Easter

Just like Christmas, Easter is an important festival among the Christmas. It is marked as the day when Lord Jesus Christ rose from his dead three days after his crucifixion. This day is also known as Easter Sunday, the Resurrection Day, and Resurrection Sunday. There is no perfect day to celebrate the event. The Easter Sunday was established by the Council of Nicaea, and recognized since then after the Paschal full Moon. The celebration of Easter thus varies between April 4 and May 8 every year.



History of Easter

The New Testament of the Bible, the holy book of the Christians indicates that the resurrection on the third day after Jesus died made him the powerful Son of God among the human beings. It is considered to be an order directed by God so that the Christians begin to take their life in a new direction. The 'Passover meal' or the Last Supper is closely associated with the Easter celebrations among Christians. On this day every year the bread and wine is shared among the church disciples. In the early years, the Easter Sunday was largely considered a day for prayers but after the fourth century, even the Good Friday and the week before Christmas was marked as holy days. The principle feast of the ecclesiastical year as it is the corner stone on which the Christianity has been built.

The legendary story according to the Old Testament goes that Jesus was crucified after being charged of misleading the people and usurping the authority in Rome. As the Roman governor failed to establish any charges against him, the crowd decided to crucify him on the thorn of cross and nailed him to death. He died three hours after his death and rose from the grave on the following Sunday. The day is marked as Easter and soon after the Last Supper feast of Good Friday ends, the fast for Easter begins.

Celebration of Easter

The ceremonial worship of the Easter holidays begin a week prior to the actual Easter Sunday. These are described as essential events in the scriptures. Several congregations still hold a three hour mass on Fridays, representing the time that Jesus was on the cross. Legend also implies Easter as 'God's Friday', an expression that particularly became popular in the 12th century.

In churches like those in Goa, India, the Goan Catholics gather in the churches for the mass that is conducted in the state's local language. The priests narrate the story of Jesus' death and suffering on the cross. The moments of absolute silence are observed in the churches during this hour. After the mass is over, several churches initiate a somber march in memory of Jesus walking with the wooden cross on his back to the place of his crucifixion. A cross is carried by any of the clergymen of the congregation and the crowd follows him often weeping.

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