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Easter

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his horrific death by crucifixion. It is the holiest day of Christian religion the churches are filled with worshipers, the altars are decorated with flowers, and the music proclaims the joy of the season.

Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21- between March 22 and April 25. The date of the Easter Sunday was established by the church council of Nicaea in AD 325. The celebration of Easter begins six and a half weeks before Easter Sunday, with a period known as LENT which lasts for 40 days (excluding 6 Sundays). Lent is the time of fasting and penitence in solemn remembrance of Jesus' suffering and death. It commences from Ash Wednesday sometime in Feb/ March and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before the Easter Sunday. The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday when the church commemorates the triumphal arrival of Jesus in the city of Jerusalem and his welcome by the entire population waving Palm branches. Maundy Thursday celebrates the last meal of Jesus (known as the last supper) with his 12 apostles, one of whom, Judas, would betray him to the roman authorities just a few hours later.

The next day Good Friday (the day of Christ' crucifixion) is a day of prayer and sadness. The following Saturday, holy Saturday, sees the church sorrowing with a saying desolate emptiness. And then at midnight, begins one of the most spectacular of the Christian rituals, the Easter Vigil. Christians believe that early on Easter Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead, proclaiming the triumph of good over evil, and a dark over light. This is ritually symbolized in the mid-night ceremonies: the church is plunged into darkness; one candle is lit, and from it, all the candles in church are slowly lit and a wave of bright light fills the church; the church bells toll and Christians rejoice that Jesus has come back to life. Once again, light, music, and the perfume of incense fill the churches.

To symbolize the end of the frugality and abstinence of LENT, on Easter Sunday morning, people offer each other eggs and wear new clothes as a symbol of new life.