Easter
16th century Russian Orthodox icon of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Official Name	{{{official_name}}}
Also Called	{{{nickname}}}
Observed By	most Christians, although many non-Christians observe secular practices, especially in Australia, Canada, UK and the US
Type	Religious
Significance	Celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus as the basis for the salvation of humankind
Begins	{{{begins}}}
Ends	{{{ends}}}
Date	the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring
Gregorian Date (2006)	April 16 (Western) April 23 (Eastern)
Celebrations	Religious (church) services, Easter egg hunts, gifts (USA)
Observances	Prayer, Whipping (Czech Republic)
Related To	Passover, a Jewish holiday of similar origins, Christmas, which honors the birth of Jesus, Septuagesima, Quinquagesima, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday which lead up to Easter, and Ascension, Pentecost, Whit Monday, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi which follow it

Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 27-33 (see Good Friday). Easter can also refer to the season of the church year, lasting for fifty days, which follows this holiday and ends at Pentecost. 16th c. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... The Russian Orthodox Church (also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia) (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs and primates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth; for other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation). ... This page is about the title, for the Christian figure, see Jesus Christ is the English representation of the Greek word Χριστός The Christian religion takes its name from Christ, as a title given to Jesus of Nazareth, always capitalized as a singularly descriptive title meaning literally The Anointed One. ... This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth; for other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... Western Christianity refers to Catholicism, Protestantism, and Anglicanism (which is also usually included in the Protestant category). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions which developed in Greece, the Balkans, the rest of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and the Middle East over several centuries of religious antiquity. ... Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday. ... Maria Magdalene in prayer. ... The factual accuracy of this article needs to be verified. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, with around 14 million followers (as of 2005 [1]). It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Christmas (literally, the Mass of Jesus Christ) is a traditional holiday observed on 25 December. ... Septuagesima (in full, Septuagesima Sunday) is the name given to the third from the last Sunday before Lent in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... Quinquagesima is the name for the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. ... A pancake In the Christian calendar, Shrove Tuesday is the English name for the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which in turn marks the beginning of Lent. ... In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Palm Sunday is a moveable feast in the church calendar observed by Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians. ... Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... Orthodox pilgrims bathing with the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Saturday. ... Icon of the Ascension. ... The Day of Pentecost is the Christian festival that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, forty nine days after Easter, and ten days after the Ascension. ... Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the Christian holiday celebrated the next day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar, being dependent upon the date of Easter. ... Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. ... This article is about the Christian feast of Corpus Christi. ... The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus, the Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian churches which determines when Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations, and Solemnities are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. ... It has been suggested that Resurrection of the dead be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth; for other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation). ... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross (Latin: crux) and left to hang there until dead. ... Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... The Day of Pentecost is the Christian festival that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, forty nine days after Easter, and ten days after the Ascension. ...

Further information: Eastertide, and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]]

Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and continues until Pentecost in the Christian liturgical calendar, thus spanning a total of seven weeks. ...

Nature and development

In most languages of Christian societies, other than English, German and some Slavic languages, the holiday's name is derived from Pesach, the Hebrew name of Passover, a Jewish holiday to which the Christian Easter is intimately linked. Easter depends on Passover not only for much of its symbolic meaning but also for its position in the calendar; the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover seder, based on the chronology in the Synoptic Gospels. The Gospel of John has a different chronology which has Christ's death at the time of the slaughter of the Passover lambs, which may have been for theological reasons but which is regarded by some scholars as more historically likely given the surrounding events. This would put the Last Supper slightly before Passover, on 14 Nisan of the Hebrew calendar. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "In fact, the Jewish feast was taken over into the Christian Easter celebration." The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages), a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia. ... Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 7 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... The factual accuracy of this article needs to be verified. ... This article relates the event related in the New Testament of the Bible, see The Last Supper (disambiguation) for other uses, including a list of famous works of art with this name. ... A Disciple (from the Latin discipulus, a pupil) is one who receives instruction from another; a scholar; a learner; especially, a follower who has learned to believe in the truth of the doctrine of his teacher; an adherent in doctrine. ... The Seder (pronounced say-der, meaning order in Hebrew) is a special Jewish ceremonial dinner revolving around the story of Exodus. ... The Synoptic Gospels is a term used by modern New Testament scholars for the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke of the New Testament in the Bible. ... The Gospel according to John is the fourth gospel document in the sequence of the canon of the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written down. ... Nisan (נִיסָן, Standard Hebrew Nisan, Tiberian Hebrew Nîsān: from Akkadian nisānu, from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... The Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: ) or Jewish calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. ... The Catholic Encyclopedia (also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia today) is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by the The Encyclopedia Press, designed to give authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. // History The writing of the encyclopedia began on January 11...

The English and German names, "Easter" and "Ostern", are not etymologically derived from Pesach and are instead related to ancient names for the month of April, Eostremonat and Ostaramanoth respectively. According to the 8th century Christian monk and historian Bede, this month was dedicated to the pagan fertility goddess Eostre. The Easter Bunny is often identified as a remnant of this fertility festival, although there is no evidence of any link. The Germanic calendars were any of the various calendars in use among the Germanic peoples prior to the introduction of the Julian calendar. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... A historian is a person who studies history. ... Bede depicted in an early medieval manuscript Depiction of Bede from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are catch-all terms which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. ... Many cultures developed deities to watch over and promote fertility, pregnancy, and birth. ... Eostre is the name of a putative goddess of the Anglo-Saxons who is also worshipped by some neopagans. ... The Easter Bunny is a fantasy or mythological rabbit which leaves gifts for children at Easter. ...

Part of the series on Christianity

History of Christianity Jesus of Nazareth The Apostles Ecumenical councils Great Schism The Crusades Reformation Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus, the Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... Image File history File links Christian_cross. ... This article outlines the history of Christianity and provides links to relevant topics. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth; for other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation). ... The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek απόστολος apostolos [1], someone sent forth/sent out, an emissary) were probably Galilean Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth by Jesus of Nazareth to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles... In Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, an ecumenical council or general council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. ... Great Schism redirects here. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ...

The Trinity of God God the Father Christ the Son The Holy Spirit Within Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is a single Being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a communion of three persons (personae, prosopa): Father (the Source, the Eternal Majesty); the Son (the eternal Logos or Word, incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth); and the Holy Spirit. ... In many religions, the supreme God is given the title and attributions of Father. ... This page is about the title, for the Christian figure, see Jesus Christ is the English representation of the Greek word Χριστός The Christian religion takes its name from Christ, as a title given to Jesus of Nazareth, always capitalized as a singularly descriptive title meaning literally The Anointed One. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Christian theology Christian Church Christian worship Grace · Salvation Sermon on the Mount The Ten Commandments Christian theology practices theology from a Christian viewpoint or studies Christianity theologically. ... In Christian theology, One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is a phrase describing the nature of the Christian community and/or Christian Church, in the various meanings it has. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Divine grace is believed by Christians to be the sovereign favor of God exercised in the bestowment of blessings upon those who have no merit in them. ... Salvation refers to deliverance from an undesirable state or condition. ... The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch. ... This article is about the list of religious and moral imperatives. ...

The Christian Bible Old Testament New Testament Apocrypha The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך tanakh, Greek η Βίβλος [hē biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the concept of a New Testament. ... See New Covenant for the concept translated as New Testament in the KJV. The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, and, in recent times, also New Covenant, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... Apocrypha is a Greek word (απόκρυφα, neuter plural of απόκρυφος), from αποκρυπτειν, to hide away. ...

Christian denominations Catholicism Orthodox Christianity Protestantism A denomination, in the Christian sense of the word, is an identifiable religious body, organization under a common name, structure, and/or doctrine. ... This article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. ... Orthodox Christianity is a generalized reference to the Eastern traditions of Christianity, as opposed to the Western traditions which descend from the Catholic Church. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a splitting away from the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... Christian movements Christian movements are theological, political, or philosophical intepretations of Christianity that are not generally represented by a specific church, sect, or denomination. ...

Easter in the early Church

The observance of any special holiday throughout the Christian year is believed by some to be an innovation postdating the early church. The ecclesiastical historian Socrates Scholasticus (b. 380) attributes the observance of Easter by the church to the perpetuation of local custom, "just as many other customs have been established", stating that neither Jesus nor his apostles enjoined the keeping of this or any other festival. However, when read in context,this is not a rejection or denigration of the celebration—which, given its currency in Scholasticus' time would be surprising—but is merely part of a defense of the diverse methods for computing its date. Indeed, although he describes the details of the Easter celebration as deriving from local custom, he insists the feast itself is universally observed. Socrates Scholasticus was a Greek Christian church historian; born at Constantinople c. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth; for other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation). ...

Perhaps the earliest extant primary source referencing Easter is a 2nd century Paschal homily by Melito of Sardis, which characterizes the celebration as a well-established one. Melito of Sardis, or Melito of Sardes, a Christian saint, was the was the bishop of Sardis in Asia Minor. ...

According to a number of ecclesiastical historians, primarily Eusebius, bishop Polycarp of Smyrna, by tradition a disciple of John the Evangelist, disputed the computation of the date with bishop Anicetus of Rome in what is now known as the Quartodecimanism controversy. Anicetus became bishop of the church of Rome in the mid second century (c. A.D. 155). Shortly thereafter, Polycarp visited Rome and among the topics discussed was when the pre-Easter fast should end. Those in Asia held strictly to the computation from the Hebrew calendar and ended the fast on the 14th day of Nisan, while the Roman custom was to continue the fast until the Sunday following. Neither Polycarp nor Anicetus was able to convert the other to his position—according to a rather confused account by Sozomen, both could claim Apostolic authority for their traditions[1]—but neither did they consider the matter of sufficient importance to justify a schism, so they parted in peace leaving the question unsettled. However, a generation later bishop Victor of Rome excommunicated bishop Polycrates of Ephesus and the rest of the Asian bishops for their adherence to 14 Nisan. The excommunication was rescinded and the two sides reconciled upon the intervention of bishop Irenaeus of Lyons, who reminded Victor of the tolerant precedent that had been established earlier. In the end, a uniform method of computing the date of Easter was not formally settled until the First Council of Nicaea in 325 (see below), although by that time the Roman timing for the observance had spread to most churches. Eusebius of Caesarea (~275 – May 30, 339) (often called Eusebius Pamphili, Eusebius [the friend] of Pamphilus) was a bishop of Caesarea in Palestine and is often referred to as the father of church history because of his work in recording the history of the early Christian church. ... Polycarp of Smyrna (martyred in his 87th year, ca. ... St John the Evangelist, imagined by Jacopo Pontormo, ca 1525 (Santa Felicità, Florence) John the Evangelist (? - c. ... Anicetus was pope from about 154 to about 167 (the Vaticans list cites 150 or 157 to 153 or 168). ... Quartodecimanism (literally fourteenism) was the practice of fixing the celebration of Passover for Christians on the 14th day of Nisan in the Bibles Hebrew Calendar which, according to the Gospels, was the date Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. ... Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. ... The Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: ) or Jewish calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. ... Nisan (נִיסָן, Standard Hebrew Nisan, Tiberian Hebrew Nîsān: from Akkadian nisānu, from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Salminius Hermias Sozomen (c. ... The word schism (IPA: or ), from the Greek σχισμα, schisma (from σχιζω, schizo, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization. ... Saint Victor I was Pope from 189 to 199 (the Vatican cites 186 or 189 to 197 or 201). ... Ephesus ( Turkish: Efes, Greek: Έφεσσος; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was one of the great cities of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, located in Lydia where the Cayster river flows into the Aegean Sea (in modern day Turkey). ... Saint Irenaeus (ca. ... The First Council of Nicaea, convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in AD 325, was the first ecumenical (from Greek oikumene, worldwide) conference of bishops of the Christian Church. ...

A number of early bishops rejected the practice of celebrating Easter, or more accurately Passover, on the first Sunday after Nisan 14. This conflict between Easter and Passover is often referred to as the "Paschal Controversy". The bishops dissenting from the newer practice of Easter favored adhering to celebrating the festival on Nisan 14 in accord with the Biblical Passover and the tradition passed on to them by the Apostles. The problem with Nisan 14 in the minds of some in the Western Church (who wished to further associate Sunday and Easter) is that it was calcuated by the moon and could fall on any day of the week.

An early example of this tension is found written by Theophilus of Caesarea (c. 180 A.D.; 8.774 "Ante-Nicene Church Fathers") when he stated, "Endeavor also to send abroad copies of our epistle among all the churches, so that those who easily deceive their own souls may not be able to lay the blame on us. We would have you know, too, that in Alexandria also they observe the festival on the same day as ourselves. For the Paschal letters are sent from us to them, and from them to us—so that we observe the holy day in unison and together."

Polycarp, a disciple of John, likewise adhered to a Nisan 14 observance. Irenaeus, who observed the "first Sunday" rule notes of Polycarp (one of the Bishops of Asia Minor), "For Anicetus could not persuade Polycarp to forgo the observance [of his Nisan 14 practice] inasmuch as these things had been always observed by John the disciple of the Lord, and by other apostles with whom he had been conversant." (c. 180 A.D.; 1.569 "Ante-Nicene Church Fathers"). Irenaeus notes that this was not only Polycarp's practice, but that this was the practice of John the disple and the other apostles that Polycarp knew.

Polycrates (c. 190 A.D.) emphatically notes this is the tradition passed down to him, that Passover and Unleavened Bread were kept on Nisan 14 in accord with the Biblical Passover and not the later Easter tradition: "As for us, then, we scrupulously observe the exact day, neither adding nor taking away. For in Asia great luminaries have gone to their rest who will rise again on the day of the coming of the Lord.... These all kept Easter on the fourteenth day, in accordance with the Gospel.... Seven of my relatives were bishops, and I am the eighth, and my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven" (8.773, 8.744 "Ante-Nicene Church Fathers").

Early within the Church it was admitted by both sides of the debate that the Lord's Supper was the practice of the disciples and the tradition passed down. The Last Supper is believed by some to be a Passover Seder (see: The Last Supper). The Nisan 14 practice, which was strong among the churches of Asia Minor, becomes less common as the desire for Church unity on the question came to favor the majority practice. By the 3rd century the Church, which had become Gentile dominated and wishing to further distinguish itself from Jewish practices, began a tone of harsh rhetoric against Nisan 14/Passover (e.g. Anatolius, c. 270 A.D.; 6.148,6.149 "Ante-Nicene Church Fathers"). This article relates to the events described in the New Testament of the Bible, see The Last Supper (disambiguation) for other uses, including a list of famous works of art with this name. ...

A tradition said to have come out of the First Council of Nicaea states that the Christian Passover (i.e., Easter) was to be celebrated "not with the Jews," that the Jews' calculations (which often varied among themselves, as they were using multiple methods) were not to be followed in determining the date of Easter. This statement was not so much anti-Jewish as simply a recognition that the Passover had now been Christianized, that the Church did not owe its continued existence and practices to the Judaism which Christ had fulfilled and superseded. The First Council of Nicaea, convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in AD 325, was the first ecumenical (from Greek oikumene, worldwide) conference of bishops of the Christian Church. ...

The Christianization of the Passover, based on the tradition passed down by the Apostles, has resulted in a number of anti-Easter movements though history. Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, who do not celebrate Easter, adhere to a celebration of the Lord's Supper on Nisan 14 with the passing of wine and unleavened bread.

Date of Easter

In Western Christianity, Easter always falls on a Sunday from March 22 to April 25 inclusive. The following day, Easter Monday, is a legal holiday in many countries with predominantly Christian traditions. Western Christianity refers to Catholicism, Protestantism, and Anglicanism (which is also usually included in the Protestant category). ... Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions which developed in Greece, the Balkans, the rest of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and the Middle East over several centuries of religious antiquity. ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... Easter Monday is a Christian holiday celebrated the next day after Easter Sunday. ... In the United States, a holiday is a day set aside by a nation or culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for celebration but sometimes for some other kind of special culture-wide (or national) observation or activity. ...

Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (which follow the motion of the sun and the seasons). Instead, they are based on a lunar calendar similar—but not identical—to the Hebrew Calendar. The precise date of Easter has often been a matter for contention. In Christianity, a moveable feast or movable feast is a holy day -- a feast or a fast -- whose date is not fixed to a particular day of the calendar year but moves in response to the date of Easter, which date varies according to a complex formula. ... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that is used nearly everywhere in the world. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and took force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... A lunar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates the moon phase. ... The Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: ) or Jewish calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. ...

At the First Council of Nicaea in 325 it was decided that Easter would be celebrated on the same Sunday throughout the Church, but it is probable that no method was specified by the Council. (No contemporary account of the Council's decisions has survived). Instead, the matter seems to have been referred to the church of Alexandria, which city had the best reputation for scholarship at the time. The Catholic Epiphanius wrote in the mid-4th Century, "...the emperor...convened a council of 318 bishops...in the city of Nicea...They passed certain ecclesiastical canons at the council besides, and at the same time decreed in regard to the Passover that there must be one unanimous concord on the celebration of God's holy and supremely excellent day. For it was variously observed by people..."(Epiphanius. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Books II and III (Sects 47-80), De Fide). Section VI, Verses 1,1 and 1,3. Translated by Frank Williams. EJ Brill, New York, 1994, pp.471-472). The First Council of Nicaea, convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in AD 325, was the first ecumenical (from Greek oikumene, worldwide) conference of bishops of the Christian Church. ... Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport Located on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Alexandria Αλεξάνδρεια (in Arabic, الإسكندرية, transliterated al-ʼIskandariyyah) is the chief seaport in Egypt, and that countrys second largest city, and the capital of the Al Iskandariyah governate. ...

The practice of those following Rome was to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the earliest fourteenth day of a lunar month that occurred on or after March 21. During the Middle Ages this practice was more succinctly phrased as Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox. This full moon is called the Paschal full moon. The Church of Rome used its own methods to determine Easter until the 6th century, when it may have adopted the Alexandrian method as converted into the Julian calendar by Dionysius Exiguus (certain proof of this does not exist until the ninth century). Most churches in the British Isles used a late third century Roman method to determine Easter until they adopted the Alexandrian method at the Synod of Whitby in 664. Churches in western continental Europe used a late Roman method until the late 8th century during the reign of Charlemagne, when they finally adopted the Alexandrian method. Since western churches now use the Gregorian calendar to calculate the date and Eastern Orthodox churches use the original Julian calendar, their dates are not usually aligned in the present day. March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... The Galileo spacecraft took this composite image on 7 December 1992 on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-97. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The vernal equinox (or spring equinox) marks the beginning of astronomical spring. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and took force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Little, meaning humble) (c. ... (8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The Magyars arrive in what is now Hungary, forcing the Serbs and Bulgars south... This article may contain original research or unverified claims. ... (2nd century - 3rd century - 4th century - other centuries) Events The Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east. ... The Synod of Whitby was an important synod which eventually led to the unification of the church in Britain. ... Charlemagne (2 April 742 or 747 – 28 January 814) (also Charles the Great; from Latin, Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus), son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, was the king of the Franks from 768 to 814 and king of the Lombards from 774 to 814. ... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that is used nearly everywhere in the world. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and took force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ...

At a summit in Aleppo, Syria, in 1997, the World Council of Churches proposed a reform in the calculation of Easter which would have replaced an equation-based method of calculating Easter with direct astronomical observation; this would have side-stepped the calendar issue and eliminated the difference in date between the Eastern and Western churches. The reform was proposed for implementation starting in 2001, but it was not ultimately adopted by any member body. Old Town Aleppo viewed from the Citadel Aleppo is also the name of two townships in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... The World Council of Churches (WCC) is the principal international Christian ecumenical organization. ...

Further information: Reform of the date of Easter The current system for determining the date of Easter has two problems: (1) its date varies from year to year (not considered a problem by many Christians), and (2) Eastern and Western churches use different methods of determining its date, and hence in most years it is celebrated on a...

A few clergymen of various denominations have advanced the notion of disregarding the moon altogether in determining the date of Easter; proposals include always observing the feast on the second Sunday in April, or always having seven Sundays between the Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, producing the same result except that in leap years Easter could fall on April 7. These suggestions have yet to attract significant support, and their adoption in the future is considered unlikely. This article is about the Christian feast. ... In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ...

Computations

The calculations for the date of Easter are somewhat complicated. See computus for a discussion covering both the traditional tabular methods and more exclusively mathematical algorithms such as the one developed by mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. Computus (Latin for computation) is the calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. ... Flowcharts are often used to represent algorithms. ... (help· info) (April 30, 1777 – February 23, 1855) was a German mathematician and scientist of profound genius who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, magnetism, astronomy and optics. ...

In the Western Church, Easter has not fallen on the earliest of the 35 possible dates, March 22, since 1818, and will not do so again until 2285. It will, however, fall just one day after its earliest possible date in 2008. Easter last fell on the latest possible date, April 25 in 1943, and will next fall on that date in 2038. However, it will fall just one day before this latest possible date in 2011. March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ...

Historically, other forms of determining the holiday's date were also used. For example, Quartodecimanism was the practice of setting the holiday on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, which is the day of preparation for Passover. Quartodecimanism (literally fourteenism) was the practice of fixing the celebration of Passover for Christians on the 14th day of Nisan in the Bibles Hebrew Calendar which, according to the Gospels, was the date Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. ... The Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: ) or Jewish calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. ... Nisan (נִיסָן, Standard Hebrew Nisan, Tiberian Hebrew Nîsān: from Akkadian nisānu, from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... The factual accuracy of this article needs to be verified. ...

Position in the church year

Western Christianity

In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of the forty days of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter Sunday. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. ...

The week before Easter is very special in the Christian tradition: the Sunday before is Palm Sunday, and the last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday). Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus' entry in Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are sometimes referred to as the Easter Triduum (Latin for "Three Days"). In some countries, Easter lasts two days, with the second called "Easter Monday". Many churches start celebrating Easter late in the evening of Holy Saturday at a service called the Easter Vigil. Palm Sunday is a moveable feast in the church calendar observed by Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians. ... In the Christian calendar, Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. ... Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... Orthodox pilgrims bathing with the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Saturday. ... This article relates the event related in the New Testament of the Bible, see The Last Supper (disambiguation) for other uses, including a list of famous works of art with this name. ... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross (Latin: crux) and left to hang there until dead. ... Easter Triduum (or Paschal Triduum) is a term used by some Christian churches, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, to denote, collectively, the last three days before Easter Sunday. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Easter Monday is a Christian holiday celebrated the next day after Easter Sunday. ... The Easter Vigil, also called the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. ...

Eastertide, the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost, seven weeks later. Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and continues until Pentecost in the Christian liturgical calendar, thus spanning a total of seven weeks. ... The Day of Pentecost is the Christian festival that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, forty nine days after Easter, and ten days after the Ascension. ...

Eastern Christianity

In Eastern Christianity, preparations begin with Great Lent. Following the fifth Sunday of Great Lent is Palm Week, which ends with Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus Saturday officially brings Great Lent to a close, although the fast continues for the following week. After Lazarus Saturday comes Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and finally Easter itself, or Pascha (Πάσχα), and the fast is broken immediately after the Divine Liturgy. Easter is immediately followed by Bright Week, during which there is no fasting, even on Wednesday and Friday. Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pasch). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... Resurrection of Lazarus by Juan de Flandes, around 1500. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Holy Week procession. ...

The Paschal Divine Liturgy generally takes place around midnight, into the early morning of Pascha. Placing the Paschal Divine Liturgy at midnight guarantees that no Divine Liturgy will come earlier in the morning, ensuring its place as the pre-eminent "Feast of Feasts" in the liturgical year. The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian churches which determines when Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations, and Solemnities are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. ...

Religious observation of Easter

Western Christianity

The Easter festival is kept in many different ways among Western Christians. The traditional, liturgical observation of Easter, as practised among Roman Catholics and some Lutherans and Anglicans begins on the night of Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil. This, the most important liturgy of the year, begins in total darkness with the blessing of the Easter fire, the lighting of the large Paschal candle (symbolic of the Risen Christ) and the chanting of the Exsultet or Easter Proclamation attributed to Saint Ambrose of Milan. After this service of light, a number of readings from the Old Testament are read; these tell the stories of creation, the sacrifice of Isaac, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the foretold coming of the Messiah. This part of the service climaxes with the singing of the Alleluia and the proclamation of the gospel of the resurrection. A sermon may be preached after the gospel. Then the focus moves from the lectern to the font. Anciently, Easter was considered the most perfect time to receive baptism, and this practice is alive in Roman Catholicism, as it is the time when new members are initiated into the Church, and it is being revived in some other circles. Whether there are baptisms at this point or not, it is traditional for the congregation to renew the vows of their baptismal faith. This act is often sealed by the sprinkling of the congregation with holy water from the font. The Catholic sacrament of Confirmation is also celebrated at the Vigil. The Easter Vigil concludes with the celebration of the Eucharist and Holy Communion. Additional celebrations are usually offered on Easter Sunday itself. Some churches prefer to keep this vigil very early on the Sunday morning instead of the Saturday night to reflect the gospel account of the women coming to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. Some churches read the Old Testament lessons before the procession of the Paschal candle, and then read the gospel immediately after the Exsultet. Western Christianity refers to Catholicism, Protestantism, and Anglicanism (which is also usually included in the Protestant category). ... From the Greek word λειτουργια, which can be transliterated as leitourgia, meaning the work of the people, a liturgy comprises a prescribed religious ceremony, according to the traditions of a particular religion; it may refer to, or include, an elaborate formal ritual (such as the Catholic Mass), a daily activity such... The Roman Catholic Church (commonly known as the Catholic Church) is the Christian Church which is led by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that it is the one holy catholic and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Orthodox pilgrims bathing with the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Saturday. ... The Easter Vigil, also called the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. ... Image:Paschal candle. ... The Exultet is the traditional Roman Catholic hymn of praise intoned by the deacon during the Easter Vigil. ... Saint Ambrose, Latin Sanctus Ambrosius, Italian SantAmbrogio (circa 340 - April 4, 397), bishop of Milan, was one of the most eminent fathers of the Christian church in the 4th century. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the concept of a New Testament. ... Look up Creation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Creation is the following: Generally, creation is the act or result of bringing something into existence from nothing at all. ... An angel prevents Abraham from sacrificing Isaac in this illumation from a 14th century Icelandic manuscript. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea (Arabic البحر الأحمر al-Bahr al-Ahmar; Hebrew ים סוף Yam Suf; Tigrigna ቀይሕ ባሕሪ QeyH baHri) is a gulf or basin of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew Arabic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by a prophet of God. ... Hallelujah, Halleluyah, or Alleluia, is a transliteration of the Hebrew word הַלְלוּיָהּ meaning [Let us] praise (הַלְלוּ) God (יָהּ) (or Praise (הַלְלוּ) [the] Lord (יָהּ)). It is found mainly in the book of Psalms. ... For the novel by Wilton Barnhardt, see Gospel: a novel, for the manga, see One-Pound Gospel. ... It has been suggested that Resurrection of the dead be merged into this article or section. ... A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. ... A late 18th century pulpit in a small Roman Catholic church in Spielfeld, Styria, Austria A pulpit (from Latin pulpitum scaffold, platform, stage) is a small elevated platform where a member of the clergy stands in order to read the Gospel lesson and deliver a sermon. ... A font can mean: A member of a typeface family; or digital font - file format that encapsulates a typeface family in a database. ... Baptism in early Christian art. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The baptismal font at St. ... A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace—a holy mystery. ... Confirmation can refer to: Confirmation (sacrament) Confirmation (epistemology) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Eucharist or Communion or The Lords Supper, is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of Jesus instruction, recorded in the New Testament, to do in memory of him what he did at his Last Supper. ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ...

In predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines, the morning of Easter (known in the national language as Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay or the Pasch of the Resurrection) is marked with joyous celebration, the first being the dawn Salubong, wherein large statues of Jesus and Mary are brought together to meet, imagining the first reunion of Jesus and his mother Mary after Jesus' Resurrection. This is followed by the joyous Easter Mass.

Eastern Christianity

Easter is the fundamental and most important festival of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox. Every other religious festival on their calendars, including Christmas, is at best secondary in importance to the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. This is reflected in the cultures of countries that are traditionally Orthodox Christian majority. Easter-connected social customs are native and rich. Christmas customs, on the other hand, are usually foreign imports, either from Germany or the USA. Eastern Rite Catholics in communion with the Pope of Rome have similar emphasis in their calendars, and many of their liturgical customs are very similar. ... The term Oriental Orthodoxy refers to the churches of Eastern Christian traditions that keep the faith of only the first three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus — and rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon. ... Christmas (literally, the Mass of Jesus Christ) is a traditional holiday observed on 25 December. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... For a discussion of Holy Communion see the article on the Eucharist. ... The Pope (from Greek: pappas, father; from Latin: papa, Papa, father) is the head of the Catholic Church, which considers him the successor of St. ...

This is not to say that Christmas and other elements of the Christian liturgical calendar are ignored. Instead, these events are all seen as necessary but preliminary to the full climax of the Resurrection, in which all that has come before reaches fulfilment and fruition. Pascha (Easter) is the primary act that fulfils the purpose of Christ's ministry on earth—to defeat death by dying and to purify and exalt humanity by voluntarily assuming and overcoming human frailty. This is succinctly summarized by the Paschal Troparion, sung repeatedly during Pascha until the Apodosis of Pascha (which is the day before Ascension): Troparion (also tropar, plural: troparia) in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodoxy is a short hymn of one stanza, or one of a series of stanzas (this may carry the further connotation of a hymn interpolated between psalm verses). ... An apodosis is a conditional concluding clause. ... Icon of the Ascension. ...

*This language is not well-supported on many systems, so it may not appear as intended here. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Page from the Spiridon Psalter in Church Slavonic. ...

Celebration of the holiday begins with the "anti-celebration" of Great Lent. In addition to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, Orthodox are supposed to reduce all entertainment and non-essential activity, gradually eliminating them until Holy Friday. Traditionally, on the evening of Holy Saturday, the Midnight Office is celebrated shortly after 11:00 pm. At its completion all light in the church building is extinguished. A new flame is struck in the altar, or the priest lights his candle from a perpetual lamp kept burning there, and he then lights candles held by deacons or other assistants, who then go to light candles held by the congregation. Entirely lit by candle, the priest and congregation process around the church building, re-entering ideally at the stroke of midnight, whereupon Matins begins immediately followed by the Paschal Hours and then the Divine Liturgy. Immediately after the Liturgy it is customary for the congregation to share a meal, essentially an agape dinner (albeit at 2.00 am or later!) Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pasch). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... For the Anglican service of Mattins see Morning Prayer Matins is the early morning prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round (also called offices). Canonical hours also refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Liturgy of the... The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. ... Agapē (written αγάπη in the Greek alphabet, and pronounced or ), is one of several Greek words meaning love. ...

The Holy Fire in Jerusalem, celebrated on Holy Saturday, has been described as the oldest miracle-related ceremony in Christendom.

The day after, Easter Sunday proper, there is no liturgy, since the liturgy for that day has already been celebrated. Instead, in the afternoon, it is often traditional to hold "Agape vespers". In this service, it has become customary during the last few centuries for the priest and members of the congregation to read a portion of the Gospel of John (20:19–25 or 19–31) in as many languages as they can manage. Fire does not burn for a first time File links The following pages link to this file: Holy Fire ... The Holy Fire (Greek Αγιο Φως, Holy Light) is believed by Orthodox Christians to be a miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, the day preceding Orthodox Easter. ...

For the remainder of the week (known as "Bright Week"), all fasting is prohibited, and the customary greeting is "Christ is risen!", to be responded with "Truly He is risen!" (See also Pascha greeting) The Pascha greeting is an Easter custom among both Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians. ...

Non-religious Easter traditions

As with many other Christian dates, the celebration of Easter extends beyond the church. Since its origins, it has been a time of celebration and feasting. Today it is commercially important, seeing wide sales of greeting cards and confectionery such as chocolate Easter eggs, marshmallow bunnies, Peeps, and jelly beans. Greeting cards on display at retail. ... For the hidden and often humorous features included in computer programs, DVDs, books, CDs, etc. ... Pink Peeps Peeps are small marshmallow candies which are shaped into baby chickens, rabbits, and other animals. ... Jelly beans or jelly eggs are a type of confectionery that comes in many different (primarily fruit) flavors. ...

Despite the religious preeminence of Easter, in many traditionally Christian countries Christmas is now a more prominent event in the calendar year, being unrivaled as a festive season, commercial opportunity, and time of family gathering — even for those of no or only nominal faith. Easter's relatively modest secular observances place it a distant second or third among the less religiously inclined where Christmas is so prominent. Christmas (literally, the Mass of Jesus Christ) is a traditional holiday observed on 25 December. ...

North America

In the United States and Canada, the Easter holiday has been partially secularized, so that some North American families participate only in the attendant revelry, central to which is decorating Easter eggs on Saturday evening and hunting for them Sunday morning, by which time they have been mysteriously hidden all over the house and garden. According to the children's stories, the eggs were hidden overnight and other treats delivered by the Easter Bunny in an Easter basket which children find waiting for them when they wake up. The Easter Bunny's motives for doing this are seldom clarified. Many families in North America will attend Sunday Mass in the morning and then participate in a feast or party in the afternoon. For the hidden and often humorous features included in computer programs, DVDs, books, CDs, etc. ... The Easter Bunny is a fantasy or mythological rabbit which leaves gifts for children at Easter. ...

Scandinavia

In Norway, in addition to skiing in the mountains and painting eggs for decorating, it is tradition to solve murders at Easter. All the major television channels show crime and detective stories (such as Poirot), magazines print stories where the readers can try to figure out who did it, and many new books are published. Even the milk cartons change to have murder stories on their sides. Another tradition is Yahtzee games. Agatha Christies Poirot (U.S. title Poirot) is a popular British television series starring David Suchet as Agatha Christies detective character Hercule Poirot. ... E.S. Lowe Yahtzee Logo Yahtzee is the trademarked name of a popular dice game made by Milton Bradley (now owned by Hasbro). ...

Central Europe

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a tradition of whipping is carried out on Easter Monday. In the morning, males whip females with a special handmade whip called pomlázka (in Czech) or korbáč (in Slovak). The pomlázka/korbáč consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods) and is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with coloured ribbons at the end. It must be mentioned that while whipping can be painful, the purpose is not to cause suffering. Rather, the purpose is for males to exhibit their attraction to females; unvisited females can even feel offended. The whipped female gives a coloured egg to the male as a sign of her thanks and forgiveness. A legend says that females should be whipped in order to keep their health and fertility during whole next year. The females can get revenge in the afternoon when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any male. The habit slightly varies across the Czech Republic. A similar tradition existed in Poland (where it is called Dyngus Day), but it is now little more than an all-day waterfight. Easter Monday is a Christian holiday celebrated the next day after Easter Sunday. ... Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday. ... Dyngus Day or Wet Monday (Polish Åšmigus-dyngus, lany poniedziaÅ‚ek or Oblewania) is the name for Easter Monday in Poland. ...

In Hungary (where it is called Ducking Monday), perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg. Dyngus Day or Wet Monday (Polish Śmigus-dyngus, lany poniedziałek or Oblewania) is the name for Easter Monday in Poland. ... Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, objects, and living spaces a lasting and pleasant smell. ... Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday. ...

Easter controversies

Anti-Easter Christians

Some Christian fundamentalists reject nearly all the customs surrounding Easter, believing them to be irrevocably tainted with paganism and idolatry. Others, like the Sabbatarian Church of God groups, claim to adhere to a more primitive form of Christianity, and keep a Christian Passover which lacks most of the practices or symbols associated with Easter and retains more features of the Jewish observance. This article concerns the self-labelled Fundamentalist Movement in Protestant Christianity. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are catch-all terms which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... There are numerous, mostly unrelated bodies in the United States and other English-speaking countries that are denominated the Church of God, including: // 7th Day Churches of God These groups put strong emphasis on the biblical seventh day of weekly worship, the Sabbath. ... Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah (פסח pesaḥ), is a Jewish holiday (lasting seven days in Israel and among some liberal Diaspora Jews, and eight days among other Diaspora Jews) that commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt; it is also observed by some Christians to...

Possible pagan influences on Easter traditions

An Easter Bunny

In his 'De Temporum Ratione' the Venerable Bede wrote that the month Eostremonat was so named because of a goddess, Eostre, who had formerly been worshipped in that month. In recent years some scholars (Ronald Hutton, P.D. Chantepie de la Saussaye, Elizabeth Freeman) have suggested that a lack of supporting documentation for this goddess might indicate that Bede assumed her existence based on the name of the month. Others note that Bede's status as "the Father of English History", having been the author of the first substantial history of England ever written, might make the lack of additional mention for a goddess whose worship had already died out by Bede's time unsurprising. The debate receives considerable attention because the name 'Easter' is derived from Eostremonat, and thus, according to Bede, from the pagan goddess Eostre. Download high resolution version (1000x1182, 457 KB) Easter Bunny This image shows an Easter Bunny figure. ... Download high resolution version (1000x1182, 457 KB) Easter Bunny This image shows an Easter Bunny figure. ... Bede, commonly known as the Venerable Bede, (c. ... The Germanic calendars were any of the various calendars in use among the Germanic peoples prior to the introduction of the Julian calendar. ... Eostre is the name of a putative goddess of the Anglo-Saxons who is also worshipped by some neopagans. ...

Jakob Grimm took up the question of Eostre in his Deutsche Mythologie of 1835, noting that Ostaramanoth was etymologically related to Eostremonat and writing of various landmarks and customs related to the goddess Ostara in Germany. Again, because of a lack of written documentation, critics suggest that Grimm took Bede's mention of a goddess Eostre at face value and constructed the goddess Ostara around existing Germanic customs which may have arisen independently. Others point to Grimm's stated intent to gather and record oral traditions which might otherwise be lost as explanation for the lack of further documentation. Amongst other traditions, Grimm connected the 'Osterhase' (Easter Bunny) and Easter Eggs to the goddess Ostara/Eostre. He also cites various place names in Germany as being evidence of Ostara, but critics contend that the close etymological relationship between Ostara and the words for 'east' and 'dawn' could mean that these place names referred to either of those two things rather than a goddess. Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (January 4, 1785 – September 20, 1863), German philologist and mythologist, was born at Hanau, in Hesse-Kassel. ... This article is about the solar holiday. ... The Easter Bunny is a fantasy or mythological rabbit which leaves gifts for children at Easter. ... For the hidden and often humorous features included in computer programs, DVDs, books, CDs, etc. ...

Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastic History of the English People") contains a letter from Pope Gregory I to Saint Mellitus, who was then on his way to England to conduct missionary work among the heathen Anglo-Saxons. The Pope suggests that converting heathens is easier if they are allowed to retain the outward forms of their traditional pagan practices and traditions, while recasting those traditions spiritually towards Christianity instead of to their indigenous gods (whom the Pope refers to as "devils"), "to the end that, whilst some gratifications are outwardly permitted them, they may the more easily consent to the inward consolations of the grace of God". The Pope sanctioned such conversion tactics as biblically acceptable, pointing out that God did much the same thing with the ancient Israelites and their pagan sacrifices. This practice might explain the incorporation of Eostre traditions into the Christian holiday. The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in English: Ecclesiastical History of the English People) is a work in Latin by the Venerable Bede on the history of the Christian church in England, and of England generally. ... The Pope (from Greek: pappas, father; from Latin: papa, Papa, father) is the head of the Catholic Church, which considers him the successor of St. ... Saint Gregory I, or Gregory the Great (called the Dialogist in Eastern Orthodoxy) (circa 540 - March 12, 604) was pope of the Catholic Church from September 3, 590 until his death. ... Saint Mellitus (d. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... Heathen is a term used both to describe a person who does not follow an organized religion, and also a modern practitioner of Heathenry. ... A map showing the general locations of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms circa 600 CE. The Anglo-Saxons were culturally-related Germanic tribes from Angeln, a peninsula in what is now Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany. ... The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך tanakh, Greek η Βίβλος [hē biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity... An Israelite is a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve sons of the Biblical patriarch Jacob who was renamed Israel by God in the book of Genesis, 32:28. ...

However, the giving of eggs at spring festivals was not restricted to Germanic peoples and could be found among the Persians, Romans, Jews and the Armenians. They were a widespread symbol of rebirth and resurrection and thus might have been adopted from any number of sources. The Germanic (also, Teutonic) peoples are the nations speaking Germanic languages, idioms descended from Proto-Germanic (spoken during the final centuries BC, the Pre-Roman Iron Age of Northern Europe). ... The Persians of Iran (officially named Persia by West until 1935 while still referred to as Persia by some) are an Iranian people who speak Persian (locally named Fârsi by native speakers) and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ...

Easter as a Sumerian festival

Some suggest an etymological relationship between Eostre and the Sumerian goddess Ishtar ([2] [3] [4] [5]) and the possibility that aspects of an ancient festival accompanied the name, claiming that the worship of Bel and Astarte was anciently introduced into Britain, and that the hot cross buns of Good Friday and dyed eggs of Easter Sunday figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do now. Sumer (or Shumer, Egyptian Sangar, Bib. ... Ishtar is the Akkadian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess Astarte. ... Bel can mean: A unit of measurement for proportions and ratios; see Decibel and dB(A) The title of a Semitic god; see Bel (god) A Celtic deity; see Belenus Hindi name of the Bengal Quince tree or its fruit. ...

At best, any connection between Ishtar and Easter is geographically and linguistically distant, and tangential. In Old English, "Easter" was the name of Goddess of the Dawn, whose festival was observed at the vernal equinox. Her festival is believed to be responsible for the bunnies and the chicks and the Easter eggs - at least as they were celebrated in England.

Otherwise, claiming a connection between Ishtar and Easter ignores the fact that Easter is called "Passover" in almost every other language in the world. (The only exceptions appear to be the languages of those people who first learned Christianity at the hands of English or other Anglophone missionaries.) The Hebrew Pesach became the Greek Paskha and the Latin Pascha, and from their became Spanish La Pascua and Las Pascuas, Scots Gaelic An Casca ("p" sound mutated to "k" sound), and so on.

There is the additional problem that the very lands where Ishtar was once known have never been known to use a name like "Easter" for this or any other spring holiday.

Miscellaneous

Word for "Easter" in various languages

Names related to Eostremonat (Eostre Month)

• English Easter
• German Ostern
• Samoan Eseta (derived from English)

The Germanic calendars were any of the various calendars in use among the Germanic peoples prior to the introduction of the Julian calendar. ... Eostre is the name of a putative goddess of the Anglo-Saxons who is also worshipped by some neopagans. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Names derived from the Hebrew Pesach (Passover)

• Latin Pascha or Festa Paschalia
• Greek Πάσχα (Paskha)
• Afrikaans Paasfees
• Arabic عيد الفصح (ʿĪdu l-Fiṣḥ)
• Bulgarian Пасха (Paskha)
• Catalan Pasqua
• Danish Påske
• Dutch Pasen
• Esperanto Pasko
• Finnish Pääsiäinen
• French Pâques
• Icelandic Páskar
• Indonesian Paskah
• Irish Cáisg
• Italian Pasqua
• Lower Rhine German Paisken
• Norwegian Påske
• Tagalog (Philippines) Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay (literally "the Pasch of the Resurrection")
• Portuguese Páscoa
• Romanian Paşti
• Russian Пасха (Paskha)
• Scottish Gaelic Casca
• Spanish Pascua
• Swedish Påsk
• Turkish Paskalya
• Welsh Pasg

Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 7 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... The factual accuracy of this article needs to be verified. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. ... Arabic (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Catalan (Català) or Valencian (Valencià) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra and co-official in several regions of Spain. ... Look up Esperanto in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein, Italian: Reno) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ... Tagalog (pronunciation: ) is one of the major languages of the Republic of the Philippines. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig; IPA: ) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

Names used in other languages

• Belarusian Вялікдзень or Vialikdzen’ (literally "the Great Day")
• Bulgarian Великден (Velikden, literally "the Great Day")
• Simplified Chinese: 复活节; Traditional Chinese: 復活節; Hanyu pinyin: Fùhuó Jié (literally "Resurrection Festival")
• Croatian Uskrs (literally "resurrection")
• Czech Velikonoce (literally "Great Nights" [plural, no singular exists])
• Estonian Lihavõtted (literally "meat taking")
• Hungarian Húsvét (literally "taking, or buying meat")
• Japanese 復活祭 (Fukkatsu-sai, literally "resurrection festival")
• Korean 부활절 (Puhwalchol, literally "Resurrection season")
• Latvian Lieldienas (literally "the Great Days", no singular exists)
• Lithuanian Velykos (derived from Slavic languages, no singular exists)
• Polish Wielkanoc (literally "the Great Night")
• Serbian Ускрс (Uskrs) or Васкрс (Vaskrs, literally "resurrection")
• Slovak Veľká Noc (literally "the Great Night")
• Slovenian Velika noč (literally "the Great Night")
• Tongan (South-pacific) Pekia (literally "death (of a lord)")
• Ukrainian Великдень (Velykden’, literally "the Great Day") or Паска (Paska)

Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiÇŽntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiÇŽnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin used in the... The Serbian language is one of the standard versions of the Å tokavian dialect (former standard was known as Serbo-Croatian language). ... Tongan (faka-Tonga) is an Austronesian language spoken in Tonga. ...

External links

Liturgical

• Liturgical Resources for Easter

Traditions

• Eastern Orthodox views on Easter
• Roman Catholic view of Easter (from the Catholic Encyclopedia)
• Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth

The Catholic Encyclopedia (also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia today) is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by the The Encyclopedia Press, designed to give authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. // History The writing of the encyclopedia began on January 11...

Calculating

• Calculator for the date of Festivals (Anglican)
• Paschal Calculator (Eastern Orthodox)

National traditions

• Easter traditions in Finland
• Easter-postcards from 1898 to today from 32 countries all over the world
• Easter Vintage Postcards