Easter is observed on a
Sunday between March 22
and April 25.
The commonly stated
rule, that Easter is
the first Sunday after
the full moon that
occurs next after the
vernal equinox, is
somewhat misleading
because it is not a
precise statement of the
actual ecclesiastical
rules.
The actual conditions to
determine the date for
Easter are
-
Easter must be on a
Sunday;
-
this Sunday must
follow the 14th
day of the paschal
moon;
-
the paschal moon is
that of which the 14th
day (full moon)
falls on or next
follows the day of
the vernal equinox;
and
-
the equinox is fixed
in the calendar as
March 21.
Easter is a religious
holiday that
commemorates the
resurrection of Jesus
Christ three days after
his death by crucifixion
some 2,000 years ago.
For Christians, Easter
is a day of religious
services and the
gathering of family.
The genesis of Easter
was rooted in pagan gods
that were worshiped
prior to Canada's
existence; but for
Canada, Easter began and
continues to be
celebrated as a
Christian event.
In many churches Easter
is preceded by a season
of prayer, abstinence,
and fasting called Lent.
This is observed in
memory of the 40 days'
fast of Christ in the
desert. In Eastern
Orthodox churches Lent
is 50 days. In Western
Christendom Lent is
observed for six weeks
and four days.
Ash Wednesday, the first
day of Lent, gets its
name from the practice,
mainly in the Roman
Catholic church, of
putting ashes on the
foreheads of the
faithful to remind them
that "man is but dust."
Palm Sunday, one week
before Easter,
celebrates the entry of
Jesus into Jerusalem.
Holy Week begins on this
day. Holy Thursday, or
Maundy Thursday, is in
memory of the Last
Supper of Christ with
his disciples.
Good Friday
commemorates the
crucifixion.
Lent may be preceded by
a carnival season.
Elaborate pageants often
close this season on
Shrove Tuesday, the day
before the beginning of
Lent. This day is also
called by its French
name, Mardi Gras.
The name Easter comes
from Eostre (pronounced
yo'ster), an ancient
Anglo-Saxon goddess. In
pagan times an annual
spring festival was held
in her honor. Some
Easter customs have come
from this and other
pre-Christian spring
festivals. Others come
from the Passover feast
of the Jews, observed in
memory of their
deliverance from Egypt.
The word paschal comes
from a Latin word that
means "belonging to
Passover or to Easter."
Formerly, Easter and the
Passover were closely
associated. The
resurrection of Jesus
took place during the
Passover. Christians of
the Eastern church
initially celebrated
both holidays together.
But the Passover can
fall on any day of the
week, and Christians of
the Western church
preferred to celebrate
Easter on Sunday the day
of the resurrection.
The Easter Bunny, a
popular image of the
holiday, originated with
the hare, an ancient
symbol for the moon.
According to legend, the
bunny was originally a
large, handsome bird
belonging to Eostre, the
Goddess of Spring. (Eostre
is also known as Ostara,
a Goddess of fertility
who is celebrated at the
time of the
Spring equinox.) She
changed the bird into a
rabbit, which explains
why the Easter bunny
builds a nest and fills
it with colored eggs.
The first edible Easter
bunnies were made in
Germany during the early
1800s. They were made of
pastery and sugar.
The egg is another
popular symbol of
Easter. Eggs were dyed
and eaten during spring
festivals in ancient
Egypt, Persia, Greece
and Rome. Colored eggs
were not associated with
Easter until the 15th
century.
The Easter Sunrise
Service custom can be
traced back to the
ancient Pagan custom of
welcoming the sun God at
the
vernal equinox -
when daytime is about to
exceed the length of the
nighttime. It was a time
to "celebrate the return
of life and reproduction
to animal and plant life
as well."
At the feast of Eostre,
an ox was sacrificed.
The ox's horns became a
symbol for the feast.
They were carved into
the ritual bread. Thus
originated the "hot
cross buns". The word
"buns" is derived from
the Saxon word "boun"
which means "sacred ox."
Many superstitions grew
out of this custom — a
cross bun kept from one
Good Friday to the
next was thought to
bring luck, the buns
were supposed to serve
as a charm against
shipwreck, and hanging a
bun over the
chimneypiece ensured
that all bread baked
there would be perfect.
Another belief was that
eating hot cross buns on
Good Friday served
to protect the home from
fire.
Today, the symbol of a
symmetrical cross marked
with white icing is used
to decorate the buns;
the cross represent the
moon, the heavenly body
associated with the
Goddess, and its four
quarters.
The white lily, the
symbol of the
resurrection, is the
typical Easter flower.
The white lily stands
for purity. Artists for
centuries have pictured
the angel Gabriel coming
to the Virgin Mary with
a spray of lilies in his
hand, to announce that
she is to be the mother
of the Christ child. The
lily is also the sign of
the Resurrection. The
white Madonna lily was
used for years as the
Easter lily. It often
failed to bloom in time
for Easter, however, and
so Bermuda lilies were
substituted.
Easter Candles are
sometimes lit in
churches on the eve of
Easter Sunday. Some
believe that these can
be directly linked to
the Pagan customs of
lighting bonfires at
this time of year to
welcome the
rebirth/resurrection of
the sun God.
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