The first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after March 21 is Easter AKA Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, a major Christian holiday, celebrating the triumph of life over death, personified by the person of Jesus rising from the dead three days after his crucifixion. The name "Easter" derives from the Saxon spring festival Ēostre, which comes from the name "Ostara" or "Estra", a Germanic goddess of springtime, birth, and renewal.

Among Christians, the week before Easter is called Holy Week, beginning on Palm Sunday (when Jesus entered Jerusalem), continuing through Spy Thursday (mourning Jesus' betrayal), Maundy Thursday (commemorating the Maundy and the Last Supper), and Good Friday (remembering Jesus' crucifixion and death). Eastertide or the Easter Season starts on Easter Sunday and last 50 days over 7 weeks, ending on Pentecost Sunday.

Easter and its attendant holidays are moveable days, falling on different dates of the Gregorian calendar each year. As the ecclesiastic calendar doesn't quite match the Gregorian, on some occasions, Easter doesn't fall on the first Sunday after the first astronomical Full Moon after the Spring Equinox. As Western Christianity uses the Gregorian calendar to calculate the date, Easter falls between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Christianity uses the Julian calendar instead, placing Pascha between April 4 and May 8.

In some pagan beliefs, Easter was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called "Tammuz", who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god.

Many symbols of Easter originate in pagan beliefs that have been absorbed into Christianity, and represent fertility and the resurrection of the natural world in spring. Originally, a hare was associated with the fertility aspects of Easter, but became a rabbit upon it import into the New World. Eggs are frequently painted in various designs and eventually inspired forms of art such as Fabergé eggs.

Related Terms

• Easter balls
• Easter basket
• Easter belly
• Easter breasts
• Easter bunny
• Easter butt
• Easter eggs

More Information

Easter (Wikipedia)