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{{this|the [[Christian]] festival|Easter (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Holiday |
|holiday_name=Easter
|image=Russian Resurrection icon.jpg
|caption=[[16th century]] [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]] icon of the Descent into The Hades of [[Jesus]] [[Christ]], which is the usual Orthodox icon for Pascha.
|observedby=Most [[Christians]]
|date=First Sunday after the first full moon on or after [[March 21]]
|date2007=[[April 8]] (both [[Western Christianity|Western]] and [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|date2008=[[March 23]] ([[Western Christianity|Western]])<br/>[[April 27]] ([[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|date2009=[[April 12]] ([[Western Christianity|Western]])<br/>[[April 19]] ([[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|date2010=[[April 4]] (both [[Western Christianity|Western]] and [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|observances=[[Prayer]], all-night vigil (almost exclusively Eastern traditions), sunrise service (especially American Protestant traditions)
|celebrations=Religious (church) services, festive family meals, [[Easter egg]] hunts, and gift-giving (latter two, especially in [[United States of America|USA]] and [[Canada]])
|type=Christian
|significance=Celebrates the resurrection of [[Jesus]]
|relatedto=[[Passover]], of which it is regarded the Christian equivalent; [[Septuagesima]], [[Sexagesima]], [[Quinquagesima]], [[Shrove Tuesday]], [[Ash Wednesday]], [[Lent]], [[Palm Sunday]], [[Maundy Thursday]], [[Good Friday]], and [[Holy Saturday]] which lead up to Easter; and [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]], [[Pentecost]], [[Trinity Sunday]], and [[Corpus Christi (feast)|Corpus Christi]] which follow it.
}}{{portal|Christianity}}
'''Easter''', also called '''Pascha''', is the most important religious feast in the [[Christianity|Christian]] [[liturgical year]].<ref>Anthony Aveni, "The Easter/Passover Season: Connecting Time's Broken Circle," ''The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 64-78.</ref>
Christians celebrate this day in observance of their belief that [[Jesus]] [[Death and resurrection of Jesus|rose from the dead]] on the third day after his [[crucifixion]], now estimated to have taken place between the years [[Anno domini|AD]] 26 and [[Anno domini|AD]] 36. Many non-religious cultural elements have become part of the holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.
Easter also refers to the [[Easter season|season]] of the church year called [[Eastertide]] or the [[Easter season|Easter Season]]. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]] Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until [[Pentecost]]. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the [[Octave of Easter]]. Easter also marks the end of [[Lent]], a season of prayer and penance.
Easter is termed a [[moveable feast]] because it is not fixed in relation to the [[civil calendar]]. Easter falls at some point between late [[March]] and late [[April]] each year (early [[April]] to early [[May]] in [[Eastern Christianity]]), following the cycle of the moon. After several centuries of disagreement, all churches accepted the computation of the Alexandrian Church (now the [[Coptic Church]]) that Easter is the first Sunday after the first fourteenth day of the moon (the [[Paschal Full Moon]]) that is on or after the ecclesiastical vernal [[equinox]].
Easter is linked to the Jewish [[Passover]] not only for much of its symbolism but also for its position in the calendar. The [[Last Supper]] shared by Jesus and his [[Twelve Apostles|disciples]] before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover meal, based on the chronology in the [[Synoptic Gospels]] ({{bibleverse||Matthew|26:17|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Mark|14:12|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Luke|22:7|KJV}}). The [[Gospel of John]], however, speaks of the Jewish elders not wanting to enter the hall of Pilate in order "that they might eat the Passover", implying that the Passover meal had not yet occurred ({{bibleverse||John|18:28|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||John|19:14|KJV}}).<ref>But see {{cite book | last = Barker | first = Kenneth | title = Zondervan NIV Study Bible | publisher = Zondervan | location = Grand Rapids | year = 2002 | isbn = 0310929555}} (Notes on John 13:2, John 18:28, and John 19:14.)</ref> Thus, John places Christ's death at the time of the slaughter of the Passover lamb, which would put the Last Supper slightly before Passover, on [[Quartodeciman|14 Nisan]] of the Bible's [[Hebrew calendar]].<ref name = "Leviticus">{{sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Leviticus|chapter=23|verse=5}}</ref> According to ''[[The Catholic Encyclopedia]]'', "In fact, the Jewish feast was taken over into the Christian Easter celebration."
==Etymology==
===Germanic languages===
The modern English term ''Easter'' developed from the [[Old English language|Old English]] word ''Eastre'', which itself developed prior to [[AD]] [[899]]. The name refers to the ''Eostur-monath'', a month of the [[Germanic calendar]] which may have been named for the [[goddess]] [[Eostre|Eastre]] in [[Germanic paganism]].<ref name=EASTETYM>[[Robert Barnhart|Barnhart, Robert K.]] ''The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology'' (1995) ISBN 0062700847</ref>
In his ''[[De temporum ratione]]'', [[Bede]], an 8th-century [[Anglo-Saxons|English]] [[Christian]] [[monk]], wrote in Latin:
<blockquote>''"Eostur-monath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretatur, quondam a dea illorum quae Eostre vocabatur et cui in illo festa celebrabant nomen habuit."''</blockquote>
which translates as:
<blockquote>''"Eostur-month, which is now interpreted as the paschal month, was formerly named after the goddess Eostre, and has given its name to the festival."''</blockquote>
Some scholars 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.<ref name = "Hutton">{{cite book | last = Hutton | first = Ronald | authorlink = Ronald Hutton | title = Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain | year = 1996 | publisher = Oxford Paperbacks | location = New York | id = ISBN 0-19-285448-8}}</ref> Others state 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 of 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 ''Eostur-monath'', and thus, according to Bede, from the Germanic goddess Eostre, though this etymology is sometimes disputed.<ref name = "Wright">{{cite book | last = Wright | first = Larry | title = Christianity, Astrology And Myth | year = 2002 | publisher = Oak Hill Free Press | location = USA | id = ISBN 0-9518796-1-8}}</ref>
[[Jacob Grimm]] took up the question of Eostre in his [[1835]] work ''[[Deutsche Mythologie]]''. Grimm notes that Ostara-manoth is etymologically related to Eostur-monath, and in writing of various landmarks and customs that he believed to be related to a putative goddess he named [[Ostara]] in Germany.
===Romance languages===
In all [[Romance languages]] the name of the Easter festival is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] name, ''Pascha'' which is itself derived from ''Pesach'', the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] festival of [[Passover]].
===Semitic languages===
Christians speaking [[Semitic languages]] (primarily [[Arabic language|Arabic]]) generally use names [[cognate]] to Hebrew ''Pesach'' {{lang|he|פֶּסַח}}). For instance, the second word of the Arabic name of the festival {{lang|ar|عيد الفصخ}} ''{{ArabDIN|ʿĪd al-Fiṣḥ}}'' has the [[triliteral|root] F-Ṣ-Ḥ, which given the [[sound law]]s applicable to Arabic is cognate to Hebrew P-S-Ḥ, with "Ḥ" realized as {{IPA2|/x/}} in Hebrew and {{IPA2|/ħ/}} in Arabic. Arabic also uses the term {{lang|ar|عيد القيامة}} ''{{ArabDIN|ʿĪd al-Qīāmah}}'', meaning "festival of the resurrection," but this term is less common.
===Slavic languages===
In most Slavic languages, the name for Easter either means "Great Day" or "Great Night". For example, ''Wielkanoc'' and ''Velikonoce'' mean "Great Night" or "Great Nights" in [[Polish language|Polish]] and [[Czech language|Czech]], respectively. Великдень (''Velykden''), Великден (''Velikden'') and Вялікдзень (''Vyalikdzyen''') mean "The Great Day" in [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] and [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], respectively.
In [[Croatian language|Croatian]], however, the day's name reflects a particular theological connection: it is called ''Uskrs'', meaning "Resurrection". In Croatian it is also called ''Vazam'' (''Vzem'' or ''Vuzem'' in Old Croatian), which is a noun that originated from the [[Old Church Slavonic]] verb ''vzeti'' (now ''uzeti'' in Croatian, meaning "to take"). It also explains the fact that in [[Serbian language|Serbian]] Easter is called ''Vaskrs,'' a liturgical form inherited from the Serbian recension of [[Church Slavonic]]. It is also known that long ago it was called ''Velja noć'' (''velmi'': Old Slavic for "great"; ''noć'': "night") in Croatian. The verb ''krstiti'' in Croatian means "to baptize", so the words ''krštenje'' (baptizing) and ''Uskrs'' are supposed to derive from Christ's name, from which the word ''krst'' was later formed, now meaning "cross" (nowadays having a synonym, ''križ''). It is believed that [[Saint Cyril|Cyril]] and [[Saint Methodius|Methodius]], the Greek "holy brothers" who baptized the Slavic people and translated Christian books from [[Latin]] into Old Church Slavonic, invented the word ''Uskrs'' from the word ''krsnuti'' or "enliven".{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
Another exception is [[Russian language|Russian]], in which the name of the feast, Пасха (''Paskha''), is a borrowing of the [[Greek language|Greek]] form via [[Old Church Slavonic]].<ref>[[Max Vasmer]], Russisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg, 1950-1958.</ref>
===Celtic languages===
In all modern [[Celtic languages]] the term for Easter is derived from Latin. In [[Brythonic]] languages this has yielded [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''Pasg'', [[Cornish language|Cornish]] and [[Breton language|Breton]] ''Pask''. In [[Goidelic languages]] the word was borrowed before these languages had re-developed the /p/ sound and as a result the initial /p/ was replaced with /k/. This yielded [[Irish language|Irish]] ''Cáisc'', [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] ''Càisg'' and [[Manx language|Manx]] ''Caisht''. These terms are normally used with the [[definite article]] in Goidelic languages, causing [[lenition]] in all cases: ''An Cháisc'', ''A' Chàisg'' and ''Y Chaisht''.
==Easter in the early Church==
The observance of any non-Jewish 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.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Schaff
| first = Philip
| title = The Author’s Views respecting the Celebration of Easter, Baptism, Fasting, Marriage, the Eucharist, and Other Ecclesiastical Rites.
| work = Socrates and Sozomenus Ecclesiastical Histories
| publisher = Calvin College Christian Classics Ethereal Library
|date=2005-07-13
| url = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.viii.xxiii.html
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref>
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.<ref name = "Melito">
{{cite web
| first = Melito
| authorlink = [[Melito of Sardis]]
| title = Homily on the Pascha
| publisher = Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary.
| url = http://www.kerux.com/documents/KeruxV4N1A1.asp
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref>
==Easter controversy==
{{seealso|Quartodecimanism|Easter controversy|Passover (Christian holiday)}}
Very early in the life of the Church, it was accepted that the [[Eucharist]] was a practice of the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] and an undisputed tradition. A dispute arose concerning the date on which Pascha (Easter) should be celebrated. This dispute came to be known as the Easter/Paschal or [[Quartodecimanism]] controversy.
The term ''Quartodeciman'' (derived from the [[Vulgate]] [[Latin]], ''quarta decima'',<ref>{{cite web | title = New Vulgate (Old Testament) | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/nova_vulgata/documents/nova-vulgata_vt_leviticus_lt.html#23 | format = HTML}} Leviticus 23:5: "Mense primo, quarta decima die mensis, ad vesperum Pascha Domini est."</ref> meaning fourteen) refers to the very early Christian practice of celebrating Easter on 14 [[Nisan]] of the [[Hebrew Calendar]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Lev|23:5}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | title = New Vulgate (Old Testament) | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/nova_vulgata/documents/nova-vulgata_vt_leviticus_lt.html#23 | format = HTML}}</ref> Nisan 14 is the day of preparation for the [[Jewish]] celebration of [[Passover]]. Much later, during the Middle Ages, Nisan 14 was called the [[Paschal Full Moon]].
The predominant practice in [[Anatolia]] or [[Asia Minor]] (including [[Antioch]]) was to celebrate Easter on 14 Nisan, while the practice elsewhere ([[Rome]], [[Alexandria]], [[Jerusalem]]) was to celebrate Easter on the following Sunday. Bishop [[Polycarp]] of Smyrna, by tradition a disciple of [[John the Evangelist]], according to the church historian [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], disputed the computation of the date with Bishop [[Pope Anicetus|Anicetus]] of Rome, specifically as to when the pre-Pascha fast should end. The practice in Asia Minor at the time was that the fast ended on 14 Nisan. The Roman/Alexandrian practice was to continue the fast until the Sunday following. An objection to 14 Nisan was that it could fall on any day of the week and the Roman and Alexandrian Churches wished to associate Pascha with Sunday (regardless of the day of the calendar) and sever the link to [[Judaizing|Jewish practices]]. According to a rather confused account by [[Sozomen]], both sides could claim [[Apostolic Age|Apostolic authority]] for their traditions.
Shortly after Anicetus became bishop of Rome about 155, Polycarp visited Rome and among the topics discussed was this divergence of custom. Neither Polycarp nor Anicetus was able to persuade the other to his position, but neither did they consider the matter of sufficient importance to justify a [[Schism (religion)|schism]], so they parted in peace leaving the question unsettled.<ref>
{{cite web | title = A List Worthy of Study, Given by the Historian, of Customs among Different Nations and Churches. |
| url = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.iii.xii.xix.html
| format = HTML
}}</ref>
Polycarp, a disciple of John, likewise adhered to a 14 Nisan 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. AD 180; 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 disciple and the other apostles that Polycarp knew.
Polycrates (c. [[AD]] [[190]]) emphatically notes this is the tradition passed down to him, that Passover and Unleavened Bread were kept on 14 Nisan in accord with the local interpretation of the dating of Passover: "As for us, then, we scrupulously observe the exact day, neither adding nor taking away.<ref>{{bibleverse||Deut|4:2}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Deut|12:32}}</ref> For in Asia [meaning Asia Minor] great luminaries have gone to their rest who will rise again on the day of the [[Second Coming|coming of the Lord]].... These all kept Pascha (Easter) on the 14th 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").
An early example of this tension is found written by Theophilus of Caesarea (c. [[AD]] [[180]]; 8.774 [[Ante-Nicene 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."
A generation later bishop [[Pope Victor I|Victor]] of Rome excommunicated bishop Polycrates of [[Ephesus]] and the rest of the bishops of Asia Minor for their adherence to 14 Nisan custom. The excommunication was rescinded{{Fact|date=November 2007}} 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.
The 14 Nisan practice, which was strong among the churches of Asia Minor, became 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 rhetoric against 14 Nisan/Passover (e.g. [[Anatolius of Laodicea]], c. AD 270; 6.148,6.149 "Ante-Nicene Church Fathers"). The tradition that Easter was to be celebrated "not with the Jews" meant that Pascha was not to be celebrated on 14 Nisan.<ref>H.H. Ben-Sasson, ''A History of the Jewish People'', Harvard University Press, 1976, ISBN 0674397312, page 350: "In an attempt to disrupt the order of the Jewish festivals and to prevent those Christians who wished to do so from celebrating Pascha (Easter) on the first day of Passover, the imperial authorities prevented the rabbis from meeting to proclaim New Moons and leap-years and from sending messengers to the Diaspora communities to inform them of their decisions."</ref>
In the end, the celebration of Pascha (Easter) on Sunday was not formally settled until the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in [[AD]] [[325]] (''see below''), although by that time the Roman position had spread to most churches.
==Date of Easter==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em"
|- align=center
|+ Gregorian dates for Easter Sunday <br> 1989–2020
|-
! Year || Western || Eastern
|-
! 1989
| March 26 || April 30
|-
! 1990
|colspan=2 align=center| April 15
|-
! 1991
| March 31 || April 7
|-
! 1992
| April 19 || April 26
|-
! 1993
| April 11 || April 18
|-
! 1994
| April 3 || May 1
|-
! 1995
| April 16 || April 23
|-
! 1996
| April 7 || April 14
|-
! 1997
| March 30 || April 27
|-
! 1998
| April 12 || April 19
|-
! 1999
| April 4 || April 11
|-
! 2000
| April 23 || April 30
|-
! 2001
|colspan=2 align=center| April 15
|-
! 2002
| March 31 || May 5
|-
! 2003
| April 20 || April 27
|-
! 2004
|colspan=2 align=center| April 11
|-
! 2005
| March 27 || May 1
|-
! 2006
| April 16 || April 23
|-
! 2007
|colspan=2 align=center| April 8
|-
! 2008
| March 23 || April 27
|-
! 2009
| April 12 || April 19
|-
! 2010
|colspan=2 align=center| April 4
|-
! 2011
|colspan=2 align=center| April 24
|-
! 2012
| April 8 || April 15
|-
! 2013
| March 31 || May 5
|-
! 2014
|colspan=2 align=center| April 20
|-
! 2015
| April 5 || April 12
|-
! 2016
| March 27 || May 1
|-
! 2017
|colspan=2 align=center| April 16
|-
! 2018
| April 1 || April 8
|-
! 2019
| April 21 || April 28
|-
! 2020
| April 12 || April 19
|}
Easter and the holidays that are related to it are ''[[moveable feast]]s'', in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the [[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian]] or [[Julian Calendar|Julian]] calendars (both of which follow the cycle of the sun and the seasons). Instead, the date for Easter is determined on a [[lunisolar calendar]], as is the [[Hebrew calendar]].
In Western Christianity, Easter always falls on a Sunday between [[March 22]] and [[April 25]] inclusively.<ref>[http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/easter.php The Date of Easter]. Article from [[United States Naval Observatory]] (2007-03-27).</ref> The following day, [[Easter Monday]], is a [[legal holiday]] in many countries with predominantly Christian traditions. In the Julian calendar used by Eastern Christianity, Easter also always falls on a Sunday from [[March 22]] to [[April 25]] inclusive, which in the Gregorian calendar, due to the 13 day difference between the calendars between 1900 and 2099, are dates from [[April 4]] to [[May 8]] inclusive.
The precise date of Easter has at times been a matter for contention. At the [[First Council of Nicaea#Passover .28Easter.29 Controversy|First Council of Nicaea]] in 325 it was decided that all [[Christian]]s would celebrate Easter on the same day, which would be a Sunday. It is probable that no method of determining the date 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. [[Epiphanius of Salamis]] 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...".<ref name = "Epiphianus">{{cite book | last = Willams | first = F. | title = The Panarion of Epiphianus of Salamis | publisher = EJ Brill |date=1994 | location = New York | pages = 471-472}}</ref>
The Council of Nicaea, however, did not declare the Alexandrian or Roman calculations as normative. Instead, the council gave the [[Bishop of Alexandria]] the privilege of announcing annually the date of Christian Passover to the [[Roman curia]]. Although the synod undertook the regulation of the dating of Christian Passover, it contented itself with communicating its decision to the different dioceses, instead of establishing a canon. Its exact words were not preserved, but from scattered notices the council ruled:
* that Easter must be celebrated by all throughout the world on the same Sunday;
* that this Sunday must follow the fourteenth day of the [[Paschal Full Moon|paschal moon]];
* that the moon was to be accounted the paschal moon whose fourteenth day followed the vernal equinox;
* that some provision should be made, probably by the Church of Alexandria as best skilled in astronomical calculations, for determining the proper date of Easter and communicating it to the rest of the world.
It took a while for the Alexandrian rules to be adopted throughout Christian Europe. The Church of Rome continued to use an 84-year [[lunisolar calendar]] cycle from the late third century until 457. The Church of Rome continued to use its own methods 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]]). Early Christians in Britain and Ireland also used a late [[third century]] Roman 84-year cycle until the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664, when they adopted the Alexandrian method. 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. However, with the adoption of the [[Gregorian calendar]] by the [[Catholic Church]] in 1582 and the continuing use of the [[Julian calendar]] by Eastern Orthodox Churches, the date on which Easter is celebrated again deviated, and continues to this day.
The rule has since the Middle Ages been phrased as ''Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first [[full moon]] on or after the day of the [[vernal equinox]]''. However, this does not reflect the actual ecclesiastical rules precisely. One reason for this is that the full moon involved (called the [[Paschal full moon]]) is not an astronomical full moon, but an ''ecclesiastical'' moon. Another difference is that the astronomical vernal equinox is a natural astronomical phenomenon, while the ''ecclesiastical'' vernal equinox is a fixed [[March 21]]. Easter is determined from tables which determine Easter based on the ecclesiastical rules described above, which approximate the astronomical full moon.
In applying the ecclesiastical rules, the various Christian Churches use [[21 March]] as their starting point from which they find the next full moon, etc. However because [[Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] use the Julian Calendar as their starting point, while [[Western Christianity]] uses the Gregorian Calendar, the end point, the date for Easter, may diverge. (see table)
===Computations===
{{main|Computus}}
The calculations for the date of Easter are somewhat complicated. 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 fell on [[March 23]] in 2008, but will not do so again until 2160. 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 on [[April 24]], just one day before this latest possible date, in 2011.
The cycle of Easter dates repeats after exactly 5,700,000 years, with April 19 being the most common date, happening 220,400 times, or 3.9% compared to a [[median]] for all dates of 189,525 times, or 3.3%.
===Reform of the date of Easter===
{{seealso|Reform of the date of Easter}}
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.
A few clergymen of various denominations have advanced the notion of disregarding the moon altogether in determining the date of Easter. Their proposals include always observing Easter on the second Sunday in April, or always having seven Sundays between the [[Epiphany (feast)|Epiphany]] and [[Ash Wednesday]], producing the same result except that in leap years Easter could fall on [[April 7]]. These suggestions have not attracted significant support, and their adoption in the future is considered unlikely.
In the [[United Kingdom]], the [http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=All+Primary&PageNumber=1&BrowseLetter=E&NavFrom=1&parentActiveTextDocId=1080813&ActiveTextDocId=1080815&filesize=4970 Easter Act of 1928] set out legislation to allow the date of Easter to be fixed as the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April. However, the legislation has not been implemented, although it remains on the Statute book and could be implemented subject to approval by the various Christian churches.<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050406/text/50406w05.htm#wa_subhd_30 See Hansard reports April 2005]</ref>
==Position in the church year==
{{Liturgical 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]].
The week before Easter is very special in the Christian tradition. The Sunday before Easter 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]]." The week beginning with Easter Sunday is called [[Easter Week]] or the Octave of Easter, and each day is prefaced with "Easter," e.g. Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, etc. [[Easter Saturday]] is therefore the Saturday ''after'' Easter Sunday. The day before Easter is properly called Holy Saturday. Many churches start celebrating Easter late in the evening of Holy Saturday at a service called the [[Easter Vigil]].
[[Eastertide]], the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of [[Pentecost]], seven weeks later.
===Eastern Christianity===
In Eastern Christianity, preparations begin with [[Great Lent]], which lasts for 40 days. 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.
The Paschal Service consists of Paschal Matins, Hours, and Liturgy,<ref name = "Eastern Liturgy">{{cite web | first = Ephrem (Archimandrite) | title = On the Holy and Great Sunday of Pascha | publisher = Monastery of Saint Andrew the First Called, Manchester, England |date=25 January 2007 | url = http://www.anastasis.org.uk/pascha.htm | format = HTML | accessdate = 2007-03-27}}</ref> which traditionally begins at midnight of Pascha morning. 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]].
==Religious observance of Easter==<!--[[Easter liturgy]] redirects here-->
===Western Christianity===
[[Image:Procesion semana santa jpereira.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Procession in the Northwest of Spain.]]
The Easter festival is kept in many different ways among [[Western Christianity|Western Christians]]. The traditional, [[liturgy|liturgical]] observation of Easter, as practised among [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] and some [[Lutheran]]s and [[Anglican]]s 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 [[Exultet]] 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 theology|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 [[Gloria in Excelsis Deo|Gloria]] and 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 [[Baptismal font|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]] (or 'Holy Communion'). Certain variations in the Easter Vigil exist: Some churches read the Old Testament lessons before the procession of the Paschal candle, and then read the gospel immediately after the Exsultet. Some churches prefer to keep this vigil very early on the Sunday morning instead of the Saturday night, particularly [[Protestant]] churches, to reflect the gospel account of the women coming to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. These services are known as the [[Sunrise service]] and often occur in outdoor setting such as the church's yard or a nearby park.
The first recorded "Sunrise Service" took place in 1732 among the Single Brethren in the [[Moravian]] Congregation at [[Herrnhut]], [[Saxony]], in what is now Germany. Following an all-night vigil they went before dawn to the town graveyard, [[God's Acre]], on the hill above the town, to celebrate the Resurrection among the graves of the departed. This service was repeated the following year by the whole congregation and subsequently spread with the Moravian Missionaries around the world. The most famous "Moravian Sunrise Service" is in the Moravian Settlement [[Old Salem]] in [[Winston-Salem]], [[North Carolina]]. The beautiful setting of the Graveyard, [[God's Acre]], the music of the Brass Choir numbering 500 pieces, and the simplicity of the service attract thousands of visitors each year and has earned for Winston-Salem the soubriquet "the Easter City."
Additional celebrations are usually offered on Easter Sunday itself. Typically these services follow the usual order of Sunday services in a congregation, but also typically incorporate more highly festive elements. The music of the service, in particular, often displays a highly festive tone; the incorporation of brass instruments (trumpets, etc.) to supplement a congregation's usual instrumentation is common. Often a congregation's worship space is decorated with special banners and flowers (such as [[Lilium longiflorum|Easter lilies]]).
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.
In Polish culture, The Rezurekcja (Resurrection Procession) is the joyous Easter morning Mass at daybreak when church bells ring out and explosions resound to commemorate Christ rising from the dead. Before the Mass begins at dawn, a festive procession with the Blessed Sacrament carried beneath a canopy encircles the church. As church bells ring out, handbells are vigorously shaken by altar boys, the air is filled with incense and the faithful raise their voices heavenward in a triumphant rendering of age-old Easter hymns. After the Blessed Sacrament is carried around the church and Adoration is complete, the Easter Mass begins. Another Polish Easter tradition is [[Święconka]], the blessing of Easter baskets by the parish priest on Holy Saturday. This custom is celebrated not only in Poland, but also in the United States by Polish-Americans.
===Eastern Christianity===
[[Image:Kurskaya korennaya.jpg|thumb|300px|''Easter Procession in the Region of [[Kursk]], Russia'', painting by [[Ilya Repin]] (1880-83).]]
'''Pascha''' is the fundamental and most important festival of the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental]] Orthodox Churches. Every other religious festival on their calendars, including [[Christmas]], is secondary in importance to the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is reflected rich Easter-connected customs in the cultures of countries that are traditionally Orthodox Christian majority. [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholics]] have similar emphasis in their calendars, and many of their liturgical customs are very similar.
[[Image:Receiving the Holy Light at Easter.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The congregation lighting their candles from the new flame in [[Adelaide]], at [[St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Adelaide|St. George Greek Orthodox Church]], just as the priest has retrieved it from the altar - note that the picture is [[Flash (photography)|flash-illuminated]]; all electric lighting is off, and only the [[oil lamp]]s in front of the [[Iconostasis]] remain lit.]]
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. They shine only in the light of the Resurrection. 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 of Jesus Christ|Ascension]]:
[[Image:Paskhakustodiev.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Boris Kustodiev]]'s ''Easter Greetings'' (1912) shows traditional Russian traditions of ''khristosovanie'' (exchanging a triple kiss), with such foods as [[kulich]] and [[paskha (meal)|paskha]] in the background.]]
: Christ is risen from the dead,
: Trampling down death by death,
: And upon those in the tombs
: Bestowing life!
Preparation for Pascha begins with the season of [[Great Lent]]. In addition to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, Orthodox Christians cut down on all entertainment and non-essential worldly activities, gradually eliminating them until [[Good Friday|Great and Holy Friday]]. Traditionally, on the evening of [[Holy Saturday|Great and Holy Saturday]], the [[Midnight Office]] is celebrated shortly after 11:00 pm (see [[Paschal Vigil]]). 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 [[sanctuary lamp|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. Then the priest and congregation [[Crucession|process]] around the [[Orthodox church (building)|church building]], holding lit candles, re-entering ideally at the stroke of midnight, whereupon Paschal [[Matins]] begins immediately followed by the Paschal [[Canonical hours|Hours]] and then the Paschal [[Divine Liturgy]]. Immediately after the Liturgy it is customary for the congregation to share a meal, essentially an [[Agape|Agápē]] dinner (albeit at 2:00 a.m. or later). In [[Greece]] the traditional latenight dinner is ''mageiritsa'', a hearty stew of chopped lamb liver and wild greens seasoned with egg-and-lemon sauce. Traditionally, [[Easter eggs]], hard-boiled eggs dyed bright red to symbolize the spilt [[Blood of Christ]] and the promise of eternal life, are cracked together to celebrate the opening of the [[Holy Sepulchre|Tomb of Christ]].
[[Image:Russian easter.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Nicholas Roerich]]. ''Russian Pascha''.]]
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 celebrate "[[Agape|Agápē]] [[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.
For the remainder of the week (known as "[[Bright Week]]"), all fasting is prohibited, and the customary [[Paschal greeting]] is "Christ is risen!," to be responded with "Truly He is risen!"
==Non-religious Easter traditions==
{{Citations missing|section|date=March 2008}}
[[Image:Easter eggs - straw decoration.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Easter eggs]] are a popular sign of the holiday among its religious and secular observers alike.]]
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 card]]s and confectionery such as chocolate [[Easter eggs (decorative)|Easter eggs]], marshmallow bunnies, [[Peeps]], and [[jelly beans]]. Even many non-Christians celebrate these aspects of the holiday while eschewing the religious aspects.
===Anglosphere===
Throughout North America, Australia and parts of the UK, the Easter holiday has been partially secularized, so that some families participate only in the attendant revelry, central to which is (traditionally) decorating [[Easter eggs (decorative)|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. Chocolate eggs have largely supplanted decorated eggs in Australia.
In North America, eggs and other treats are delivered and hidden by the [[Easter Bunny]] in an Easter basket which children find waiting for them when they wake up. Many families in America will attend [[Sunday Mass]] or services in the morning and then participate in a feast or party in the afternoon.
In the UK children still paint colored eggs, but most British people simply exchange chocolate eggs on the Sunday. Chocolate Easter Bunnies can be found in shops, but the idea is considered primarily a US import. Many families have a traditional [[Sunday roast]], particularly [[roast lamb]], and eat foods like [[Simnel cake]], a fruit cake with eleven marzipan balls representing the eleven faithful apostles. [[Hot cross buns]], spiced buns with a cross on top, are traditionally associated with [[Good Friday]], but today are eaten through [[Holy Week]] and the Easter period. In the north of England and the north of Ireland, the tradition of rolling decorated eggs down steep hills is still adhered to.
===Belgium & France===
Flemish-speaking Belgium shares many of the same traditions as North America but sometimes it's said that the Bells of Rome bring the Easter eggs together with the Easter Bunny. The story goes that the bells of every church leave for Rome on [[Holy Saturday]], called "Stille Zaterdag" (literally "Silent Saturday") in Dutch. So, because the bells are in Rome, the bells don't ring anywhere.
Similarly, in French-speaking Belgium and France, "Easter bells" (« ''les cloches de Pâques'' ») also bring Easter eggs. However, bells in churches are silent beginning [[Maundy Thursday]], the first day of the [[Easter Triduum|Paschal Triduum]], as a sign of mourning. It is said that all of the bells depart for Rome and return on Easter Day bringing eggs with them to drop during their passage.
===Scandinavia===
In [[Norway]], in addition to [[cross-country skiing]] in the mountains and painting eggs for decorating, a contemporary tradition is to solve murder mysteries at Easter. All the major television channels show crime and detective stories (such as ''[[Agatha Christie's 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.
In [[Finland]], [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]], traditions include egg painting and small children dressed as witches collecting candy door-to-door, in exchange for decorated [[Goat Willow|pussy willows]]. This is a result of the mixing of an old Orthodox tradition (blessing houses with willow branches) and the Scandinavian Easter witch tradition.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}<ref>[http://www.geographia.com/sweden/spring.html Geographia.com] accessed March 22, 2008</ref> Brightly coloured feathers and little decorations are also attached to birch branches in a vase. For lunch/dinner on [[Holy Saturday]], families traditionally feast on a [[smörgåsbord]] of herring, salmon, potatoes, eggs and other kinds of food. In Finland, the Lutheran majority enjoys [[mämmi]] as another traditional Easter treat, while the Orthodox minority's traditions include eating pasha (also spelt [[paskha (meal)|paskha]]) instead.
===Netherlands and Northern Germany===
[[Image:EasterFireNetherlands.jpg|thumb|right|People watching the Easter Fire in 'De Achterhoek' in eastern Netherlands]]
In the eastern part of the Netherlands (Twente and Achterhoek), [[Easter Fires]] (in Dutch: "Paasvuur") are lit on Easter Day at sunset.
Easter Fires also take place on the same day in large portions of Northern Germany ("Osterfeuer").
===Central Europe===
:''Main article: see [[Egg decorating in Slavic culture]]''
Many eastern European ethnic groups, including the [[Ukrainian]]s, [[Belarusians]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Croats]] (''[[Croatian pisanica|pisanica]]''), [[Czechs]], [[Lithuanians]], [[Poles]], [[Romanians]], [[Slovaks]], and [[Slovenians]] decorate eggs for [[Easter]].
In the [[Czech Republic]], [[Hungary]] and [[Slovakia]], a tradition of spanking or whipping is carried out on [[Easter Monday]]. In the morning, men spank women with a special handmade whip called '''''pomlázka''''' (in Czech) or '''''korbáč''''' (in Slovak), the women can retaliate by throwing cold water on the men. The pomlázka/korbáč consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods), is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with colored ribbons at the end. It must be mentioned that spanking normally is not painful or intended to cause suffering. A legend says that women should be spanked in order to keep their health and beauty during whole next year.<ref name = "whipping">{{cite web | first = Terry | last = Kirby | title = The Big Question: Why do we celebrate Easter, and where did the bunny come from? | publisher = The Independent |date=6 April 2007 | url = http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2426203.ece | format = HTML | accessdate = 2008-03-18}}</ref>
An additional purpose can be for men to exhibit their attraction to women; unvisited women can even feel offended. Traditionally, the spanked woman gives a colored [[Easter egg|egg]] and sometimes a small amount of money to the man as a sign of her thanks. In some regions the women can get revenge in the afternoon or the following day when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any man. The habit slightly varies across Slovakia and 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 water fight.
In [[Hungary]] (where it is called [[Ducking Monday]]), [[perfume]] or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an [[Easter egg]].
==Easter controversies==
===Christian denominations and organizations that do not observe Easter===
Easter traditions deemed "pagan" by some Reformation leaders, along with Christmas celebrations, were among the first casualties of some areas of the [[Protestant Reformation]].
Other Reformation Churches, such as the [[Lutheran]] and [[Anglican]], retained a very full observance of the [[Church Year]]. In Lutheran Churches, not only were the days of Holy Week observed, but also Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost were observed with three day festivals, including the day itself and the two following. Among the other Reformation traditions, things were a bit different. These holidays were eventually restored (though Christmas only became a legal holiday in Scotland in 1967, after the [[Church of Scotland]] finally relaxed its objections). Some Christians (usually, but not always [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalists]]{{Fact|date=February 2008}}), however, continue to reject the celebration of Easter (and, often, of Christmas), because they believe them to be irrevocably tainted with [[paganism]] and [[idolatry]]. Their rejection of these traditions is based partly on their interpretation of {{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|6:14-16|KJV}}.
This is also the view of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], who instead observe a yearly commemorative service of the [[Last Supper]] and subsequent death of Christ on the evening of 14 Nisan, as they calculate it derived from the lunar [[Hebrew Calendar]]. It is commonly referred to, in short, by many Witnesses as simply "The Memorial." Jehovah's Witnesses believe that such verses as {{bibleverse||Luke|22:19-20|KJV}} constitute a commandment to remember the death of Christ, and they do so on a yearly basis just as Passover is celebrated yearly by the Jews.
Some groups feel that Easter (or, as they prefer to call it, "Resurrection Sunday" or "Resurrection Day") is properly regarded with great joy: not marking the day itself, but remembering and rejoicing in the event it commemorates—the miracle of Christ's resurrection. In this spirit, these Christians teach that each day and all Sabbaths should be kept holy, in Christ's teachings. [[Jewish Christians|Hebrew-Christian]], [[Sacred Name Movement|Sacred Name]], and [[Armstrongism|Armstrong]] movement churches (such as the [[Living Church of God]]) usually reject Easter in favor of 14 Nisan observance and celebration of the Christian Passover. This is especially true of Christian groups that celebrate the New Moons or High Holy Days (annual sabbaths) is addition to the seventh day sabbath. Critics charge that such feasts are meaningless in light of the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Televangelist Larry Huch (pentecostal) and many [[Calvary Chapel]] churches have adopted Hebrew-Christian practices, but without rejecting Easter.
Other groups, such as the [[Sabbatarian]] [[Church of God]] celebrate a [[Christian Passover]] that lacks most of the practices or symbols associated with Western Easter and retains more of the presumed features of the Passover observed by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.
===Modern avoidance controversy===
{{main|Easter/Good Friday controversy}}
In the modern-day [[United States]], there have been instances where public mention of Easter and Good Friday have been replaced with [[euphemism|euphemistic]] terminology. Examples include renaming "Good Friday" as "Spring holiday" on school calendars, to avoid association with a Christian holiday while at the same time allowing a state-sanctioned day off.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons2|Easter}}
{{wiktionary|Easter}}
===Liturgical===
*[http://www.catholicexpert.com/easterprayer.htm 50 Catholic Prayers for Easter]
*[http://www.liturgies.net/Easter/Easter.htm Liturgical Resources for Easter]
===Traditions===
*[http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/general/livinganorthodoxlife/liturgicalmeaningofholyweek/saturdayoflazarus Liturgical Meaning of Holy Week (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia)]
*[http://www.armenianchurch.net/worship/easter/index.html Easter in the Armenian Orthodox Church]
* [http://www.epilgrim.org/easter_sunday.htm Easter Badarak at the Empty Tomb] Easter service in Jerusalem [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
*[http://www.orthodox.net/pascha/ Eastern Orthodox views on Easter]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm Roman Catholic view of Easter] (from the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]])
*[http://www.rosicrucian.com/glm/glmeng07.htm#chap20 Rosicrucians: The Cosmic Meaning of Easter] (the [[Esoteric Christianity|esoteric Christian]] tradition)
*[http://www.geocities.com/frtillman/passeast.html Passover to Easter]
===Calculating===
* [http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/etc/ktf/app/easter.html Calculating the date of Easter]
* [http://www.ely.anglican.org/cgi-bin/easter Calculator for the date of Festivals (Anglican)]
* [http://www.assa.org.au/edm.html A simple method for determining the date of Easter] for all years AD 326 to 4099.
* [http://www.noeticspace.com/paschalion Paschal Calculator (Eastern Orthodox)]
* [http://www.assa.org.au/edm.html#OrthCalculator Orthodox Calculator]
* [http://www.internetfamilyfun.com/holidays/easter/easterdate.htm Easter Date Calculator] Enter the year you wish to find the Easter day
===National traditions===
*[http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26050&LAN=ENG Easter traditions in Finland]
*[http://www.ottawa.diplo.de/en/06/Lifestyle__culture/c__Easter__in__Germany.html Easter in Germany]
*[http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/worldeaster/ Easter in Mexico, Australia, Africa and Europe]
<br />{{Time in religion and mythology}}
{{Easter}}
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{{this|the [[Christian]] festival|Easter (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Holiday |
|holiday_name=Easter
|image=Russian Resurrection icon.jpg
|caption=[[16th century]] [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]] icon of the Descent into The Hades of [[Jesus]] [[Christ]], which is the usual Orthodox icon for Pascha.
|observedby=Most [[Christians]]
|date=First Sunday after the first full moon on or after [[March 21]]
|date2007=[[April 8]] (both [[Western Christianity|Western]] and [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|date2008=[[March 23]] ([[Western Christianity|Western]])<br/>[[April 27]] ([[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|date2009=[[April 12]] ([[Western Christianity|Western]])<br/>[[April 19]] ([[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|date2010=[[April 4]] (both [[Western Christianity|Western]] and [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]])
|observances=[[Prayer]], all-night vigil (almost exclusively Eastern traditions), sunrise service (especially American Protestant traditions)
|celebrations=Religious (church) services, festive family meals, [[Easter egg]] hunts, and gift-giving (latter two, especially in [[United States of America|USA]] and [[Canada]])
|type=Christian
|significance=Celebrates the resurrection of [[Jesus]]
|relatedto=[[Passover]], of which it is regarded the Christian equivalent; [[Septuagesima]], [[Sexagesima]], [[Quinquagesima]], [[Shrove Tuesday]], [[Ash Wednesday]], [[Lent]], [[Palm Sunday]], [[Maundy Thursday]], [[Good Friday]], and [[Holy Saturday]] which lead up to Easter; and [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]], [[Pentecost]], [[Trinity Sunday]], and [[Corpus Christi (feast)|Corpus Christi]] which follow it.
}}{{portal|Christianity}}
'''Easter''', also called '''Pascha''', is the most important religious feast in the [[Christianity|Christian]] [[liturgical year]].<ref>Anthony Aveni, "The Easter/Passover Season: Connecting Time's Broken Circle," ''The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 64-78.</ref>
Christians celebrate this day in observance of their belief that [[Jesus]] [[Death and resurrection of Jesus|rose from the dead]] on the third day after his [[crucifixion]], now estimated to have taken place between the years [[Anno domini|AD]] 26 and [[Anno domini|AD]] 36. Many non-religious cultural elements have become part of the holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.
Easter also refers to the [[Easter season|season]] of the church year called [[Eastertide]] or the [[Easter season|Easter Season]]. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]] Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until [[Pentecost]]. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the [[Octave of Easter]]. Easter also marks the end of [[Lent]], a season of prayer and penance.
Easter is termed a [[moveable feast]] because it is not fixed in relation to the [[civil calendar]]. Easter falls at some point between late [[March]] and late [[April]] each year (early [[April]] to early [[May]] in [[Eastern Christianity]]), following the cycle of the moon. After several centuries of disagreement, all churches accepted the computation of the Alexandrian Church (now the [[Coptic Church]]) that Easter is the first Sunday after the first fourteenth day of the moon (the [[Paschal Full Moon]]) that is on or after the ecclesiastical vernal [[equinox]].
Easter is linked to the Jewish [[Passover]] not only for much of its symbolism but also for its position in the calendar. The [[Last Supper]] shared by Jesus and his [[Twelve Apostles|disciples]] before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover meal, based on the chronology in the [[Synoptic Gospels]] ({{bibleverse||Matthew|26:17|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Mark|14:12|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Luke|22:7|KJV}}). The [[Gospel of John]], however, speaks of the Jewish elders not wanting to enter the hall of Pilate in order "that they might eat the Passover", implying that the Passover meal had not yet occurred ({{bibleverse||John|18:28|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||John|19:14|KJV}}).<ref>But see {{cite book | last = Barker | first = Kenneth | title = Zondervan NIV Study Bible | publisher = Zondervan | location = Grand Rapids | year = 2002 | isbn = 0310929555}} (Notes on John 13:2, John 18:28, and John 19:14.)</ref> Thus, John places Christ's death at the time of the slaughter of the Passover lamb, which would put the Last Supper slightly before Passover, on [[Quartodeciman|14 Nisan]] of the Bible's [[Hebrew calendar]].<ref name = "Leviticus">{{sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Leviticus|chapter=23|verse=5}}</ref> According to ''[[The Catholic Encyclopedia]]'', "In fact, the Jewish feast was taken over into the Christian Easter celebration."
==Etymology==
===Germanic languages===
The modern English term ''Easter'' developed from the [[Old English language|Old English]] word ''Eastre'', which itself developed prior to [[AD]] [[899]]. The name refers to the ''Eostur-monath'', a month of the [[Germanic calendar]] which may have been named for the [[goddess]] [[Eostre|Eastre]] in [[Germanic paganism]].<ref name=EASTETYM>[[Robert Barnhart|Barnhart, Robert K.]] ''The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology'' (1995) ISBN 0062700847</ref>
In his ''[[De temporum ratione]]'', [[Bede]], an 8th-century [[Anglo-Saxons|English]] [[Christian]] [[monk]], wrote in Latin:
<blockquote>''"Eostur-monath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretatur, quondam a dea illorum quae Eostre vocabatur et cui in illo festa celebrabant nomen habuit."''</blockquote>
which translates as:
<blockquote>''"Eostur-month, which is now interpreted as the paschal month, was formerly named after the goddess Eostre, and has given its name to the festival."''</blockquote>
Some scholars 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.<ref name = "Hutton">{{cite book | last = Hutton | first = Ronald | authorlink = Ronald Hutton | title = Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain | year = 1996 | publisher = Oxford Paperbacks | location = New York | id = ISBN 0-19-285448-8}}</ref> Others state 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 of 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 ''Eostur-monath'', and thus, according to Bede, from the Germanic goddess Eostre, though this etymology is sometimes disputed.<ref name = "Wright">{{cite book | last = Wright | first = Larry | title = Christianity, Astrology And Myth | year = 2002 | publisher = Oak Hill Free Press | location = USA | id = ISBN 0-9518796-1-8}}</ref>
[[Jacob Grimm]] took up the question of Eostre in his [[1835]] work ''[[Deutsche Mythologie]]''. Grimm notes that Ostara-manoth is etymologically related to Eostur-monath, and in writing of various landmarks and customs that he believed to be related to a putative goddess he named [[Ostara]] in Germany.
===Romance languages===
In all [[Romance languages]] the name of the Easter festival is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] name, ''Pascha'' which is itself derived from ''Pesach'', the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] festival of [[Passover]].
===Semitic languages===
Christians speaking [[Semitic languages]] (primarily [[Arabic language|Arabic]]) generally use names [[cognate]] to Hebrew ''Pesach'' {{lang|he|פֶּסַח}}). For instance, the second word of the Arabic name of the festival {{lang|ar|عيد الفصخ}} ''{{ArabDIN|ʿĪd al-Fiṣḥ}}'' has the [[triliteral|root] F-Ṣ-Ḥ, which given the [[sound law]]s applicable to Arabic is cognate to Hebrew P-S-Ḥ, with "Ḥ" realized as {{IPA2|/x/}} in Hebrew and {{IPA2|/ħ/}} in Arabic. Arabic also uses the term {{lang|ar|عيد القيامة}} ''{{ArabDIN|ʿĪd al-Qīāmah}}'', meaning "festival of the resurrection," but this term is less common.
===Slavic languages===
In most Slavic languages, the name for Easter either means "Great Day" or "Great Night". For example, ''Wielkanoc'' and ''Velikonoce'' mean "Great Night" or "Great Nights" in [[Polish language|Polish]] and [[Czech language|Czech]], respectively. Великдень (''Velykden''), Великден (''Velikden'') and Вялікдзень (''Vyalikdzyen''') mean "The Great Day" in [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] and [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], respectively.
In [[Croatian language|Croatian]], however, the day's name reflects a particular theological connection: it is called ''Uskrs'', meaning "Resurrection". In Croatian it is also called ''Vazam'' (''Vzem'' or ''Vuzem'' in Old Croatian), which is a noun that originated from the [[Old Church Slavonic]] verb ''vzeti'' (now ''uzeti'' in Croatian, meaning "to take"). It also explains the fact that in [[Serbian language|Serbian]] Easter is called ''Vaskrs,'' a liturgical form inherited from the Serbian recension of [[Church Slavonic]]. It is also known that long ago it was called ''Velja noć'' (''velmi'': Old Slavic for "great"; ''noć'': "night") in Croatian. The verb ''krstiti'' in Croatian means "to baptize", so the words ''krštenje'' (baptizing) and ''Uskrs'' are supposed to derive from Christ's name, from which the word ''krst'' was later formed, now meaning "cross" (nowadays having a synonym, ''križ''). It is believed that [[Saint Cyril|Cyril]] and [[Saint Methodius|Methodius]], the Greek "holy brothers" who baptized the Slavic people and translated Christian books from [[Latin]] into Old Church Slavonic, invented the word ''Uskrs'' from the word ''krsnuti'' or "enliven".{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
Another exception is [[Russian language|Russian]], in which the name of the feast, Пасха (''Paskha''), is a borrowing of the [[Greek language|Greek]] form via [[Old Church Slavonic]].<ref>[[Max Vasmer]], Russisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg, 1950-1958.</ref>
===Celtic languages===
In all modern [[Celtic languages]] the term for Easter is derived from Latin. In [[Brythonic]] languages this has yielded [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''Pasg'', [[Cornish language|Cornish]] and [[Breton language|Breton]] ''Pask''. In [[Goidelic languages]] the word was borrowed before these languages had re-developed the /p/ sound and as a result the initial /p/ was replaced with /k/. This yielded [[Irish language|Irish]] ''Cáisc'', [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] ''Càisg'' and [[Manx language|Manx]] ''Caisht''. These terms are normally used with the [[definite article]] in Goidelic languages, causing [[lenition]] in all cases: ''An Cháisc'', ''A' Chàisg'' and ''Y Chaisht''.
==Easter in the early Church==
The observance of any non-Jewish 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.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Schaff
| first = Philip
| title = The Author’s Views respecting the Celebration of Easter, Baptism, Fasting, Marriage, the Eucharist, and Other Ecclesiastical Rites.
| work = Socrates and Sozomenus Ecclesiastical Histories
| publisher = Calvin College Christian Classics Ethereal Library
|date=2005-07-13
| url = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.viii.xxiii.html
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref>
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.<ref name = "Melito">
{{cite web
| first = Melito
| authorlink = [[Melito of Sardis]]
| title = Homily on the Pascha
| publisher = Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary.
| url = http://www.kerux.com/documents/KeruxV4N1A1.asp
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref>
==Easter controversy==
{{seealso|Quartodecimanism|Easter controversy|Passover (Christian holiday)}}
Very early in the life of the Church, it was accepted that the [[Eucharist]] was a practice of the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] and an undisputed tradition. A dispute arose concerning the date on which Pascha (Easter) should be celebrated. This dispute came to be known as the Easter/Paschal or [[Quartodecimanism]] controversy.
The term ''Quartodeciman'' (derived from the [[Vulgate]] [[Latin]], ''quarta decima'',<ref>{{cite web | title = New Vulgate (Old Testament) | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/nova_vulgata/documents/nova-vulgata_vt_leviticus_lt.html#23 | format = HTML}} Leviticus 23:5: "Mense primo, quarta decima die mensis, ad vesperum Pascha Domini est."</ref> meaning fourteen) refers to the very early Christian practice of celebrating Easter on 14 [[Nisan]] of the [[Hebrew Calendar]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Lev|23:5}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | title = New Vulgate (Old Testament) | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/nova_vulgata/documents/nova-vulgata_vt_leviticus_lt.html#23 | format = HTML}}</ref> Nisan 14 is the day of preparation for the [[Jewish]] celebration of [[Passover]]. Much later, during the Middle Ages, Nisan 14 was called the [[Paschal Full Moon]].
The predominant practice in [[Anatolia]] or [[Asia Minor]] (including [[Antioch]]) was to celebrate Easter on 14 Nisan, while the practice elsewhere ([[Rome]], [[Alexandria]], [[Jerusalem]]) was to celebrate Easter on the following Sunday. Bishop [[Polycarp]] of Smyrna, by tradition a disciple of [[John the Evangelist]], according to the church historian [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], disputed the computation of the date with Bishop [[Pope Anicetus|Anicetus]] of Rome, specifically as to when the pre-Pascha fast should end. The practice in Asia Minor at the time was that the fast ended on 14 Nisan. The Roman/Alexandrian practice was to continue the fast until the Sunday following. An objection to 14 Nisan was that it could fall on any day of the week and the Roman and Alexandrian Churches wished to associate Pascha with Sunday (regardless of the day of the calendar) and sever the link to [[Judaizing|Jewish practices]]. According to a rather confused account by [[Sozomen]], both sides could claim [[Apostolic Age|Apostolic authority]] for their traditions.
Shortly after Anicetus became bishop of Rome about 155, Polycarp visited Rome and among the topics discussed was this divergence of custom. Neither Polycarp nor Anicetus was able to persuade the other to his position, but neither did they consider the matter of sufficient importance to justify a [[Schism (religion)|schism]], so they parted in peace leaving the question unsettled.<ref>
{{cite web | title = A List Worthy of Study, Given by the Historian, of Customs among Different Nations and Churches. |
| url = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.iii.xii.xix.html
| format = HTML
}}</ref>
Polycarp, a disciple of John, likewise adhered to a 14 Nisan 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. AD 180; 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 disciple and the other apostles that Polycarp knew.
Polycrates (c. [[AD]] [[190]]) emphatically notes this is the tradition passed down to him, that Passover and Unleavened Bread were kept on 14 Nisan in accord with the local interpretation of the dating of Passover: "As for us, then, we scrupulously observe the exact day, neither adding nor taking away.<ref>{{bibleverse||Deut|4:2}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Deut|12:32}}</ref> For in Asia [meaning Asia Minor] great luminaries have gone to their rest who will rise again on the day of the [[Second Coming|coming of the Lord]].... These all kept Pascha (Easter) on the 14th 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").
An early example of this tension is found written by Theophilus of Caesarea (c. [[AD]] [[180]]; 8.774 [[Ante-Nicene 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."
A generation later bishop [[Pope Victor I|Victor]] of Rome excommunicated bishop Polycrates of [[Ephesus]] and the rest of the bishops of Asia Minor for their adherence to 14 Nisan custom. The excommunication was rescinded{{Fact|date=November 2007}} 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.
The 14 Nisan practice, which was strong among the churches of Asia Minor, became 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 rhetoric against 14 Nisan/Passover (e.g. [[Anatolius of Laodicea]], c. AD 270; 6.148,6.149 "Ante-Nicene Church Fathers"). The tradition that Easter was to be celebrated "not with the Jews" meant that Pascha was not to be celebrated on 14 Nisan.<ref>H.H. Ben-Sasson, ''A History of the Jewish People'', Harvard University Press, 1976, ISBN 0674397312, page 350: "In an attempt to disrupt the order of the Jewish festivals and to prevent those Christians who wished to do so from celebrating Pascha (Easter) on the first day of Passover, the imperial authorities prevented the rabbis from meeting to proclaim New Moons and leap-years and from sending messengers to the Diaspora communities to inform them of their decisions."</ref>
In the end, the celebration of Pascha (Easter) on Sunday was not formally settled until the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in [[AD]] [[325]] (''see below''), although by that time the Roman position had spread to most churches.
==Date of Easter==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em"
|- align=center
|+ Gregorian dates for Easter Sunday <br> 1989–2020
|-
! Year || Western || Eastern
|-
! 1989
| March 26 || April 30
|-
! 1990
|colspan=2 align=center| April 15
|-
! 1991
| March 31 || April 7
|-
! 1992
| April 19 || April 26
|-
! 1993
| April 11 || April 18
|-
! 1994
| April 3 || May 1
|-
! 1995
| April 16 || April 23
|-
! 1996
| April 7 || April 14
|-
! 1997
| March 30 || April 27
|-
! 1998
| April 12 || April 19
|-
! 1999
| April 4 || April 11
|-
! 2000
| April 23 || April 30
|-
! 2001
|colspan=2 align=center| April 15
|-
! 2002
| March 31 || May 5
|-
! 2003
| April 20 || April 27
|-
! 2004
|colspan=2 align=center| April 11
|-
! 2005
| March 27 || May 1
|-
! 2006
| April 16 || April 23
|-
! 2007
|colspan=2 align=center| April 8
|-
! 2008
| March 23 || April 27
|-
! 2009
| April 12 || April 19
|-
! 2010
|colspan=2 align=center| April 4
|-
! 2011
|colspan=2 align=center| April 24
|-
! 2012
| April 8 || April 15
|-
! 2013
| March 31 || May 5
|-
! 2014
|colspan=2 align=center| April 20
|-
! 2015
| April 5 || April 12
|-
! 2016
| March 27 || May 1
|-
! 2017
|colspan=2 align=center| April 16
|-
! 2018
| April 1 || April 8
|-
! 2019
| April 21 || April 28
|-
! 2020
| April 12 || April 19
|}
Easter and the holidays that are related to it are ''[[moveable feast]]s'', in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the [[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian]] or [[Julian Calendar|Julian]] calendars (both of which follow the cycle of the sun and the seasons). Instead, the date for Easter is determined on a [[lunisolar calendar]], as is the [[Hebrew calendar]].
In Western Christianity, Easter always falls on a Sunday between [[March 22]] and [[April 25]] inclusively.<ref>[http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/easter.php The Date of Easter]. Article from [[United States Naval Observatory]] (2007-03-27).</ref> The following day, [[Easter Monday]], is a [[legal holiday]] in many countries with predominantly Christian traditions. In the Julian calendar used by Eastern Christianity, Easter also always falls on a Sunday from [[March 22]] to [[April 25]] inclusive, which in the Gregorian calendar, due to the 13 day difference between the calendars between 1900 and 2099, are dates from [[April 4]] to [[May 8]] inclusive.
The precise date of Easter has at times been a matter for contention. At the [[First Council of Nicaea#Passover .28Easter.29 Controversy|First Council of Nicaea]] in 325 it was decided that all [[Christian]]s would celebrate Easter on the same day, which would be a Sunday. It is probable that no method of determining the date 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. [[Epiphanius of Salamis]] 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...".<ref name = "Epiphianus">{{cite book | last = Willams | first = F. | title = The Panarion of Epiphianus of Salamis | publisher = EJ Brill |date=1994 | location = New York | pages = 471-472}}</ref>
The Council of Nicaea, however, did not declare the Alexandrian or Roman calculations as normative. Instead, the council gave the [[Bishop of Alexandria]] the privilege of announcing annually the date of Christian Passover to the [[Roman curia]]. Although the synod undertook the regulation of the dating of Christian Passover, it contented itself with communicating its decision to the different dioceses, instead of establishing a canon. Its exact words were not preserved, but from scattered notices the council ruled:
* that Easter must be celebrated by all throughout the world on the same Sunday;
* that this Sunday must follow the fourteenth day of the [[Paschal Full Moon|paschal moon]];
* that the moon was to be accounted the paschal moon whose fourteenth day followed the vernal equinox;
* that some provision should be made, probably by the Church of Alexandria as best skilled in astronomical calculations, for determining the proper date of Easter and communicating it to the rest of the world.
It took a while for the Alexandrian rules to be adopted throughout Christian Europe. The Church of Rome continued to use an 84-year [[lunisolar calendar]] cycle from the late third century until 457. The Church of Rome continued to use its own methods 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]]). Early Christians in Britain and Ireland also used a late [[third century]] Roman 84-year cycle until the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664, when they adopted the Alexandrian method. 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. However, with the adoption of the [[Gregorian calendar]] by the [[Catholic Church]] in 1582 and the continuing use of the [[Julian calendar]] by Eastern Orthodox Churches, the date on which Easter is celebrated again deviated, and continues to this day.
The rule has since the Middle Ages been phrased as ''Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first [[full moon]] on or after the day of the [[vernal equinox]]''. However, this does not reflect the actual ecclesiastical rules precisely. One reason for this is that the full moon involved (called the [[Paschal full moon]]) is not an astronomical full moon, but an ''ecclesiastical'' moon. Another difference is that the astronomical vernal equinox is a natural astronomical phenomenon, while the ''ecclesiastical'' vernal equinox is a fixed [[March 21]]. Easter is determined from tables which determine Easter based on the ecclesiastical rules described above, which approximate the astronomical full moon.
In applying the ecclesiastical rules, the various Christian Churches use [[21 March]] as their starting point from which they find the next full moon, etc. However because [[Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] use the Julian Calendar as their starting point, while [[Western Christianity]] uses the Gregorian Calendar, the end point, the date for Easter, may diverge. (see table)
===Computations===
{{main|Computus}}
The calculations for the date of Easter are somewhat complicated. 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 fell on [[March 23]] in 2008, but will not do so again until 2160. 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 on [[April 24]], just one day before this latest possible date, in 2011.
The cycle of Easter dates repeats after exactly 5,700,000 years, with April 19 being the most common date, happening 220,400 times, or 3.9% compared to a [[median]] for all dates of 189,525 times, or 3.3%.
===Reform of the date of Easter===
{{seealso|Reform of the date of Easter}}
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.
A few clergymen of various denominations have advanced the notion of disregarding the moon altogether in determining the date of Easter. Their proposals include always observing Easter on the second Sunday in April, or always having seven Sundays between the [[Epiphany (feast)|Epiphany]] and [[Ash Wednesday]], producing the same result except that in leap years Easter could fall on [[April 7]]. These suggestions have not attracted significant support, and their adoption in the future is considered unlikely.
In the [[United Kingdom]], the [http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=All+Primary&PageNumber=1&BrowseLetter=E&NavFrom=1&parentActiveTextDocId=1080813&ActiveTextDocId=1080815&filesize=4970 Easter Act of 1928] set out legislation to allow the date of Easter to be fixed as the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April. However, the legislation has not been implemented, although it remains on the Statute book and could be implemented subject to approval by the various Christian churches.<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050406/text/50406w05.htm#wa_subhd_30 See Hansard reports April 2005]</ref>
==Position in the church year==
{{Liturgical 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]].
The week before Easter is very special in the Christian tradition. The Sunday before Easter 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]]." The week beginning with Easter Sunday is called [[Easter Week]] or the Octave of Easter, and each day is prefaced with "Easter," e.g. Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, etc. [[Easter Saturday]] is therefore the Saturday ''after'' Easter Sunday. The day before Easter is properly called Holy Saturday. Many churches start celebrating Easter late in the evening of Holy Saturday at a service called the [[Easter Vigil]].
[[Eastertide]], the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of [[Pentecost]], seven weeks later.
===Eastern Christianity===
In Eastern Christianity, preparations begin with [[Great Lent]], which lasts for 40 days. 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.
The Paschal Service consists of Paschal Matins, Hours, and Liturgy,<ref name = "Eastern Liturgy">{{cite web | first = Ephrem (Archimandrite) | title = On the Holy and Great Sunday of Pascha | publisher = Monastery of Saint Andrew the First Called, Manchester, England |date=25 January 2007 | url = http://www.anastasis.org.uk/pascha.htm | format = HTML | accessdate = 2007-03-27}}</ref> which traditionally begins at midnight of Pascha morning. 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]].
==Religious observance of Easter==<!--[[Easter liturgy]] redirects here-->
===Western Christianity===
[[Image:Procesion semana santa jpereira.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Procession in the Northwest of Spain.]]
The Easter festival is kept in many different ways among [[Western Christianity|Western Christians]]. The traditional, [[liturgy|liturgical]] observation of Easter, as practised among [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] and some [[Lutheran]]s and [[Anglican]]s 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 [[Exultet]] 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 theology|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 [[Gloria in Excelsis Deo|Gloria]] and 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 [[Baptismal font|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]] (or 'Holy Communion'). Certain variations in the Easter Vigil exist: Some churches read the Old Testament lessons before the procession of the Paschal candle, and then read the gospel immediately after the Exsultet. Some churches prefer to keep this vigil very early on the Sunday morning instead of the Saturday night, particularly [[Protestant]] churches, to reflect the gospel account of the women coming to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. These services are known as the [[Sunrise service]] and often occur in outdoor setting such as the church's yard or a nearby park.
The first recorded "Sunrise Service" took place in 1732 among the Single Brethren in the [[Moravian]] Congregation at [[Herrnhut]], [[Saxony]], in what is now Germany. Following an all-night vigil they went before dawn to the town graveyard, [[God's Acre]], on the hill above the town, to celebrate the Resurrection among the graves of the departed. This service was repeated the following year by the whole congregation and subsequently spread with the Moravian Missionaries around the world. The most famous "Moravian Sunrise Service" is in the Moravian Settlement [[Old Salem]] in [[Winston-Salem]], [[North Carolina]]. The beautiful setting of the Graveyard, [[God's Acre]], the music of the Brass Choir numbering 500 pieces, and the simplicity of the service attract thousands of visitors each year and has earned for Winston-Salem the soubriquet "the Easter City."
Additional celebrations are usually offered on Easter Sunday itself. Typically these services follow the usual order of Sunday services in a congregation, but also typically incorporate more highly festive elements. The music of the service, in particular, often displays a highly festive tone; the incorporation of brass instruments (trumpets, etc.) to supplement a congregation's usual instrumentation is common. Often a congregation's worship space is decorated with special banners and flowers (such as [[Lilium longiflorum|Easter lilies]]).
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.
In Polish culture, The Rezurekcja (Resurrection Procession) is the joyous Easter morning Mass at daybreak when church bells ring out and explosions resound to commemorate Christ rising from the dead. Before the Mass begins at dawn, a festive procession with the Blessed Sacrament carried beneath a canopy encircles the church. As church bells ring out, handbells are vigorously shaken by altar boys, the air is filled with incense and the faithful raise their voices heavenward in a triumphant rendering of age-old Easter hymns. After the Blessed Sacrament is carried around the church and Adoration is complete, the Easter Mass begins. Another Polish Easter tradition is [[Święconka]], the blessing of Easter baskets by the parish priest on Holy Saturday. This custom is celebrated not only in Poland, but also in the United States by Polish-Americans.
===Eastern Christianity===
[[Image:Kurskaya korennaya.jpg|thumb|300px|''Easter Procession in the Region of [[Kursk]], Russia'', painting by [[Ilya Repin]] (1880-83).]]
'''Pascha''' is the fundamental and most important festival of the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental]] Orthodox Churches. Every other religious festival on their calendars, including [[Christmas]], is secondary in importance to the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is reflected rich Easter-connected customs in the cultures of countries that are traditionally Orthodox Christian majority. [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholics]] have similar emphasis in their calendars, and many of their liturgical customs are very similar.
[[Image:Receiving the Holy Light at Easter.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The congregation lighting their candles from the new flame in [[Adelaide]], at [[St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Adelaide|St. George Greek Orthodox Church]], just as the priest has retrieved it from the altar - note that the picture is [[Flash (photography)|flash-illuminated]]; all electric lighting is off, and only the [[oil lamp]]s in front of the [[Iconostasis]] remain lit.]]
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. They shine only in the light of the Resurrection. 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 of Jesus Christ|Ascension]]:
[[Image:Paskhakustodiev.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Boris Kustodiev]]'s ''Easter Greetings'' (1912) shows traditional Russian traditions of ''khristosovanie'' (exchanging a triple kiss), with such foods as [[kulich]] and [[paskha (meal)|paskha]] in the background.]]
: Christ is risen from the dead,
: Trampling down death by death,
: And upon those in the tombs
: Bestowing life!
Preparation for Pascha begins with the season of [[Great Lent]]. In addition to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, Orthodox Christians cut down on all entertainment and non-essential worldly activities, gradually eliminating them until [[Good Friday|Great and Holy Friday]]. Traditionally, on the evening of [[Holy Saturday|Great and Holy Saturday]], the [[Midnight Office]] is celebrated shortly after 11:00 pm (see [[Paschal Vigil]]). 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 [[sanctuary lamp|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. Then the priest and congregation [[Crucession|process]] around the [[Orthodox church (building)|church building]], holding lit candles, re-entering ideally at the stroke of midnight, whereupon Paschal [[Matins]] begins immediately followed by the Paschal [[Canonical hours|Hours]] and then the Paschal [[Divine Liturgy]]. Immediately after the Liturgy it is customary for the congregation to share a meal, essentially an [[Agape|Agápē]] dinner (albeit at 2:00 a.m. or later). In [[Greece]] the traditional latenight dinner is ''mageiritsa'', a hearty stew of chopped lamb liver and wild greens seasoned with egg-and-lemon sauce. Traditionally, [[Easter eggs]], hard-boiled eggs dyed bright red to symbolize the spilt [[Blood of Christ]] and the promise of eternal life, are cracked together to celebrate the opening of the [[Holy Sepulchre|Tomb of Christ]].
[[Image:Russian easter.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Nicholas Roerich]]. ''Russian Pascha''.]]
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 celebrate "[[Agape|Agápē]] [[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.
For the remainder of the week (known as "[[Bright Week]]"), all fasting is prohibited, and the customary [[Paschal greeting]] is "Christ is risen!," to be responded with "Truly He is risen!"
==Non-religious Easter traditions==
{{Citations missing|section|date=March 2008}}
[[Image:Easter eggs - straw decoration.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Easter eggs]] are a popular sign of the holiday among its religious and secular observers alike.]]
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 card]]s and confectionery such as chocolate [[Easter eggs (decorative)|Easter eggs]], marshmallow bunnies, [[Peeps]], and [[jelly beans]]. Even many non-Christians celebrate these aspects of the holiday while eschewing the religious aspects.
===Anglosphere===
Throughout North America, Australia and parts of the UK, the Easter holiday has been partially secularized, so that some families participate only in the attendant revelry, central to which is (traditionally) decorating [[Easter eggs (decorative)|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. Chocolate eggs have largely supplanted decorated eggs in Australia.
In North America, eggs and other treats are delivered and hidden by the [[Easter Bunny]] in an Easter basket which children find waiting for them when they wake up. Many families in America will attend [[Sunday Mass]] or services in the morning and then participate in a feast or party in the afternoon.
In the UK children still paint colored eggs, but most British people simply exchange chocolate eggs on the Sunday. Chocolate Easter Bunnies can be found in shops, but the idea is considered primarily a US import. Many families have a traditional [[Sunday roast]], particularly [[roast lamb]], and eat foods like [[Simnel cake]], a fruit cake with eleven marzipan balls representing the eleven faithful apostles. [[Hot cross buns]], spiced buns with a cross on top, are traditionally associated with [[Good Friday]], but today are eaten through [[Holy Week]] and the Easter period. In the north of England and the north of Ireland, the tradition of rolling decorated eggs down steep hills is still adhered to.
===Belgium & France===
Flemish-speaking Belgium shares many of the same traditions as North America but sometimes it's said that the Bells of Rome bring the Easter eggs together with the Easter Bunny. The story goes that the bells of every church leave for Rome on [[Holy Saturday]], called "Stille Zaterdag" (literally "Silent Saturday") in Dutch. So, because the bells are in Rome, the bells don't ring anywhere.
Similarly, in French-speaking Belgium and France, "Easter bells" (« ''les cloches de Pâques'' ») also bring Easter eggs. However, bells in churches are silent beginning [[Maundy Thursday]], the first day of the [[Easter Triduum|Paschal Triduum]], as a sign of mourning. It is said that all of the bells depart for Rome and return on Easter Day bringing eggs with them to drop during their passage.
===Scandinavia===
In [[Norway]], in addition to [[cross-country skiing]] in the mountains and painting eggs for decorating, a contemporary tradition is to solve murder mysteries at Easter. All the major television channels show crime and detective stories (such as ''[[Agatha Christie's 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.
In [[Finland]], [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]], traditions include egg painting and small children dressed as witches collecting candy door-to-door, in exchange for decorated [[Goat Willow|pussy willows]]. This is a result of the mixing of an old Orthodox tradition (blessing houses with willow branches) and the Scandinavian Easter witch tradition.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}<ref>[http://www.geographia.com/sweden/spring.html Geographia.com] accessed March 22, 2008</ref> Brightly coloured feathers and little decorations are also attached to birch branches in a vase. For lunch/dinner on [[Holy Saturday]], families traditionally feast on a [[smörgåsbord]] of herring, salmon, potatoes, eggs and other kinds of food. In Finland, the Lutheran majority enjoys [[mämmi]] as another traditional Easter treat, while the Orthodox minority's traditions include eating pasha (also spelt [[paskha (meal)|paskha]]) instead.
===Netherlands and Northern Germany===
[[Image:EasterFireNetherlands.jpg|thumb|right|People watching the Easter Fire in 'De Achterhoek' in eastern Netherlands]]
In the eastern part of the Netherlands (Twente and Achterhoek), [[Easter Fires]] (in Dutch: "Paasvuur") are lit on Easter Day at sunset.
Easter Fires also take place on the same day in large portions of Northern Germany ("Osterfeuer").
===Central Europe===
:''Main article: see [[Egg decorating in Slavic culture]]''
Many eastern European ethnic groups, including the [[Ukrainian]]s, [[Belarusians]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Croats]] (''[[Croatian pisanica|pisanica]]''), [[Czechs]], [[Lithuanians]], [[Poles]], [[Romanians]], [[Slovaks]], and [[Slovenians]] decorate eggs for [[Easter]].
In the [[Czech Republic]], [[Hungary]] and [[Slovakia]], a tradition of spanking or whipping is carried out on [[Easter Monday]]. In the morning, men spank women with a special handmade whip called '''''pomlázka''''' (in Czech) or '''''korbáč''''' (in Slovak), the women can retaliate by throwing cold water on the men. The pomlázka/korbáč consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods), is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with colored ribbons at the end. It must be mentioned that spanking normally is not painful or intended to cause suffering. A legend says that women should be spanked in order to keep their health and beauty during whole next year.<ref name = "whipping">{{cite web | first = Terry | last = Kirby | title = The Big Question: Why do we celebrate Easter, and where did the bunny come from? | publisher = The Independent |date=6 April 2007 | url = http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2426203.ece | format = HTML | accessdate = 2008-03-18}}</ref>
An additional purpose can be for men to exhibit their attraction to women; unvisited women can even feel offended. Traditionally, the spanked woman gives a colored [[Easter egg|egg]] and sometimes a small amount of money to the man as a sign of her thanks. In some regions the women can get revenge in the afternoon or the following day when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any man. The habit slightly varies across Slovakia and 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 water fight.
In [[Hungary]] (where it is called [[Ducking Monday]]), [[perfume]] or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an [[Easter egg]].
==Easter controversies==
===Christian denominations and organizations that do not observe Easter===
Easter traditions deemed "pagan" by some Reformation leaders, along with Christmas celebrations, were among the first casualties of some areas of the [[Protestant Reformation]].
Other Reformation Churches, such as the [[Lutheran]] and [[Anglican]], retained a very full observance of the [[Church Year]]. In Lutheran Churches, not only were the days of Holy Week observed, but also Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost were observed with three day festivals, including the day itself and the two following. Among the other Reformation traditions, things were a bit different. These holidays were eventually restored (though Christmas only became a legal holiday in Scotland in 1967, after the [[Church of Scotland]] finally relaxed its objections). Some Christians (usually, but not always [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalists]]{{Fact|date=February 2008}}), however, continue to reject the celebration of Easter (and, often, of Christmas), because they believe them to be irrevocably tainted with [[paganism]] and [[idolatry]]. Their rejection of these traditions is based partly on their interpretation of {{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|6:14-16|KJV}}.
This is also the view of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], who instead observe a yearly commemorative service of the [[Last Supper]] and subsequent death of Christ on the evening of 14 Nisan, as they calculate it derived from the lunar [[Hebrew Calendar]]. It is commonly referred to, in short, by many Witnesses as simply "The Memorial." Jehovah's Witnesses believe that such verses as {{bibleverse||Luke|22:19-20|KJV}} constitute a commandment to remember the death of Christ, and they do so on a yearly basis just as Passover is celebrated yearly by the Jews.
Some groups feel that Easter (or, as they prefer to call it, "Resurrection Sunday" or "Resurrection Day") is properly regarded with great joy: not marking the day itself, but remembering and rejoicing in the event it commemorates—the miracle of Christ's resurrection. In this spirit, these Christians teach that each day and all Sabbaths should be kept holy, in Christ's teachings. [[Jewish Christians|Hebrew-Christian]], [[Sacred Name Movement|Sacred Name]], and [[Armstrongism|Armstrong]] movement churches (such as the [[Living Church of God]]) usually reject Easter in favor of 14 Nisan observance and celebration of the Christian Passover. This is especially true of Christian groups that celebrate the New Moons or High Holy Days (annual sabbaths) is addition to the seventh day sabbath. Critics charge that such feasts are meaningless in light of the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Televangelist Larry Huch (pentecostal) and many [[Calvary Chapel]] churches have adopted Hebrew-Christian practices, but without rejecting Easter.
Other groups, such as the [[Sabbatarian]] [[Church of God]] celebrate a [[Christian Passover]] that lacks most of the practices or symbols associated with Western Easter and retains more of the presumed features of the Passover observed by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.
===Modern avoidance controversy===
{{main|Easter/Good Friday controversy}}
In the modern-day [[United States]], there have been instances where public mention of Easter and Good Friday have been replaced with [[euphemism|euphemistic]] terminology. Examples include renaming "Good Friday" as "Spring holiday" on school calendars, to avoid association with a Christian holiday while at the same time allowing a state-sanctioned day off.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons2|Easter}}
{{wiktionary|Easter}}
===Liturgical===
*[http://www.catholicexpert.com/easterprayer.htm 50 Catholic Prayers for Easter]
*[http://www.liturgies.net/Easter/Easter.htm Liturgical Resources for Easter]
===Traditions===
*[http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/general/livinganorthodoxlife/liturgicalmeaningofholyweek/saturdayoflazarus Liturgical Meaning of Holy Week (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia)]
*[http://www.armenianchurch.net/worship/easter/index.html Easter in the Armenian Orthodox Church]
* [http://www.epilgrim.org/easter_sunday.htm Easter Badarak at the Empty Tomb] Easter service in Jerusalem [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
*[http://www.orthodox.net/pascha/ Eastern Orthodox views on Easter]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm Roman Catholic view of Easter] (from the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]])
*[http://www.rosicrucian.com/glm/glmeng07.htm#chap20 Rosicrucians: The Cosmic Meaning of Easter] (the [[Esoteric Christianity|esoteric Christian]] tradition)
*[http://www.geocities.com/frtillman/passeast.html Passover to Easter]
===Calculating===
* [http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/etc/ktf/app/easter.html Calculating the date of Easter]
* [http://www.ely.anglican.org/cgi-bin/easter Calculator for the date of Festivals (Anglican)]
* [http://www.assa.org.au/edm.html A simple method for determining the date of Easter] for all years AD 326 to 4099.
* [http://www.noeticspace.com/paschalion Paschal Calculator (Eastern Orthodox)]
* [http://www.assa.org.au/edm.html#OrthCalculator Orthodox Calculator]
* [http://www.internetfamilyfun.com/holidays/easter/easterdate.htm Easter Date Calculator] Enter the year you wish to find the Easter day
===National traditions===
*[http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26050&LAN=ENG Easter traditions in Finland]
*[http://www.ottawa.diplo.de/en/06/Lifestyle__culture/c__Easter__in__Germany.html Easter in Germany]
*[http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/worldeaster/ Easter in Mexico, Australia, Africa and Europe]
<br />{{Time in religion and mythology}}
{{Easter}}
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