Easter
Easter is an important annual religious feast for some
Christians. According to Christian scripture, Jesus was resurrected from the
dead three days after his crucifixion. Many Christian denominations celebrate
this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or
Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday.
Easter is mentioned only one time in the King James version of the
Bible in Acts 12:4. Other Bible versions use the term "Passover" in Acts 12:4
and in 75 other occurrences. As a custom established by man following the death
and resurrection of Jesus, it's important to note that Easter is not one of the
feasts designated by God that we celebrate. There is no evidence the first
Christians, Jewish and Gentile, celebrated any non-Jewish annual festivals. The
ecclesiastical historian Socrates Scholasticus (b. 380) attributes the
observance of Easter by the church to the perpetuation of its 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. Jesus did not
celebrate Easter. He did, however, celebrate Passover.
Easter is linked
to the Jewish Passover not only for much of its symbolism but also for its
position in the calendar. Easter falls at some point between late March and
late April each year, 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
Paschal Full Moon, which is the first moon whose 14th day (the ecclesiastic
"full moon") is on or after March 21 (the ecclesiastic "vernal
equinox").
The modern English term Easter developed from Old English
word Eastre or Eostre or Eoaster. The name refers to Eostur-monath, a month of
the Germanic calendar attested by Bede as named after the goddess Eostre of
Anglo-Saxon paganism. Bede notes that Eostur-monath was the equivalent to the
month of April, and that feasts held her in honor during Eostur-monath had died
out by the time of his writing, replaced with the Christian custom of
Easter.
Cultural elements, such as the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts,
have become part of the holiday's modern celebrations, and those aspects are
often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.
There are
also some Christians which do not celebrate Easter because they believe them to
be irrevocably tainted with paganism and idolatry and as 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
says, "For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what
fellowship can light have with darkness? ...Therefore come out from them and be
separate, says the Lord." (v.17)
Recent Holiday Articles
History of Easter
Gifts
The history of Easter gifts has a long and fascinating history.
Gifting is tied to the holiday known as Easter, and ancient Pagan rituals
focused at this time of year upon the renewal of the earth, the upcoming green
new growth that the emerging sunlight and warmer weather encouraged, and the
idea of birth and rebirth. The egg is a symbol of all of these ideas, and was
adopted by and still is used in Christian Easter celebrations to this day.
Easter: A New Beginning For
All
A new beginning, if you will, for us all---proof that as true
Christians and true believers in Christ---that we believe that he did arise
from the dead and he will come again; that we will all someday rise up to live
again with God in heaven.
For
Married Couples
Making Valentines Day special is important for each of
you to really enjoy the day. Do something different, set aside a block of time
and make it mean something to each of you. Then, it will be a day to remember
even though you are married.
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