Great Easter is the first and main Christian holiday. However, not all Orthodox are aware that Easter existed long before the resurrection of Christ. Pagans celebrated Easter five thousand years ago. They claimed that on this day all the souls of the dead leave the heavenly haven and descend to earth to visit their graves. From here, the custom was born to come to cemeteries on Easter and bring treats loved by the deceased. It is known that the Jews dated Easter to the beginning of the harvest, and later the Great Day was tied to the departure of the Jews from Egypt.

The Christian Church personified the holiday with the resurrection of Christ and introduced a new meaning to Easter - rebirth from death to eternal existence. According to Christian rules, on the day of Bright Sunday, one cannot come to cemeteries and yearn for the dead. Great Easter is a joyful holiday that should be celebrated with jubilation.

Christian Easter was approved shortly after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the beginning, she did not have a common date for the celebration - she was met at different times in different churches. Only in 325, during the Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches, it was decided to celebrate Orthodox Easter a week after the Jewish one, or rather, on the very first Sunday after the Easter full moon. There is no fixed date for the Resurrection of Christ, every year the holiday is appointed on different calendar dates from April to May, but it always falls on the last day of the week - Sunday.

Orthodox Easter traditions

The celebration of the Great Day is shrouded in a number of customs and traditions. Before Easter, believers are waiting for a strict seven-week fast. Everyone who has fasted at least once knows that without this ritual it is impossible to feel the fullness of Easter joy. During fasting, it is forbidden to eat animal food, but its main task is spiritual purification.

The solemn celebration of the Resurrection of Christ begins at midnight sharp and takes place in all Orthodox churches. The Easter service differs from other church services with lightness and joy. Each believer seeks to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, and after the service, jubilant people shower each other with the symbolic greeting "Christ is Risen!" and kiss. By tradition, the younger ones should be the first to greet the elders. After the service and throughout the Easter week, anyone has the opportunity to ring the bells.

Easter is celebrated for 40 days, but the first week is considered the most important. Immediately after the service, the faithful arrange magnificent feasts, set the table with meat snacks and all kinds of delicacies. Mandatory attributes of Christ's Resurrection are colored eggs consecrated in the church, rich cakes and Easter cakes from cottage cheese. They start the morning meal with these dishes, they go to visit with them all week and exchange with relatives and just people they meet.

Painted eggs always accompanied Easter, games, competitions and various ceremonies were arranged with them. To be young and beautiful, women dipped the consecrated krashenka in water, and then sprinkled their faces with this water. Initially, the eggs were painted only red, but later talented craftsmen began to create real artistic masterpieces from them using painting.

On the days of the celebration of the Great Resurrection, it is forbidden to work, it is believed that household chores can take away happiness and good luck. During the Easter week, you can and should pray and make wishes - God will definitely hear and help you achieve your goals.

Easter is one of the most important religious holidays for many believers. This Sunday, not only church services are often held, but also festive feasts with Easter cakes and Easter, painted eggs, and folk festivals. But what is Easter? What symbolism do Easter attributes have? What was the history of the holiday?

Easter in ancient times.

Initially, the holiday appeared thanks to the Jewish people. Then Easter had a connection with the liberation of the Jews from the slavery of the Egyptians. This liberation took place thanks to the prophet Moses.

It should be noted that before the name of the holiday sounded like Pesach, which can be translated as “pass”. At the same time, the name of the holiday meant “to spare”, “to deliver”.

For the celebration of Passover, the Jewish people set aside 7 days. Believers sought to spend this time in Jerusalem.

In memory of the events that took place on the day of Passover, the Jews conjured a male lamb, which was only a year old. The lamb was supposed to be distinguished by the absence of blemish. At the same time, his meat was baked on fire. The lamb was eaten completely, leaving even the bones intact. In addition to such a table, it was customary to use unleavened bread, known as matzah, and bitter herbs. On Easter evening, people ate gruel, which was prepared from fruits and nuts, and drank wine. The father of the whole family had to tell in detail how the Jews escaped Egyptian slavery. Bread could only be consumed fresh, as it symbolized the hasty departure from Egypt and the impossibility of fermenting pastries with you.

Easter in the era of early Christianity.

After Jesus Christ, the holiday was rethought. As a result, its meaning has changed dramatically. Now Easter began to represent the death and miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the protector of all mankind. At present, it is not possible to name the exact date when the Resurrection of Jesus Christ took place, and the date of the holiday is changeable. It should be noted that calculating the date of an important religious holiday is not as easy as we would like.

The Jewish people used the lunar calendar instead of the solar calendar. However, there are certain differences. The amount of difference is 11 days. There are 365 days in the solar day and 354 days in the lunar calendar. At the same time, errors are rapidly accumulating in the lunar calendar, which are not so easy to correct. For this reason, it is currently impossible to name the exact date when Easter should be celebrated.

The Gospel states that Jesus Christ was crucified on Friday the 14th day, and the resurrection took place on the 16th day. Both dates were in the month of Nisan. Previously, this day was called the Lord's. Subsequently, the Slavs began to call this day Sunday. Nissan corresponded to March - April.

People began to choose a day to celebrate Easter only by the 2nd - 3rd century AD. This was explained by the fact that Christians who lived in different territories used different calendars. Due to the use of different calendars, the date of Easter began to differ markedly. In addition, the Passover of the Jews and Christians of Asia Minor existed as separate holidays.

The Church took into account the nuances of the situation. As a result, in the 4th century it was decided that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon in the spring. This period can come from April 4 to May 8. The Bishop of Alexandria announced the feast every year, using special calculations by astronomers. All churches knew what day to celebrate Easter.

In this period, Lent was already a symbol of the suffering and worldly death of Jesus Christ. At the same time, Easter was usually called the Cross. The fast ended only on Sunday night. Then the believers celebrated the Resurrection of Christ and rejoiced. It should be noted that many Easter attributes were formed during the period of early Christianity.

Easter in the Middle Ages and Modern Times.

In the 8th century, Rome adopted the Eastern Paschalia. Then, for 500 years, Easter was celebrated based on agreements made between the Eastern and Western churches.

In 1582, the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar. As a result, in 1583, a new Paschal was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. From now on, the Catholic Easter may differ earlier than the Jewish holiday or coincide with it, ahead of the Orthodox Easter by about a month.

Easter these days

In the first third of the 10th century, several attempts were made to create a new Julian calendar that would be even more accurate than the Gregorian. Despite this, the aspirations were not successful. As a result, it was decided that Easter and all other religious holidays of a transitory nature should be celebrated according to the Julian calendar, and not according to the calendar used by the Church.

Currently, the Julian calendar is the basis for the Russian, Jerusalem, Serbian, as well as the Georgian Church, Athos. It should be noted that the Finnish Orthodox Church fully uses the Gregorian calendar. Other Churches use the old calendar style for rolling feasts and the new calendar style for non-moving holidays.

Today, before Easter, it is customary to fast for 7 weeks. This time is enough for people to repent of their mistakes and realize them, to be cleansed on a spiritual level.

By tradition, a special service begins on Sunday. Among the differences, it is necessary to note the unique structure and special words that are customary to pronounce. Believers strive to attend a church service, and then go through the sacrament, to be christened. It should be noted that the christening is mutual kisses at a meeting, hugs and changes in two phrases, namely “Christ is Risen!” - "Truly Risen."

Easter celebration lasts 40 days. It was this number of days that Jesus Christ appeared before his disciples, after which he went to God the Father in heaven. The first week is especially important, and Sunday plays a truly important role. It is on this day that it is customary to celebrate Easter, visit each other, exchange eggs and cooked Easter cakes, Easter.

What do Easter attributes mean?

Many people cook Easter cakes, paint eggs, and celebrate Christ. What is it connected with? Why do such attributes persist for a long time?

Easter cake is a symbol of the church artos, a large sacred bread with an image of a wreath of thorns, a cross, or the image of the Resurrection. For a long time, this particular bread symbolizes the victory of Jesus Christ over worldly death, because he continues to live, but in a different way. The apostles were accustomed to leaving an empty seat at their table. At the same time they put a small bread, thinking about Jesus Christ. The following rite still exists: the sacred bread must be carried around the church with the procession, and then left on the festive table. On Saturday, after the blessing is held, pastries are distributed to believers who live in poverty.

What does it have to do with an egg? It is believed that Mary Magdalene arrived in Rome in order to preach the gospel. It was Mary who informed the imperial emperor Tiberius about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and it was then that she presented the egg to him. It is customary to paint the egg red, since the emperor did not believe in the possibility of resurrection and said that this was not possible, just as it was impossible for the egg to turn red. At that moment, a miracle happened, because the egg still turned red.

Before Easter, many believers look forward to the appearance of fire, which is a symbol of the Light of God. It is this fire that enlightens all people in the world. It is customary to carry the Holy Fire to Orthodox churches so that believers can use it for their candles.

In the West, as before, it is customary to kindle large bonfires next to temples, symbolizing Light and Renewal. In some cases, the fire is interpreted as a symbol of the burning of Judas. The process of Christening, a special Easter greeting, allows people to open their hearts to each other, to light a flame of hope for a brighter future.

Easter is an opportunity to renew yourself and spend the day in a special way, approaching peace of mind, being with your loved ones.

Easter is the most joyful and most revered holiday in the Orthodox world, unlike the Catholic one, in which the main day of the church year is Christmas. Easter is preceded by a forty-day fast. They prepare for the holiday in advance, cleaning apartments, painting eggs, as well as preparing a festive meal and Easter cakes.

History of Easter

The holiday originated long before the birth of Christ. Passover was associated exclusively with the Jewish people. The story goes that the Jews were once held captive by the Egyptians. It was a difficult time for the people: bullying and harassment. Faith in God and hope for salvation and the mercy of God have always lived in their hearts.

One day, a man named Moses came to the Jews, who, with his brother, was sent to save them. The Lord chose Moses to enlighten the Egyptian pharaoh and deliver the Jewish people from slavery. But no matter how hard Moses tried to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, freedom was not granted to them. The Egyptian pharaoh and his people did not believe in God, worshiping only their deities and relying on the help of sorcerers. To prove the existence and power of the Lord, nine terrible plagues were brought down on the Egyptian people. No bloody rivers, no toads, no midges, no flies, no darkness, no thunder - none of this could have happened if the ruler had let the people go with their cattle. The last, tenth, execution, like the previous ones, punished the pharaoh and his people, but did not affect the Jews. Moses warned that every family should slaughter a one-year-old unblemished male lamb. To anoint the doors of their houses with the blood of an animal, bake a lamb and eat it with the whole family. At night, all the first-born males were killed in houses among people and animals. Only the houses of the Jews, where there was a bloody mark, were not affected by the trouble. This execution greatly frightened the pharaoh, and he released the slaves with all their herds. The Jews went to the sea, where the water broke open, and they calmly set off along its bottom. Pharaoh wanted to break his promise again and rushed after them, but the water swallowed him up. Since then, Easter means "passed by, passed by."

Easter in the Old Testament

The Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ. At the age of 30, Jesus began to preach, telling people about the laws of God. But three years later he was crucified along with other unwanted authorities on the cross, which was installed on Mount Calvary. It happened after the Jewish Passover, on Friday, which was later dubbed Passion. This event complements the meaning of the Easter holiday with new meaning, traditions and attributes. On the third day after the burial of Christ, early Sunday morning, several women went to the tomb to bring incense intended for the body of Jesus. Approaching, they saw that the large stone blocking the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away, the tomb was empty, and the Angel of the Lord in snow-white robes was sitting on the stone. “Do not be afraid, for I know what you are looking for: Jesus crucified. He is not here. He rose again, as he said, ”the Angel turned to the frightened women. With fear and joy, the women hurried to tell the Apostles about what they saw. “And lo, Jesus met them and said, Rejoice! And they, coming forward, took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them: “Don't be afraid; go tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” On the bright feast of Easter, the Church calls upon the faithful to see Christ shining with the unapproachable light of the resurrection. A week before Easter, believers celebrate Palm Sunday.

How is the date of Easter determined?

On the eve of the crucifixion, on Thursday, the Last Supper took place, where Jesus presented bread as his body, and wine as blood. Since then, the meaning of the Easter holiday has not changed, but the Eucharist has become a new Easter meal. At first, the holiday was weekly. Friday was the day of mourning and the beginning of fasting, and Sunday was the day of joy.

In 325, at the First Ecumenical Council, the date of the celebration of Easter was determined - the first Sunday after the spring full moon. The Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar. To calculate what day Easter falls in a certain year, you need to make a rather complicated calculation. But for ordinary laity, a calendar of dates for the holiday has been compiled for decades to come. For a long time of the existence of the holiday, it has acquired traditions, which are still adhered to in families, and signs.

Easter beliefs

There are many myths associated with Easter. On Easter Sunday, it was allowed to ask God for whatever your heart desires. For example, prosperity in business, a generous harvest, a good groom. On Easter night, they collected water from a spring, brought it home without uttering a single word along the way, and sprinkled dwellings and barns with this water - for happiness and well-being. If you eat eggs laid by hens on Good Thursday for Easter, you will protect yourself from ailments, and if you bury their shells in the ground in a pasture, you will save cattle from any misfortune.

On the eve of Easter, Easter cakes are baked in the house and eggs are painted with onion peel. You can paint eggs with multi-colored special dyes that are sold in stores, you can paint with a thin brush, stick beautiful stickers on them.

Egg fights at the Easter meal, or “beating” with eggs, are popular among the Slavs. This is a simple game: someone holds the egg upside down, and the “rival” beats it with the nose of another egg. Whoever's shell has not cracked continues to "fight" with another person.

In Europe and America, one of the most popular Easter traditions is the "egg hunt" - a children's game that consists of hiding, looking for and rolling on a sloping lawn of toy and chocolate eggs. Every Easter they arrange such a holiday in Washington - right on the lawn in front of the White House.

Source: www.amic.ru

Every year, around mid-April, the entire baptized world, dressed in fun and joy, solemnly celebrates the bright feast of the Resurrection of the Savior Jesus Christ. Everywhere bells ring, religious processions take place, candles and lamps are lit. People go to churches, light up Easter cakes and multi-colored painted eggs, kiss Christ with smiles and kisses, greeting each other with exclamations of “Christ is risen” and answering “in truth, he is risen.” And no matter what language these words are pronounced in, they mean the same enthusiastic congratulations and good news. And where did this custom come from, and how did the history of the emergence and celebration of Easter actually begin? Let's digress for a moment from the celebration and study this important and interesting question.

Exodus from slavery

The history of the Easter holiday has its roots in the depths of centuries. And in order to better understand and study it, we will have to turn to the great book of the Bible, namely to its part called "Exodus". This part tells that the Jewish people, who were in slavery to the Egyptians, suffered great torment and oppression from their masters. But, despite this, they trusted in the mercy of God and remembered the covenant given to them and the promised land. Among the Jews there was one man named Moses, whom God chose to be his prophet. Having given his brother Aaron to help Moses, the Lord worked miracles through them and sent various executions to the Egyptians in the number of 10. The Egyptian pharaoh for a long time did not want to release his slaves to freedom. Then God commanded the Israelites in the evening to slaughter for each family one year-old male lamb without blemish. And with his blood to anoint the crossbars of the doors of his dwelling. The lamb had to be eaten overnight without breaking its bones. At night, an angel of God passed through Egypt and killed all the Egyptian firstborn, from cattle to man, but did not touch the Jewish dwellings. In fear, Pharaoh drove the Israelites out of the country. But when they approached the shores of the Red Sea, he came to his senses and chased after his slaves. However, God opened the waters of the sea and led the Jews through the sea as if over dry land, and Pharaoh was drowned. In honor of this event, from then to this day, Jews celebrate Easter, as a liberation from Egyptian captivity.

The sacrifice of Christ

But the history of the origin and emergence of the Easter holiday does not end there. After all, many centuries after the event described above, Jesus Christ, the savior of the world from the slavery of hell over human souls, was born on Israeli soil. According to the gospel, Christ was born of the virgin Mary and lived in the house of the carpenter Joseph. When he was 30 years old, he went out to preach, teaching people the commandments of God. After 3 years, he was crucified on the cross, on Mount Calvary. It happened after the Jewish Passover on Friday. And on Thursday there was the Last Supper, where Christ established the sacrament of the Eucharist, presenting bread and wine as his body and blood. Like the lamb in the Old Testament, Christ was slain for the sins of the world, and his bones were not broken either.

The history of Easter from early Christianity to the Middle Ages

According to the testimony of the same Bible, after the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ to heaven, the history of the celebration of Easter developed as follows: after Pentecost, Easter was celebrated every Sunday, gathering at a meal and celebrating the Eucharist. This holiday was especially honored on the day of the death and resurrection of Christ, which at first fell on the day of the Jewish Passover. But already in the 2nd century, Christians came to the conclusion that it was not appropriate to celebrate the Passover of Christ on the same day as the Jews who crucified him, and decided to celebrate it on the next Sunday after the Jewish Passover. This continued until the Middle Ages, until the Christian Church was divided into Orthodox and Catholic.

Easter - the history of the holiday today

In modern life, the history of the celebration of Easter has been divided into 3 channels - Orthodox Easter, Catholic Easter and Jewish Easter. Each of them has acquired its own traditions and customs. But from this solemnity and joy from the holiday itself did not become less. It's just that for every nation and even every person it has its own purely personal and at the same time general. And may this holiday and celebration of celebrations touch your hearts, dear readers. Happy Easter to you, love and peace!

The history of Easter for children

Orthodox Christians call Easter "the feast of feasts and the triumph of celebrations." On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This holiday symbolizes the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, keeps the historical memory of the atoning voluntary sacrifice in the name of humanity of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection.

Christian Easter It is celebrated not according to the solar, but according to the lunar calendar and therefore does not have a permanent date.

How did the Resurrection of Christ from the dead happen? One of the testimonies of this greatest miracle belongs to the historian Hermidius, the official historiographer of Judea. On Sunday night, Hermidius personally went to the tomb to make sure that the deceased could not be resurrected. In the faint light of dawn, he saw the guards at the door of the coffin. Suddenly it became very light and a man appeared above the ground, as if woven from light. There was a thunderclap, but not in the sky, but on the ground. The frightened guard jumped up and immediately fell to the ground. The stone that closed the entrance to the cave rolled away. Soon the light over the coffin disappeared. But when Hermidius approached the tomb, the body of the Buried One was not there. The doctor did not believe that the dead could be resurrected, but Christ, according to his memoirs, "really resurrected, and we all saw it with our own eyes."

Easter traditions

Easter is preceded by a strict seven-week Great Lent, when believers abstain from certain types of food. The week before Easter is called Holy Week. Each day of the week is associated with the events of the last days of the earthly life of Christ.

On the day before Easter - Great Saturday - old and young believers gather in churches for prayer. Special Easter food is brought to the temple to consecrate it. On the day of the Resurrection of Christ, special dishes are put on the table that are prepared only once a year - Easter cake, cottage cheese Easter, Easter colored eggs. Midnight comes, the procession begins in the churches. Great Saturday is replaced by Bright Sunday.

But the Easter holiday is not only about prayers. This holiday has always had another side - worldly. While the Easter service was going on, no one dared indulge in festive entertainment. But when the “icons passed”, the Easter festivities began.

What kind of entertainment is accepted for Easter? First, a feast. After a seven-week fast, you could again afford any food - whatever your heart desires. In addition to Easter dishes, there are many traditional Russian delicacies on the table. All sorts of games with Easter eggs, round dances, and swings were arranged (and are still being arranged).

At Easter it was customary to celebrate Christ. Everyone exchanged colored eggs and kissed each other three times. To christenize is to congratulate each other on the holiday, and colored eggs are a symbol of life.

Long before the advent of Christ, the ancient peoples considered the egg a prototype of the Universe - the world surrounding man was born from it. Among the Slavic peoples who adopted Christianity, the egg was associated with the fertility of the earth, with the spring revival of nature. It is a symbol of the Sun and Life. And to express respect for him, our ancestors dyed eggs.

Festive Easter signs

The Orthodox believed that miracles could be seen at Easter. At this time, it is allowed to ask God for the fulfillment of their desires.

Since pagan times, the custom has remained to pour water on Easter with well or river water.

On Easter, old people combed their hair with the wish that they have as many grandchildren as there are hairs on their heads; old women washed themselves with gold, silver and red eggs in the hope of getting rich.

On Easter, young people climbed onto the roofs to meet the sun (there was a belief that “the sun plays” on Easter, and many tried to watch for this moment).

EASTER TREATS

Easter boiled

Ingredients

➢ 2 kg of cottage cheese,

➢ 1.5 kg of sour cream,

➢ 1.5 kg of butter,

➢ 12 eggs (yolks),

➢ 1.5 kg of sugar, vanillin.

Cooking

Easter is prepared from Thursday (best) or from Friday.

Rub cottage cheese through a sieve. You should not pass the cottage cheese through a meat grinder, otherwise it will become denser, but it is necessary that it be saturated with oxygen. Sour cream, butter, raw yolks grind with half a glass of sugar. Mix everything together in a saucepan, put on fire and stir.

When the mass is melted, add the rest of the sugar, stirring, heat, but do not bring to a boil.

Add vanillin at the tip of a knife, mix, cool. Put the mass in a gauze bag and hang to glass the liquid. Leave for 10-12 hours. After that, transfer the mass to the pasochnik and press down with a press.

Easter nut

Ingredients:

➢ 1.2 kg of cottage cheese,

➢ 1 glass of sugar,

➢ 200 g butter,

➢ 200 g pistachios or peanuts,

➢ 4 cups heavy cream, vanilla sugar.

Cooking

Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve, put sugar and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, butter, chopped nuts. Mix everything thoroughly and pour cream into the curd. Mix the mass again, put it in a mold covered with damp gauze, place a press on top.

Put in a cold place for a day.