What is Easter?

What's Easter?

Easter or Easter SundayEaster Sunday, also called Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday (in the Orthodox Church called Pascha) is one of the oldest and most important holidays celebrated by Christians, which commemorates the so-called paschal mystery of the Son of God, namely his passion, death and resurrection.

Easter is celebrated by the Christian Churches from the so-called Nicene Creed. These are all the Churches that, at the first Council of Nicaea, accepted the unity of the Son of God in his Father. The feast is always preceded by days of fasting, initially as an overnight vigil during which the story of salvation was told, which later evolved into the celebration of the so-called Paschal Triduum, preceded by a four-day preparatory period in the form of Lent.

Easter also begins the fifty-day Easter period, culminating in the feast of Pentecost.

All week before Easter referred to as Holy Week. It is a time to remember the most important events for the Christian faith. The last three days (Maundy Thursday Evening, Good Friday, Holy Saturday i Easter Sunday) are called the Paschal Triduum. After darkness falls in the Holy Saturdaythe Paschal Candle, which symbolizes the Risen Christ, is lit in churches. Christ.

After Easter Sunday, the celebration continues for another eight days. This is known as the Easter octave. Further on, the period extends for another 50 days. On the fortieth day we celebrate Ascension Day of the Lord Jesus. This period ends on Pentecost Sunday (day number 50). Priests throughout the period, use white colored liturgical vestments during this time.

Easter Day itself is certainly inseparable from Good Friday. First, the whole Church Together with all the faithful, he relives the Lord's death on the cross (dies with him), in order to then rise again with him.

What's Easter? What does Easter mean?

Easter is a symbol of Jesus' victory over death. It is the overcoming of death and the realization of divine power. It is important to remember that He was crucified and died for our sins. Thus it is we ourselves who, as it were, die and are born again. Period Easter is the greatest and most important mystery of our Christian faith. So we should celebrate it with special attention and during it we should fully devote ourselves Mr. and reflections on life and death.

It is worth mentioning, by the way, that in believe of the Orthodox Church, is also celebrated Easter. It's called there Passoverand the whole week before that, Paschal Week. On the night of Saturdays at Sunday churches Orthodox Christians celebrate the so-called Matins paschal. Faithful throughout the week customarily greet each other with the words: "Christ has risen from the dead." So you can see that in church Orthodox, Christmas Eve and the period of the Lord's resurrection play as significant a role as they do in our church Catholic.