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Easter ClearlyExplained.Com

Easter

ClearlyExplained.Com

14th April 2006

by Richard Conan-Davies BSc Dip Ed

A straightforward and fast information
guide to Easter from ClearlyExplained.Com

What is Easter?

Easter is considered one of the most important celebrations in the Christian Calendar. It is typically celebrated during March, April or May.

Basically Easter celebrates the significance and time leading up to the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Easter season is often considered by the church as lasting for fifty days, and ends at Pentecost ( the Holy Spirit coming into the Apostles)

What
Why
News
How
History
Future

Why is Easter Important?

Easter is important for a number of reasons:

Religious, Christian reason - It allows Christians to reflect upon their personal views and spiritual relationship with God and Relationship with Jesus Christ.

Some major Christian themes include:

• Jesus Christ Suffering for the Sins of humanity (The Passion)
• Re-birth of Christ, the idea of redeeming oneself, the idea of hope for the future.
• When Christ died he went to Hell to rescue various people (Harrowing of Hell).

In more secular countries, the time is marked by public holidays which means a break from work and chance to connect more with family and or friends.

Commercial aspects - Easter does have a commercial aspect in the form of the consumption of Easter eggs and chocolate rabbits and in some countries like Australia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand hot cross buns.

Cultural aspects - This is about the creative aspect of Easter. This may include the creation of Easter art works, music, poems or the like that depict the last days of Jesus Christ.

The Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci
i is a famous painting inspired by the days before Christ's Death.

News about Easter

Easter is often reported in the online press. There are often celebrations around the world in different forms. It provides Christian religious leaders to remind people about the role of Jesus Christ in society.

• Google News Search - Easter
• Yahoo! News Search - Easter

On occasion new discoveries of ancient texts that relate to the Life of Jesus are revealed. For example the text of the Gospel of Judas.

How is Easter Celebrated

Easter is mostly celebrated primarily, in Western, historically christian countries, through a public holiday starting on a friday called Good Friday and ending on the Monday.

Michelangelo's Pietà, showing the dead body of Jesus in the arms of his mother Mary. image:wikipedia

Traditions during Easter holiday also include easter egg hunts and

Some key days of Easter

Lent is the time from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.

Maundy Thursday - (not usually a public holiday) represents Jesus Christ's Last Supper

Good Friday- represents the day of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Holy Saturday - (also called Black Saturday) represents the day that Jesus Christ lay dead/rested in a tomb. In Eastern orthodox traditions He was involved in Harrowing of Hell and raised up to Paradise

Holy Sunday - represents the day that Jesus Christ rose. The day of resurrection.

Monday - this is usually a public holiday , perhaps just a time of reflection .

History of Easter

The concepts of Easter as a time of re-birth and renewal are common themes at that time of year especially in the northern hemisphere.

From a Christian perspective the Easter is about the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion somewhere between AD 27-33.

Although, 7 April AD 30 and 3 April AD 33 are the most commonly suggested dates for the death of Jesus Christ.

reference - Wikipedia Chronology of
Jesus - Year of death

The history of the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is tightly connected to the Jewish tradition of Passover.

In the early days of Christian Jews, they added the celebration to the end of the Passover celebration. In time, as christianity became more separate from Judaism, Easter came to be fixed to the Sunday during or following the week of Passover.

As Christianity developed there was often controversy over the exact timing and even if the time should be celebrated. for example the "Paschal Controversy [Catholic Encyclopedia]" tended to argue about if Passover should be celebrated at the same time.

Pope Victor I ( 186 AD or 189 AD to 197 AD or 201 AD) was one of the first Popes to be concerned about the issue of timing of Easter celebrations being consistent.

Reference: Wikipedia- Easter

Future of Easter

Will Easter be celebrated in the Future? Definitely. The Season has survived for thousands of years and is likely to continue to be celebrated in some form. Perhaps if humanity travels to other planets the traditions will follow. New traditions may be adapted to new circumstances.