Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday/ Pascha/ Resurrection Sunday
Easter, Pascha, or Resurrection Sunday (Domhnach Cásca in Irish) are the names for the Sunday falling within the week after full moon succeeding the March Equinox. The date of Easter is determined by lunisolar cycles and not the Gregorian calendar, which produces confusion and controversy. The name “Easter” probably derives from the Old English goddess Ēostre, and “Pascha” is connected to the Jewish festivity of Passover.
The festivities of the two religions bear many resemblances nowadays, since Pascha is a holiday transformed from Passover by the first Jewish Christians. Easter honors the Christian belief of Christ’s resurrection stated in the New Testament; it is the first day after Lent, which marks many joyous festivities and the end of fasting. Resurrection Sunday is the beginning of the Octave of Easter and the seven-week long Eastertide.
First official Easter celebrations took place in Rome in the 1st century A.D. It was not until the middle of the second century that these festivals developed into complex holidays. At the beginning of the Christian church, Easter commemoration used not to be divided into Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Resurrection Sunday, as it is today; it became separated in the Middle Ages. Prior to that, the First Council of Nicaea proclaimed two primary rules of Easter in the year 325: that the date of holiday be identical throughout the world and autonomous from the Jewish calendar. During the following centuries, a few traditions have developed, such as characteristic church mass customs and some folkloristic practices, but it was the controversy of Easter’s observance that was subject to the most heated debate. Only in the Easter Act 1928, the United Kingdom established a rule that the holiday fall on the Sunday between April 9 - 15, but the law was never adopted into practice. Hence, even today, Christians have the problem of counting the proper date of Easter and have to rely on the church authorities. Moreover, it was fairly recently that all Protestant churches have accepted the holiday, because Anabaptists, Quakers, Congregationalists and Presbyterian Puritans used to regard it as a “Papist” atrocity even in the 18th century.
The Resurrection Sunday celebrations often begin with the Easter Vigil, which might be held in the evening on Holy Saturday, but often occurs early in the next morning. It is held in darkness until the Paschal candle is lit or the sun rises. Passages from the Old Testament are read, especially those about the anticipated Messiah. During the service, a prominent custom is baptism among other practices that include usage of blessed water. Protestant ceremonies are often accompanied by brass and decorated with Easter lilies. Moravian Missionaries in North Carolina celebrate the “Sunrise Service”, known since the 18th century; similarly, Irish church masses are held at dawn.
There are many prominent traditions revolving around Easter Sunday: painting boiled eggs (if that had not been done on Holy Saturday), hunting eggs (customarily hidden by the “Easter Bunny”) and Easter parades, the most prominent held in New York and London. The largest Easter egg is annually displayed in Vegreville, Alberta. In Australia, the popular spectacle that gathers many people is the Sydney Royal Easter Show. In the Land Down Under, Easter is not connected with spring flowers, but with harvest; however, the imagery of the holiday is not transformed, with the exception of the Easter bilby instead of bunny.
Pascha is not a federal/bank/public holiday in the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, nor New Zealand. Some states and territories of Australia observe commerce restrictions. Nevertheless, most institutions and businesses are closed in every Anglophone country, since Easter falls on a Sunday. This means that many people may enjoy merry celebrations in the streets or at home, and attend “Sunrise Services”. Pascha is the most important foundation of Christian faith, since it revolves around Christ’s sanctity and sacrifice. Its religious meaning is surrounded by various secular traditions that add charm and magic to the holiday.