Many families will be gathering this weekend to celebrate Easter.
Like every other holiday, Easter is a time to get away from the struggles of everyday life to enjoy a few pleasures with family.
However, there is a lot more to Easter than just meeting together to enjoy a series of delicious home meals.
History
Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, as described in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.
Easter, also called Pascha in Greek, is said to have occurred on the third day after the death of Jesus, following his crucifixion by the Romans on Calvary in roughly 30 AD.
Easter is the climax of the Passion of Christ, preceded by the Lent season – a 40-day period of fasting, and prayer. It ends with the Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed), and Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and other related events, are regarded as moveable feasts. However, in Western Christianity which adapts the Gregorian calendar, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, which follows the Julian calendar, Easter falls on a Sunday between April 4th and May 8th each year. In eastern churches, Easter marks the beginning of the season of Pascha, which ends 40 days later with the holiday known as the Feast of the Ascension.
In some protestant circles, Easter marks the beginning of Eastertide, which ends on the 50th day after Easter, which is known as Pentecost Sunday.
Easter is also associated with the Jewish holiday of Passover.
In many western Christianity circles, including the Roman Catholics and Protestant churches, Easter begins on Ash Wednesday, and lasts for 40 days (not including Sundays).
The Sunday immediately before Eater is called Palm Sunday, and it symbolized the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, when the people laid palm leaves across the road to welcome him.
Now What does Easter mean to you?
The series of events which precede Easter represents a brief period of sorrow and sadness, as represented in the New Testament (The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
Needless to say, the resurrection of Jesus after three days restored the hopes of his believers as well as their belief in him.
The story of Jesus depicts a story of hope even in the worst situations. A story of suffering, yet he remained unmoved, keeping his eyes on the goal, which was to save his people.
So as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in this period of Easter, let us also remind ourselves that regardless of the circumstances we may be going through, it’s going to get better.
References:
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