Stephen Sondheim

Easter , or of Easter , is a religious Fête Christian commemorating the Résurrection Jesus-Christ, the third day after its Passion (of the Greek " pathos": to suffer) and its Crucifixion the Good Friday, day before the Sabbath. It is the holiest day of the Christian calendar. It marks the end of the Jeûne Lent.

Passover, of the Hebrew Pessah “passage”, is the name of the Jewish festival which commemorates the left Egypt.

This word was used to indicate the Christian festival because, according to the Évangile S, it is during this Jewish holiday (which lasts 8 days) that had place the resurrection of Jesus. The form “Passover” is used to indicate this festival in the orthodoxe Églises. For the other Churches, this form is out-of-date.

Go back to Easter

Easter and the Fête S which are dependant there unroll on variable dates of the Gregorian Calendrier (which follows the movement of the Sun and the seasons). The contemporary dates of Easter are Sundays , and of the Gregorian calendar. In fact, they are based on the lunar Calendrier, like that used by the Juifs to fix in particular the date of the Jewish Passover.

After the I {{er}} council of Nicée in 325, it was decided that the Calcul of the date of Easter would be done according to a fixed rule. Thus, Easter Sunday after the 14th day of the first lunar month of spring is celebrated. Thus Sunday after the first full moon additional clause during or after the equinox of spring. In practice, it is simpler to return at the origins: Easter corresponds to first Sunday which follows first full moon of Spring. On the other hand, the date can vary according to the longitude of the city where the observation is carried out. The catholics choose Rome of course.

Finally, all the churches accepted the method of Alexandria which places the vernal equinox in the Northern hemisphere on March 21st (whereas truth can intervene one or two days before or afterwards).

A problem, appeared later, is the difference of the practices between the Western churches and the orthodoxe churches . The first adopt the Gregorian Calendrier to calculate the date of Easter, whereas the last always use the Calendrier Julien original. The World Council of Churches proposed a reform of the method of determination of the date of Easter at the time of a top with Alep (Syria), in 1997. This reform would have made it possible to eliminate the differences in dates between church Western and Eastern; it was to come into force in 2001, but failed.

The calculation of the date of Easter is rather complex and known under the name of Comput. There exist traditional tables, but also more mathematical algorithms to find it. The first method developed by Carl Friedrich Gauss had some errors: in 1954 (the formula gave on April 25th instead of the April 18th) and in 1981 (26 instead of the April 19th). Many other mathematicians since developed other formulas. See the calculations detailed in the article of the Calculation of the date of Easter.

The two Easter Days (Sunday and Monday) are recognized like bank holidays by the majority of the countries of Christian tradition , except with the the United States where Easter is only celebrated the Easter Sunday and not also the Easter Monday. In France for example, the Easter Monday is non-working since the law of the March 8th 1886. In the department of Alsace and in the Moselle the Good Friday, which precedes Easter Sunday is also non-working.

Symbols of Easter and their significance

The Light

For the Christians, the symbolism of the Lumière of Easter has a cosmic direction. The reference to the equinox and the full moon (see higher the Date of Easter) is not for them quelquechose of fortuitous: she is wanted by God himself. It is only with the equinox that the Sun lights all the Earth while, at the same time, the full moon continues to reflect its rays during the night.

Certain symbols of the Easter are to be found among those of the Jewish holiday of Pessa' H and took another significance compared to Christ. Others refer to the episodes reported in the Gospels.

The lamb

The best identification comes from chapter 53 of the prophet Isaïe (verse 5 to 7) But it was transpierced because of our crimes, Écrasé because of our faults; The punishment which gives us peace is (fallen) on him, And it is by its bruises that we are cured. We all were wandering like ewes, Each one followed its own way; And the Eternal made fall down on him the fault of us all. He was maltreated, he humiliated himself and did not open the mouth, Semblable to the lamb which one leads to butchery, with a dumb ewe in front of those which mow it; He did not open the mouth.

The son of Abraham transforms himself into sons of God: Here: you will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you will call it name of Jesus. He will be large and will be called Fils of the Almighty, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. (Luc chapter 1, verse 31 and 32). It is besides because of this only assertion that it will be crucifié: The Jews answered him: We have a law, and according to the law, it must die, because it was made Sons of God. (Jean 19:7).

The ram which Abraham finds becomes the Lamb of God: The following day, he saw Jesus coming to him and known as: Here the Lamb of God, who removes the sin of the world. (Jean 1:29)

He does not say anything: Jesus kept silence and nothing answered. The sovereign sacrificator questioned it again and says to him: Es you Christ, the Son of (God) Blessed? (Marc chapter 14, verse 61)

But this death leads to resurrection: Jesus consequently started to show with his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, to suffer much on behalf of the old ones, of the principal sacrificateurs and the scribes, to be put at dead and ressusciter the third day. (Matthieu 16:21) but that one also finds in (Matthieu 20:19 - Luc 9:22 - Luc 13:32 - Luc 18:33 - Luc 24:46).

Blood

The blood of the rams was used as sign to save the Hebrew during the delivery and of the exit of Egypt: When the Eternal crosses Egypt to strike and that he will see blood on the lintel and the two posts, the Eternal will pass over the door and will not let the destructor enter your houses for (you) striking. (Exodus 12:23).

This same blood allows the relation with God via Christ: This is why Jesus also, to sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered out of the door. (Hebrews 13:12)

The Gospel

Jesus and his disciples (all Jews) thus naturally celebrated this event all while giving him a major direction (for the Christians), because comparing the exit of Egypt to the final delivery of disobedience to God (one of the significances of the word Péché): And their corpses (will remain) on the place of the big city, which is called in a spiritual direction Sodome and Egypt, there even where their Lord was crucifié. (Apocalypse, chapter 11, verse 8)

Bread

Concerning the bread, the Christians also have to remove the leaven of their life. In the Gospel, that takes a spiritual significance:

Or in a letter of saint Paul:

The Easter

Religious holiday

Easter known as “of obligation” in the catholic Église is a festival, i.e. it is obligatory to be unemployed and to attend the mass. For a long time, Easter was the day of the year when the faithful ones went communier, which forced to them to go to confess beforehand. One employed the expression “to make his Easter”. It is also the occasion for the Pape to pronounce his blessing Urbi and orbi .

Popular traditions

In the Christian countries, the Easter egg is the favorite gift the Easter Day.

In Germany, in Switzerland, in Austria, France in the area of Alsace and the department of the Moselle, like in Martinique, Guyana and Guadeloupe, the Easter Monday is accompanied by another bank holiday: the “Karfreitag”, is the Good Friday. Easter is thus regarded there as a kind of second Christmas and it is not rare that people are offered gifts between them to this occasion. Another characteristic: the Easter eggs are brought by hare of Easter ( Osterhase ).

As for Christmas, the Swiss ones and the German decorate their house with the approach with Easter. Chocolate S and various decorations often in the rabbit shape thus decorates the shops and the apartments. One also made there bouquets of Easter over which one hangs various subjects and of painted eggs. The trees in the gardens have right also to a multicoloured ornament with the arrival of spring, the eggs and rabbits push everywhere!

In Belgium and France, they are the bells of Easter which bring Easter eggs. Since the Maundy Thursday, the bells are quiet, as a sign of mourning. It is said that they left for Rome, and they return the Easter Day while bringing back eggs which they drop to their passage.

In Italy, one attaches the bells the day of the Maundy Thursday to prevent that they do not sound.

In Germany and France, the meal of Easter is often the occasion to divide a roast of lamb accompanied by flageolets.

The American hope that “Easter Bunny” will bring chocolate rabbits and sugar refineries in a braided basket to them.

Easter birth gave to the first name “Pascal”.

But why does one offer eggs to Easter?

This tradition would go back to the Antiquité. Already, the Egyptian and the Romains offered eggs painted to spring because they were the symbol of the life and the rebirth. The Church having founded with the IVe century prohibition to eat eggs during the Lent and hens continuing to lay, the eggs laid since the beginning of the Lent - not having been eaten - then were decorated and offered. Nowadays, the fast is not observed any more also strictly but the tradition to offer eggs, including out of chocolate, remained for the pleasure of small and large.

The name of “Easter” in various languages

In the majority of the countries with dominant Christian woman, the names of Easter come from the Hebrew Pessa' H :

However, some languages name this festival differently:

Wishes given at the time of Easter

• In English: “Happy Easter”

• In Germany: “Frohe Ostern”
• In Arab: “عيدفصحمجيد”
• With the Canada: the Easter Day: “Merry Easter”
• In France, at the end of taken care or the Easter Day: “Merry Easter”
• In Sweden: “Glad Påsk”
• With the Portugal: Páscoa Feliz
• In Spain: Feliz Semana Santa, or, Feliz Pascua
• In Maltese: “L-Ghid it-Tajjeb”

In the majority of the orthodoxe country of tradition: “Christ is ressuscity! ”, and one answers “It is really ressuscity! ”. For example, in Russian: “Христосвоскресе! ” - “Воистинувоскресе! ”, in Greek: “Χριστός Ανέστη! ” - “Αληθώς Ανέστη! ”, or in Rumanian “Hristos has înviat! ” - “Adevărat has înviat! ”.

See too

Easter Passover

Related articles

• catholic liturgical Calendar

• Comput (calculation of the movable dates of feasts in the Christian religion)
• Triduum
• Good Friday (3rd day before Easter)
• Mystery Pascal
• Easter Monday (1st day after Easter)
• Ascension Day (Thursday of the sixth week after Easter, either the 39e days after Easter)
• Sunday of Pentecost (seventh Sunday after päques, or the 49e day after Easter)
• Corpus Christi (Thursday which follows the Trinity, or the 60e day afterwards Easter)
• Easter Island
• the Holy Sepulchre of Angers

Other Passover

• Jewish Passover
• Passover quartodécimaine

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