Easter
Religion-wiki — for all religions and none
| Easter | |
 16th century Russian Orthodox icon of the Descent into Hades of Jesus Christ, which is the usual Orthodox icon for Pascha. | |
| Observed by | Most Christians |
|---|---|
| Type | Christian |
| Significance | Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus |
| 2009 date | April 12 (Western) April 19 (Eastern) |
| 2010 date | April 4 (both Western and Eastern) |
| Celebrations | Religious (church) services, festive family meals, Easter egg hunts, and gift-giving (latter two, especially in USA and Canada) |
| Observances | Prayer, all-night vigil (almost exclusively Eastern traditions), sunrise service (especially American Protestant traditions) |
| Related to | 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, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi which follow it. |
Easter is the most important day in the calendar of most Christian calendars. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his crucifixion. The gospels (although differeing on some other points of chronology) all place the event of resurrection on the first day of the week (the Sunday) after the Jewish feast of Passover (Pesach). As the Jewish festival is meant to occur on the first full moon after the northern vernal equinox, the Christian festival is meant to be on the Sunday after this full moon. In the first few centuries of the church, some Christians kept the feast of Easter on the ful moon night, on the same day as the Jewish feast. Most of the church kept the feast on the Sunday after Passover. However, in time, the church started to set the date of Easter independently from the Jewish reckoning of Passover. Most Eastern Christians use the Julian calendar for reckoning the date of Easter, which places the equinox almost a fortnight later than its actual date. Western Christians use the Gregorian calendar to determine when Easter should be. This calendar places the equinox and lunar cycle more accurately. Eastern Christians retain the Julian reckoning because of its traditional importance in the church despite its inaccuracy.
