Easter
is an important festival of Christians, which commemorates
the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For Christians, the dawn of Easter with its message
of new life is the high point of the year. Easter is
the time when Christians remember the last
week of Jesus' life.
Easter usually falls in March-April, after 40
days lent of fast and penance. Christians go
for mid-night mass, as a memory of the resurrection
of Jesus, 2000 years ago.
“…Prior to the fourth century, Christians
observed Pascha, Christian Passover,
in the spring of the year. Adapted from Jewish Passover,
Pascha was a festival of redemption and commemorated
both the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as the
vehicle for God’s grace. While historical records
are not clear, it is likely that early Jewish Christians
observed both Passover (Pesach)
and Pascha. However, many Gentile converts were
hesitant to adopt the Jewish festival, especially since
the Jerusalem Council had decided that Gentile converts
to Christianity did not have to observe Jewish religious
practices (Acts 15). Gradually by the fourth century,
with an increasing emphasis on Holy Week and Good Friday,
Easter moved into a distinctively Christian celebration
of the Resurrection, with Good Friday commemorating
Jesus’ crucifixion and death….”
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