The Christian Church: Festivals - CCEAHoly Week - Easter Sunday
Christian festivals help people to remember the story of Jesus' life. They are also times to give thanks to God for His blessings and to celebrate the saints.
Unlike Christmas, Easter does not have a fixed date. It is a movable festival because it always has to fall on a Sunday, the day of the resurrectionThe rising of Christ from the dead, three days after the crucifixion.. The dating of Easter was a very controversial issue. The method currently used goes back to a decision made in the fourth century – Easter Day is the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinoxAlso known as the vernal equinox. Takes place on or around the 20th March in the northern hemisphere when day and night are of equal length.. This means that Easter can fall any time between 21 March and 25 April. The Eastern Orthodox ChurchThe second-largest Christian church. It separated from the Catholic church in the eleventh century, as it rejected the idea of the Bishop of Rome being the sole leader of the Christian Church. did not agree with this decision and it celebrates Easter on a different date.
After the solemn events of Holy WeekFor Christians, the week before Easter Sunday that recalls the suffering and death of Jesus. comes Easter Sunday, a day of great joy. On this day, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Some churches hold a dawn service on Easter Sunday to watch the sun rise and thank God for the resurrection.
New life is a common theme at Easter, and a popular symbol of this is the Easter egg. It symbolises Jesus’ resurrection – new life breaking out of the tomb.
Light is another important Easter symbol. In the Roman Catholic Church a special candle is lit, called the Paschal candle (‘the candle of suffering’). This candle is brought into the church, symbolising the light that has been brought into the world following Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The worshippers light their own candle from the Pashcal candle until the whole church is glowing with light.
The meaning of Easter
For Christians, Jesus’ death and resurrection are also meaningful because they:
prove there is life after death
prove Jesus was the MessiahThe word means ‘the anointed one’. The Messiah is the one believed to be sent by God to be humanity’s saviour. Many Christians believe this person to be Jesus.
fulfil Old TestamentThe first part of the Christian Bible which corresponds to the Hebrew Bible but is arranged differently. prophecies
