commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But the celebrations of
Easter have many customs and legends that are pagan in origin and have nothing to do with Christianity
Scholars, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe
the name Easter is thought to come from the Scandinavian "Ostra" and the Teutonic "Ostern" or "Eastre,"
both Goddesses of mythology signifying spring and fertility whose festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox
Traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given
as gifts
The Christian celebration of Easter embodies a number of converging traditions with emphasis on
the relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived Pasch, another name used by Europeans for Easter. Passover is an important feast in the Jewish calendar which is celebrated for 8 days and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt
The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition
and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by
the prophets. (For more information please visit our Passover celebration - Passover on the Net)
Easter is observed by the churches of the West on the first Sunday following the full moon that
occurs on or following the spring equinox (March 2I). So Easter became a "movable" feast which can occur as early as March
22 or as late as April 25
Christian churches in the East which were closer to the birthplace of the new religion and in
which old traditions were strong, observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival
Easter is at the end of the Lenten season, which covers a forty-six-day period that begins on
Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter. The Lenten season itself comprises forty days, as the six Sundays in Lent are not actually
a part of Lent. Sundays are considered a commemoration of Easter Sunday and have always been excluded from the Lenten fast.
The Lenten season is a period of penitence in preparation for the highest festival of the church year, Easter
Holy Week, the last week of Lent, begins its with the observance of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday takes
its name from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet. Holy Thursday commemorates the
Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion. Friday in Holy Week is the anniversary of the Crufixion, the
day that Christ was crucified and died on the cross
Holy week and the Lenten season end with Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection of Jesus Christ
This is the doll of the month. April 19, 2006 through May 19, 2006.
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