How did Easter happen? Easter - Bright Resurrection of Christ

Easter is the most joyful and most revered holiday in the Orthodox world, unlike the Catholic one, in which the main day of the church year is Christmas. Easter is preceded by a forty-day fast. They prepare for the holiday in advance, cleaning apartments, painting eggs, as well as preparing a festive meal and Easter cakes.

History of Easter

The holiday originated long before the birth of Christ. Passover was associated exclusively with the Jewish people. The story goes that the Jews were once held captive by the Egyptians. It was a difficult time for the people: bullying and harassment. Faith in God and hope for salvation and the mercy of God have always lived in their hearts.

One day, a man named Moses came to the Jews, who, with his brother, was sent to save them. The Lord chose Moses to instruct Egyptian pharaoh and delivered the Jewish people from slavery. But no matter how hard Moses tried to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, freedom was not granted to them. The Egyptian pharaoh and his people did not believe in God, worshiping only their deities and relying on the help of sorcerers. To prove the existence and power of the Lord, nine terrible plagues were brought down on the Egyptian people. No bloody rivers, no toads, no midges, no flies, no darkness, no thunder - none of this could have happened if the ruler had let the people go with their cattle. The last, tenth, execution, like the previous ones, punished the pharaoh and his people, but did not affect the Jews. Moses warned that every family should slaughter a one-year-old unblemished male lamb. To anoint the doors of their houses with the blood of an animal, bake a lamb and eat it with the whole family. At night, all the first-born males were killed in houses among people and animals. Only the houses of the Jews, where there was a bloody mark, were not affected by the trouble. This execution greatly frightened the pharaoh, and he released the slaves with all their herds. The Jews went to the sea, where the water broke open, and they calmly set off along its bottom. Pharaoh wanted to break his promise again and rushed after them, but the water swallowed him up. Since then, Easter means "passed by, passed by."

Easter in the Old Testament

The Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ. At the age of 30, Jesus began to preach, telling people about the laws of God. But three years later he was crucified along with other unwanted authorities on the cross, which was installed on Mount Calvary. It happened after the Jewish Passover, on Friday, which was later dubbed Passion. This event complements the meaning of the Easter holiday with new meaning, traditions and attributes. On the third day after the burial of Christ, early Sunday morning, several women went to the tomb to bring incense intended for the body of Jesus. Approaching, they saw that the large stone blocking the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away, the tomb was empty, and the Angel of the Lord in snow-white robes was sitting on the stone. “Do not be afraid, for I know what you are looking for: Jesus crucified. He is not here. He rose again, as he said, ”the Angel turned to the frightened women. With fear and joy, the women hurried to tell the Apostles about what they saw. “And lo, Jesus met them and said, Rejoice! And they, coming forward, took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them: “Don't be afraid; go tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” On the bright feast of Easter, the Church calls upon the faithful to see Christ shining with the unapproachable light of the resurrection. A week before Easter, believers celebrate Palm Sunday.

How is the date of Easter determined?

On the eve of the crucifixion, on Thursday, the Last Supper took place, where Jesus presented bread as his body, and wine as blood. Since then, the meaning of the Easter holiday has not changed, but the Eucharist has become a new Easter meal. At first, the holiday was weekly. Friday was the day of mourning and the beginning of fasting, and Sunday was the day of joy.

In 325, at the First Ecumenical Council, the date of the celebration of Easter was determined - the first Sunday after the spring full moon. Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar. To calculate what day Easter falls in a certain year, you need to make a rather complicated calculation. But for ordinary laity, a calendar of dates for the holiday has been compiled for decades to come. Per for a long time the existence of the holiday, it has acquired traditions, which are still adhered to in families, and signs.

Easter beliefs

There are many myths associated with Easter. On Easter Sunday, it was allowed to ask God for whatever your heart desires. For example, prosperity in business, a generous harvest, a good groom. On Easter night, they collected water from a spring, brought it home without uttering a single word along the way, and sprinkled dwellings and barns with this water - for happiness and well-being. If you eat eggs laid by hens on Good Thursday for Easter, you will protect yourself from ailments, and if you bury their shells in the ground in a pasture, you will save cattle from any misfortune.

On the eve of Easter, Easter cakes are baked in the house and eggs are painted onion peel. You can paint eggs with multi-colored special dyes that are sold in stores, you can paint with a thin brush, stick beautiful stickers on them.

Egg fights at the Easter meal, or “beating” with eggs, are popular among the Slavs. it simple game: someone holds the egg with the spout up, and the “rival” beats it with the spout of another egg. Whoever's shell has not cracked continues to "fight" with another person.

In Europe and America, one of the most popular Easter traditions is "egg hunting" - a children's game that consists of hiding, looking for and rolling on a sloping lawn of toy and chocolate eggs. Every Easter they arrange such a holiday in Washington - right on the lawn in front of the White House.

Source: www.amic.ru

Very soon, among the Orthodox believers, a joyful greeting “Christ is risen!” - and the answer is "Truly risen!". Despite the fact that this greeting is heard so often, people often associate the Easter holiday only with painted eggs and Easter cakes. In fact, the emergence of Easter has a long and interesting story, and the events of the establishment of the holiday are not a matter of one day, but of many centuries!

The history of Easter goes back in time...

The feast of Passover itself was first celebrated by the Jews, but it had a completely different meaning than we now understand. Passover, or rather Pesach, as it sounds in Hebrew, recalls the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, where they were slaves, under the leadership of the prophet Moses. This event took place around the XV-XIII centuries. BC.

The event was so significant for history Jewish people that the celebrations lasted not one or two days, but ... a whole week! Even now, Jews annually begin to celebrate Easter on the 14th day of the month of Nisan - moreover, this day can fall on any day of the week, and not necessarily on Sunday. The ancient Jews called Nisan the period that covers part of March and the first half of April.

By the way, the Jews celebrated Easter not at all with eggs and Easter cakes, but with the use of lamb meat, matzah (unleavened bread cakes) and bitter herbs. The holiday was considered among the Jews one of the most important - after all, it was the day of liberation from slavery.

Since the events associated with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ fell just at the time of the celebration of Jewish Easter, and the first Christians were, as you know, immigrants from the Jewish people, the holiday very soon took root among Christians, but here it acquired a completely different meaning.

The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ began to occupy the central place in the celebration. By the way, it is because of this event that the last day of the week is named, which, however, according to church calendar, is not the last at all, but ... the first: i.e. Church week starts on Sunday.

Initially, Jewish and Christian Easter always coincided - this was the case in the 1st century BC. AD, later some groups of believers began to celebrate it at a different time. As Christianity spread, more and more questions arose about the exact day of the celebration of Easter - scientists insisted that it was necessary to establish a single day when all believers could celebrate at the same time. For the first time such a question was seriously raised in 325 AD. at the First Ecumenical Council, which was held in Nicaea (modern Iznik, Turkey), where bishops from various countries. It was decided that the closest Sunday after the vernal equinox should be chosen as the day of Easter.

What now?

Despite the fact that later, due to the difference in calendars, Easter in different denominations began to be celebrated in different time all believers alike importance are given to the three days immediately before Easter Sunday. So,

• Maundy Thursday is considered the day of the establishment of the sacrament of the Eucharist (i.e. Communion). On this day, the Last Supper took place and Christ washed the feet of the apostles, which later became a popular theme for the works of artists, sculptors, writers and composers.
• Good Friday The day Christ was sentenced to death on the cross. The Gospel says that the Crucifixion happened (in terms of modern time calculation) at 15 o'clock in the afternoon.
• Holy Saturday- the day of Christ's stay in the tomb and descent into hell.

These days, Christians around the world observe strict fasting in preparation for the celebration.

Establishing the Easter holiday was a matter of life for many people, among whom were numerous theologians and even the rulers of entire states.

Easter is the fundamental holiday of the Christian faith. The Bible says that by believing in the Resurrection of Christ, people can believe and hope for their personal salvation. In order to understand the meaning of this great holiday and realize its essence, one must turn to the history of its origin.

History of Easter

The history of Easter begins in the Old Testament life of Christians and is subtly intertwined with the Easter of the New Testament. The word "Passover" comes from the Hebrew word "Pesach", which means "to pass, to pass by." The day of Pesach is written in the book Exodus. According to the Old Testament, God wanted to deliver the Israelites from the terrible oppression of the Egyptian pharaoh, who did not want to let these people go free. God commanded that on the night before the 14th day of the first month lunar calendar each family sacrificed a spotless lamb. His meat had to be cooked with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, and anointed with the blood of the lamb. front door. God thereby intended to strike Egypt with a terrible punishment, but to save the Jews, whom the pharaoh did not want to give freedom.

That same night, the destroying angel entered every house and destroyed everyone, but passed by the houses of those whose houses were anointed with the blood of the lamb. This is the meaning of the Passover of the Old Testament - the deliverance of the Jewish people from Egyptian tyranny and captivity. From that day on, God commanded to celebrate Easter every year in honor of the memory of his liberation from slavery and gaining the promised land.

The Old Testament Passover was a type of the New Testament Passover. And this day became prophetic in the life of the Jews, because in a few years the son of God, just like the lamb that the Jews sacrificed for their salvation, will become the Savior of all things, of all mankind, sacrificing himself. The sacrifices of the lamb and the anointing of the blood on the doors had a prophetic meaning, depicting the suffering of Jesus Christ, who gives salvation through the shedding of his blood.

During his 33 years of life, Jesus, the son of God, gave people a new teaching, performed many miracles and, having suffered torment, accepted death in the name of the salvation of all mankind and for the atonement of human sins. The crucifixion of Christ took place on the eve of Easter - this is how the ancient prophecy of God was fulfilled, the lamb shed its blood.

After his death, Christ descended into hell and freed the souls of those who believed the word of God, and then rose from the dead, thus proclaiming the salvation of mankind and the acquisition of new life.

The resurrection of Jesus - there is hope for eternal life and deliverance from sins. This is a holiday of joy, new life and faith in salvation. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

07.04.2015 10:09

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Great Easter - the first and main Christian holiday. However, not all Orthodox are aware that Easter existed long before the resurrection of Christ. Pagans celebrated Easter five thousand years ago. They claimed that on this day all the souls of the dead leave the heavenly haven and descend to earth to visit their graves. From here, the custom was born to come to cemeteries on Easter and bring treats loved by the deceased. It is known that the Jews dated Easter to the beginning of the harvest, and later the Great Day was tied to the departure of the Jews from Egypt.

The Christian Church personified the holiday with the resurrection of Christ and introduced a new meaning to Easter - rebirth from death to eternal being. According to Christian rules, on the day of Bright Sunday, one cannot come to cemeteries and yearn for the dead. Great Easter is a joyful holiday that should be celebrated with jubilation.

Christian Easter was approved shortly after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the beginning, she did not have a common date for the celebration - she was met at different times in different churches. Only in 325, during the Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches, it was decided to celebrate Orthodox Easter a week after the Jewish one, or rather, on the very first Sunday after the Easter full moon. There is no fixed date for the Resurrection of Christ, every year the holiday is appointed on different calendar dates from April to May, but it always falls on the last day of the week - Sunday.

Orthodox Easter traditions

The celebration of the Great Day is shrouded in a number of customs and traditions. Before Easter, believers are waiting for a strict seven-week fast. Everyone who has fasted at least once knows that without this ritual it is impossible to feel the fullness of Easter joy. During fasting, it is forbidden to eat animal food, but its main task is spiritual purification.

The solemn celebration of the Resurrection of Christ begins at midnight sharp and takes place in all Orthodox churches. Easter service is different church services ease and joy. Each believer seeks to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, and after the service, jubilant people shower each other with the symbolic greeting "Christ is Risen!" and kiss. By tradition, the younger ones should be the first to greet the elders. After the service and throughout the Easter week, anyone has the opportunity to ring the bells.

Easter is celebrated for 40 days, but the first week is considered the most important. Immediately after the service, the faithful arrange magnificent feasts, set the table with meat snacks and all kinds of delicacies. Mandatory attributes of Christ's Resurrection are colored eggs consecrated in the church, rich cakes and Easter cakes from cottage cheese. They start the morning meal with these dishes, they go to visit with them all week and exchange with relatives and just people they meet.

Painted eggs always accompanied Easter, games, competitions and various ceremonies were arranged with them. To be young and beautiful, women dipped the consecrated krashenka in water, and then sprinkled their faces with this water. Initially, the eggs were painted only red, but later talented craftsmen began to create real artistic masterpieces from them using painting.

On the days of the celebration of the Great Resurrection, it is forbidden to work, it is believed that household chores can take away happiness and good luck. During the Easter week, you can and should pray and make wishes - God will definitely hear and help you achieve your goals.

Later, Easter began to be associated with the events described in Old Testament the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. It is believed that the name of the holiday comes from the Hebrew verb "Passah", meaning "to pass." The ritual of hastily eating meat came to symbolize the readiness to escape. During the holiday, which was celebrated for 7 days, only desalinated bread was baked - this was due to the fact that before the exodus from Egypt, the Jews ate 7 days of bread baked without the use of Egyptian leaven.

The Last Supper took place just on the day of the Old Testament Easter, which Christ celebrated with the apostles. However, he introduced a new meaning to the ancient rite. Instead of a lamb, the Lord sacrificed himself, turning into the Divine Lamb. His subsequent death symbolized the atoning sacrifice at Passover. During the rite of the Eucharist introduced at the Last Supper, Christ invited the faithful to eat their body (bread) and drink their blood (wine).

In the first centuries of Christianity, a tradition arose to celebrate 2 Easters, symbolizing the death and resurrection of Christ. The first was spent in deep sorrow and strict fasting, and the second - in jubilation and with a plentiful meal. Only later was it decided to celebrate one Easter, separating it from the Jewish one.

Easter celebration today

Most of the Easter rites have survived to this day, including - all-night vigil, procession, christening, dyeing eggs, cooking Easter cakes and Easter. Christening is an exchange of kisses, which is accompanied by the traditional Easter greeting: “Christ is risen!” - "Truly risen!". Then there was an exchange of colored eggs.

Exist different versions origin of the tradition of dyeing eggs. According to one of them, chicken eggs, falling to the ground, turned into drops of the blood of the crucified Christ. The tears of the Mother of God, crying at the foot of the cross, fell on these blood-red eggs, leaving beautiful patterns on them. When Christ was taken down from the cross, the believers collected and divided these eggs among themselves, and when they heard the joyful news of the Resurrection, they began to pass them on to each other.

Easter cake and cottage cheese are traditional dishes of the Easter table. It is believed that before the crucifixion, Christ and his disciples ate unleavened bread, and after the Resurrection they ate leavened bread, i.e. yeast. It is symbolized by the Easter cake. Easter is made from mashed cottage cheese in the form of a tetrahedral pyramid, which personified Golgotha, the mountain on which Jesus Christ was crucified.