Grace Thompson
Easter is a significant Christian celebration commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Christian calendar, Easter follows Lent, a 40-day period of penance and fasting that excludes Sundays. The date of Easter is not fixed and is instead determined by the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring, according to the Council of Nicaea in 325. For Catholics, the Easter season, also known as Eastertide, spans 50 days, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday, and is regarded as a single joyful feast. This period includes significant days such as Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, which precede Easter Sunday, as well as the Ascension of Our Lord, celebrated 40 days after Easter. The Easter Vigil, established by the 4th century, holds a central place in the Roman Catholic tradition, with four parts: the celebration of lights, the service of lessons, sacraments, and the Easter mass. The season of Easter is of utmost importance in the liturgical calendar for Catholics, marking the Lord's resurrection and his ascension, culminating in the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Easter celebration date | First Sunday following the first full moon of spring |
| Easter season duration | 50 days |
| Easter season conclusion | Pentecost |
| Easter season other names | Eastertide, Eastertime, Paschaltide, Paschaltime, Paschal season |
| Easter vigil | The Mother of All Vigils |
| Easter Sunday | Greatest of all Sundays |
| Octave of Easter | First eight days of Easter |
| Ascension of the Lord | Celebrated on the 40th day of Eastertide |
| Easter as a feast | Principal feast of the ecclesiastical year |
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What You'll Learn
The Easter vigil
The Roman Missal is very specific about the priest singing the Alleluia before the Gospel: "After the Epistle has been read, all rise, then the Priest solemnly intones the Alleluia three times, raising his voice by a step each time, with all repeating it. If necessary, the psalmist intones the Alleluia." The Missale directs explicitly that the homily, even if it is brief, is not to be omitted.
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The Easter season
The octave of Easter comprises the eight days which stretch from the first to the second Sunday of Eastertide. It is a way of prolonging the joy of the initial day. The Sundays of this time of year are considered to be Sundays of Easter and are called, after Easter Sunday itself, the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Sundays of Easter.
The solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on the 40th day of Eastertide (a Thursday), except in countries where it is not a Holy Day of Obligation. In such cases, it is celebrated on the following Sunday (the 43rd day of Eastertide). The nine days from that feast until the Saturday before Pentecost are days of preparation for the Holy Spirit.
The season of Easter is the most important liturgical time for Catholics, as they celebrate the Lord's resurrection from the dead, culminating in his Ascension to the Father and sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, concludes the Easter season.
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The date of Easter
The First Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 CE, decided that Easter should be kept on the same Sunday throughout the Christian world. The Council constructed tables to compute the date, and these tables are still used by the Western (Roman Catholic and Protestant) churches to determine the date of Easter. This is done by finding the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox. Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.
The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, on the other hand, use older tables based on the Julian Calendar to determine the date of Easter. This is because the Gregorian Calendar, used by the Catholic and Protestant churches, was only slowly adopted after its introduction in 1582. The Eastern Christian churches still determine the Easter dates using the older Julian Calendar method.
The complexity of the algorithm for determining the date of Easter arises because of the desire to associate the date of Easter with the date of the Jewish feast of Passover, which Christians believe is when Jesus was crucified.
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Easter customs
For Catholics and most other Christians, Easter is a solemn holiday that is held on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, which falls between late March and mid-April. This date was established at the Council of Nicaea in 325.
The Easter season, or Eastertide, lasts for 50 days, concluding with the feast of Pentecost, which celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Divine Mercy Sunday and Ascension, a holy day of obligation, also fall within this period.
In the days leading up to Easter, Catholics observe Lent, a period of penance and fasting that lasts for 40 days (not including Sundays). Ash Wednesday, which falls 46 days before Easter Sunday, marks the beginning of Lent. The Saturday before Easter Sunday is known as Holy Saturday, during which families bring food that will be eaten the next day to church for a special blessing. Holy Saturday is also when the Easter Vigil is held, which includes the administration of sacraments of baptism and confirmation to adult converts. The vigil is followed by the Easter mass, which takes place after midnight or at sunrise on Easter morning.
On Easter Sunday, Catholics attend mass, usually wearing new clothes, and then gather with loved ones for a large meal. In some cultures, parades, feasts, and festivals are held, and members of the parish may provide food to the less fortunate.
In terms of Easter customs and traditions, the Easter Bunny, said to lay, decorate, and hide Easter eggs, is a well-known symbol. The tradition of the Easter Bunny originated in Germany and was brought to the US by German immigrants in the 1800s. In France, it is said that eggs are delivered by the flying bells of churches returning from Rome on Easter morning. In Spain, celebrations begin with "Semana Santa" or Holy Week, featuring parades with floats covered in flowers and candles, as well as statues of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. In Ireland, Good Friday is a solemn day when eggs are collected but not eaten, and bread is marked with a cross.
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The history of Easter
The word "Easter" itself has roots in Old English, derived from the Teutonic goddess "Estre," associated with the rising light of day and spring. In the 4th century, the Council of Nicaea established that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox, which falls on March 21st. This decree standardised the varying Easter celebration dates across different Christian communities.
Over time, the methods for calculating the date of Easter evolved. In the 5th century, an 84-year cycle was introduced, setting the equinox to March 25th and fixing Easter to a Sunday within the 14th to 20th of the lunar month. This cycle was eventually replaced by the Alexandrian method in the 7th and 8th centuries. The adoption of the Gregorian calendar by the Roman Catholic Church in 1582 further impacted the date of Easter, creating a divergence from the Julian calendar used by much of Europe.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, there have been several attempts to establish a fixed date for Easter, with proposals such as the Sunday after the second Saturday in April. These proposals have gained support from various Christian denominations, including Eastern Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Coptic, Anglican, and Roman Catholic churches. However, despite ongoing discussions and negotiations, a universal agreement on a fixed date has remained elusive.
Today, Easter remains a principal festival in Christianity, celebrated by various traditions and rituals that vary across cultures. The Easter season, also known as "Eastertide," spans 50 days, culminating with the feast of Pentecost, symbolising the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic Church celebrates Easter for 50 days, starting on Easter Sunday and ending with Pentecost Sunday.
The Easter season is a time of joy and exultation, with the Alleluia sung throughout. The first eight days of Easter are known as the Octave of Easter and are celebrated as Solemnities of the Lord. The fortieth day of Easter is the Ascension of the Lord, a Holy Day of Obligation.
Easter is the oldest feast of the Christian Church, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ. It is preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of penance and fasting, and Holy Week, which includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The date of Easter is determined by the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring, as established by the Council of Nicaea in 325.
