fl owering, and the ripening of fruit. After the harsh dreary winters of northern Europe, Eostre brought the warmth of spring, fertility, and abundance.
The ancient deities in all civilizations had patron animals, and the rabbit, a symbol of fertility, is the companion animal of Eostre. In one legend, Eostre transformed a bird into a rabbit—but the rabbit kept the ability to lay eggs. Eostre’s feast day occurred on the fi rst full Moon following the spring equinox. Celebrants would combine prayers of thanks and make small offerings over fi res.
Rebirth in the Mediterranean
Most of the pagan societies that settled in the Mediterranean region had a major religious celebration at or following shortly after the spring equinox. A common theme of these spring religious festivals was a god whose own death and rebirth symbolized the death and regeneration of life during this time of year. There are stories of a few gods in pagan religions who were believed to have died only to be reborn.
For example, the Phrygian fertility goddess, Cybele, had a consort named Attis. (Phrygia was located within the triangle formed by the modern cities of Afyon, Eskisehir, and Ankara, the capital of modern Turkey.)
Attis was believed to have been born of a virgin, and several religious historians believe that the Christian legends of death and resurrection were first associated with him. The ancient Christians, on the other hand, claimed that Satan had created counterfeit, or false, deities to preempt the
debut of Jesus and to confuse humanity.
Modern-day Christians, those who know of it, regard the Attis legend as merely a pagan myth. They believe the account of Jesus’ death and Resurrection and do not accept
the idea that it might be related to the earlier tradition.
The Arrival of Christianity
With the arrival of Christianity, sweeping changes took place in these ancient spring rites and ceremonies, fi rst within cultures located along the Mediterranean and later through the lands of Europe. In order to promote Christianity as the only religion, early church leaders banned all pagan rites
and ceremonies. But these rituals had been a way of life for thousands of years, and people did not easily give them up. So the Christian Church adapted, attaching Christian meanings to the old pagan rituals and festivals.
Christian Easter
The Crucifi xion of Jesus took place on what is now called Good Friday. In the early morning of the third day after his Crucifi xion, which happened to be Sunday, some women disciples of Jesus went to the cave (tomb) where his body had been laid. They learned that Jesus had been resurrected, or raised from the tomb. Grief turned into celebration following this amazing occurrence.
Easter is not a festival confined to a single day, however. It is spread over a considerable length of time, starting with Lent, a period of spiritual preparation for Easter. In some countries, those in which Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in particular, Easter celebrations begin with Carnival. Carnival is called Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) in Frenchspeaking countries.
>>One Last Blowout
For many parts of Europe and the Americas, Easter season begins with a celebration called Carnival or Mardi Gras
that generally features carousing, eating, and drinking, and masked processions through cities and towns. Carnival celebrations take place in many countries around the world, especially those with large Roman Catholic populations, such as much of Latin America and the Caribbean, and areas where historically the French had power, such as New Orleans, Louisiana, and Montreal, Canada. The festivities end on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the fi rst day of Lent.
>>Easter and the Moon
Even today, nature guides church planning. Christians celebrate Easter on the fi rst Sunday after the fi rst full Moon of spring.
When Easter Is Celebrated
Easter is called a “movable feast,”
because it is celebrated on different dates
every year. The Western and Eastern Churches celebrate Easter at different times because they use different methods to schedule the holiday.
Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches of the West schedule Easter using a complicated system of rules that date to the Council of Nicea. At that meeting in 325, church leaders came up with a number of rules about how the Roman CatholicChurch should work. One thing they decided was that the Church should hold a holiday to commemorate the day on which Jesus rose from the dead. Because they didn’t know when this happened, they decided that Easter would be celebrated on the Sunday after the fi rst full Moon following the spring equinox. Helpful astronomers created a chart that plotted out their estimates of the dates of full Moons for many years to come. The Church formally adopted these dates as what are called “ecclesiastical full Moons.”
They noted that the spring equinox fell on March 20 in 325, so they made that an offi cial date. From then on, the rule for scheduling Easter was that Easter should fall on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full Moon after March 20. The
result of this complicated scheduling is that the Western Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.
The Eastern Orthodox Easter usually comes after the Western Easter.
There are several reasons for this. First, the Eastern Churches do not use the same calendar as the Western Churches. Western Churches use the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar that is used in Canada, Europe, the United States, and most of the world. The Eastern Churches use the
Julian calendar, which was the calendar in place when the rules for scheduling Easter were fi rst set. The Julian calendar is currently 13 days ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Second, Eastern Churches use the actual fi rst full Moon after the spring equinox to set the date of Easter. They do not use the ecclesiastical full Moons. Third, the Orthodox Easter must fall after the Jewish holiday of Passover. This is to remain faithful to the Bible’s claim that Jesus died after Passover. With these regulations, April 3 is the
earliest date on which the Eastern Churches can celebrate Easter. Sometimes the Eastern Orthodox Easter falls on the same date as it
does for Western Churches. In other years it might be as many as five weeks later.
The 40 Days of Lent
Lent is the period before Easter that some Christian churches observe as a time of prayer, fasting, and abstinence.Abstinence
means giving up a pleasure (such as chocolate). Lent commences on Ash Wednesday and concludes on HolySaturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Originally, various Christian groups established the observance as an interval ranging from a few days to several weeks. Eventually it was fixed in the eighth century at 40 days, representing the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. Among Roman Catholics, Lent lasts for six-and-a-halfweeks before Easter, excluding Sundays.
According to A Russian woman lights a candle to celebrate Easter at a church in Moscow. Eastern Orthodox churches, which observe the ancient Julian calendar, usually celebrate Easter later than Western Churches.
Easter is considered the most important Christian festival. Easter celebrates the central Christian belief that Jesus rose from dead three days after his Crucifi xion. Christians believe Jesus was the Son of God, and died on the cross to redeem humanity from sin. In addition to its religious meaning, the Resurrection symbolizes the revival of hope and a fresh
lease on life for all human beings. Christ’s victory over death signifi es to Christians the possible salvation of their eternal souls.
Eostre, the Mother Goddess
The English name for this celebration, Easter, takes its name from the pagan deity Eostre, the mother goddess of the Saxon tribes of northern A saleswoman polishes Easter bunnies on display for sale in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Eostre was also the goddess of fertility. She was believed to be in charge of conception and birth, as well as pollination, fl owering, and the ripening of fruit. After the harsh dreary winters of northern Europe, Eostre brought the warmth of spring, fertility, and abundance.
The ancient deities in all civilizations had patron animals, and the rabbit, a symbol of fertility, is the companion animal of Eostre. In one legend, Eostre transformed a bird into a rabbit—but the rabbit kept the ability to lay eggs. Eostre’s feast day occurred on the fi rst full Moon following the spring equinox. Celebrants would combine prayers of thanks and make small offerings over fi res.
Rebirth in the Mediterranean
Most of the pagan societies that settled in the Mediterranean region had a major religious celebration at or following shortly after the spring equinox. A common theme of these spring religious festivals was a god whose own death and rebirth symbolized the death and regeneration of life during this time of year. There are stories of a few gods in pagan religions who were believed to have died only to be reborn.
For example, the Phrygian fertility goddess, Cybele, had a consort named Attis. (Phrygia was located within the triangle formed by the modern cities of Afyon, Eskisehir, and Ankara, the capital of modern Turkey.)
Attis was believed to have been born of a virgin, and several religious historians believe that the Christian legends of death and resurrection were first associated with him. The ancient Christians, on the other hand, claimed that Satan had created counterfeit, or false, deities to preempt the
debut of Jesus and to confuse humanity.
the idea that it might be related to the earlier tradition.
The Arrival of Christianity
With the arrival of Christianity, sweeping changes took place in these ancient spring rites and ceremonies, fi rst within cultures located along the Mediterranean and later through the lands of Europe. In order to promote Christianity as the only religion, early church leaders banned all pagan rites
and ceremonies. But these rituals had been a way of life for thousands of years, and people did not easily give them up. So the Christian Church adapted, attaching Christian meanings to the old pagan rituals and festivals.
The Crucifi xion of Jesus took place on what is now called Good Friday. In the early morning of the third day after his Crucifi xion, which happened to be Sunday, some women disciples of Jesus went to the cave (tomb) where his body had been laid. They learned that Jesus had been resurrected, or raised from the tomb. Grief turned into celebration following this amazing occurrence.
Easter is not a festival confined to a single day, however. It is spread over a considerable length of time, starting with Lent, a period of spiritual preparation for Easter. In some countries, those in which Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in particular, Easter celebrations begin with Carnival. Carnival is called Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) in Frenchspeaking countries.
>>One Last Blowout
For many parts of Europe and the Americas, Easter season begins with a celebration called Carnival or Mardi Gras
that generally features carousing, eating, and drinking, and masked processions through cities and towns. Carnival celebrations take place in many countries around the world, especially those with large Roman Catholic populations, such as much of Latin America and the Caribbean, and areas where historically the French had power, such as New Orleans, Louisiana, and Montreal, Canada. The festivities end on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the fi rst day of Lent.
>>Easter and the Moon
Even today, nature guides church planning. Christians celebrate Easter on the fi rst Sunday after the fi rst full Moon of spring.
When Easter Is Celebrated
Easter is called a “movable feast,”
because it is celebrated on different dates
every year. The Western and Eastern Churches celebrate Easter at different times because they use different methods to schedule the holiday.
Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches of the West schedule Easter using a complicated system of rules that date to the Council of Nicea. At that meeting in 325, church leaders came up with a number of rules about how the Roman CatholicChurch should work. One thing they decided was that the Church should hold a holiday to commemorate the day on which Jesus rose from the dead. Because they didn’t know when this happened, they decided that Easter would be celebrated on the Sunday after the fi rst full Moon following the spring equinox. Helpful astronomers created a chart that plotted out their estimates of the dates of full Moons for many years to come. The Church formally adopted these dates as what are called “ecclesiastical full Moons.”
They noted that the spring equinox fell on March 20 in 325, so they made that an offi cial date. From then on, the rule for scheduling Easter was that Easter should fall on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full Moon after March 20. The
result of this complicated scheduling is that the Western Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.
The Eastern Orthodox Easter usually comes after the Western Easter.
There are several reasons for this. First, the Eastern Churches do not use the same calendar as the Western Churches. Western Churches use the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar that is used in Canada, Europe, the United States, and most of the world. The Eastern Churches use the
Julian calendar, which was the calendar in place when the rules for scheduling Easter were fi rst set. The Julian calendar is currently 13 days ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Second, Eastern Churches use the actual fi rst full Moon after the spring equinox to set the date of Easter. They do not use the ecclesiastical full Moons. Third, the Orthodox Easter must fall after the Jewish holiday of Passover. This is to remain faithful to the Bible’s claim that Jesus died after Passover. With these regulations, April 3 is the
Holiday Schedules
The date of the Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the ancient Jewish celebration of Pesach or Passover. The
Jewish people followed the Persian (Babylonian) calendar and their new year commenced with the spring equinox.
earliest date on which the Eastern Churches can celebrate Easter. Sometimes the Eastern Orthodox Easter falls on the same date as it
does for Western Churches. In other years it might be as many as five weeks later.
The 40 Days of Lent
Lent is the period before Easter that some Christian churches observe as a time of prayer, fasting, and abstinence.Abstinence
means giving up a pleasure (such as chocolate). Lent commences on Ash Wednesday and concludes on HolySaturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Originally, various Christian groups established the observance as an interval ranging from a few days to several weeks. Eventually it was fixed in the eighth century at 40 days, representing the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. Among Roman Catholics, Lent lasts for six-and-a-halfweeks before Easter, excluding Sundays.
According to A Russian woman lights a candle to celebrate Easter at a church in Moscow. Eastern Orthodox churches, which observe the ancient Julian calendar, usually celebrate Easter later than Western Churches.
Easter Cycles
The cycle of Easter dates repeats itself every 84 years in the Western Churches and every 19 years in the Eastern Churches. In other words, Easter this year will fall on the same date as it did 84 years ago and will fall 84 years from now in the Western Churches. In the Eastern Churches it will fall on the same date as it did 19 years ago and will fall 19 years from now.
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