What does Easter mean? When did Easter appear?

Annual direct line with Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin scheduled for Thursday June 20, 2019.

Live, the Head of State will answer questions from citizens of the country received using various communication channels (by telephone, in the form of text SMS and MMS messages, by e-mail, using the social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki), as well as asked during online inclusions from various Russian cities.

Direct line start time - 12:00 Moscow time.

What time does the direct line to V.V. start? Putin June 20, 2019:
* At 12:00 Moscow time.

This will be Vladimir Putin’s seventeenth interview taking place in this format.

Where can you watch the Direct Line 2019 broadcast (channels, online resources):

A live broadcast of the speech of the President of the Russian Federation will be available for viewing on five federal television channels starting at 12:00 Moscow time.

Live broadcast channels with Vladimir Putin on June 20, 2019:
"First", "Russia 1", "Russia 24", "NTV", "OTR".

The online broadcast will be available on the Internet:
In official direct line communities "VKontakte" and "Odnoklassniki" .

The direct line with Vladimir Putin on June 20, 2019 can not only be watched, but also listened to on the following radio stations:
"Mayak", "Radio Russia", "Vesti FM" .

In both Orthodoxy and Catholicism, Easter always falls on Sunday.

Easter 2020 is preceded by Lent, which begins 48 days before the Holy Day. And after 50 days they celebrate Trinity.

Popular pre-Christian customs that have survived to this day include dyeing eggs, making Easter cakes and curd Easter cakes.


Easter treats are blessed in the church on Saturday, the eve of Easter 2020, or after the service on the day of the Holiday itself.

We should greet each other on Easter with the words “Christ is Risen,” and respond with “Truly He is Risen.”

This will be the fourth game for the Russian team in this qualifying tournament. Let us remind you that in the previous three meetings, Russia “at the start” lost to Belgium with a score of 1:3, and then won two dry victories - over Kazakhstan (4:0) and over San Marino (9:0). The last victory was the largest in the entire existence of the Russian football team.

As for the upcoming meeting, according to bookmakers, the Russian team is the favorite in it. The Cypriots are objectively weaker than the Russians, and the islanders cannot expect anything good from the upcoming match. However, we must take into account that the teams have never met before, and therefore unpleasant surprises may await us.

The Russia-Cyprus meeting will take place on June 11, 2019 In Nizhniy Novgorod at the stadium of the same name, built for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Start of the match - 21:45 Moscow time.

Where and what time do the national teams of Russia and Cyprus play:
* Venue of the match - Russia, Nizhny Novgorod.
* Game start time is 21:45 Moscow time.

Where to watch the live broadcast Russia - Cyprus on June 11, 2019:

Channels will show the meeting between the national teams of Russia and Cyprus live "First" and "Match Premier" . The start time of the live broadcast from Nizhny Novgorod is 21:35 Moscow time.

When will the Day of the Russian River and Marine Fleet Worker be in 2019 (River Day 2019):

Every year in Russia they celebrate the professional holiday of workers of the sea and river fleets, in short - Riverman's Day.


in 2019 falls on July 7, 2019.

Water transport is one of the most important sectors of the economy of our country.

All workers of water transport: passenger, cargo, icebreaking, special transport should be congratulated on this professional holiday. Let us remind you that special water transport includes ferries, floating workshops, tugs, dredging vessels, floating shops, etc.

The professional holiday of river and sea fleet workers was established back in 1980, under Soviet rule. Despite the fact that the Soviet Union has long since collapsed, Riverman Day in Russia continues to be celebrated annually on the first Sunday of July.

Venue event instead of the traditional "Olympic", closed for reconstruction, will become Capital Sports Palace "Megasport" with a capacity of 14 thousand spectators.

What time and on what channel to watch the live broadcast of the MUZ-TV Awards 2019:

The live pre-show of the musical event called “Star Track” and the Award Ceremony itself will be shown by TV channels that are part of the UTV holding - "Yu" and "Muz-TV".

Live broadcast will begin at 17:00 Moscow time with the pre-show of the MUZ-TV Awards 2019, during which we will see how the stars arrive at the event and parade along the Carpet with dignity.

Live broadcast will continue at 19:40 Moscow time , when the hosts move from meeting the guests to the Award Ceremony itself.

Show hosts:

In 2019, for the first time, the MUZ-TV Awards will be hosted by five leading.

This: Maxim Galkin, Alexander Revva, Mikhail Galustyan, Ksenia Sobchak and Lera Kudryavtseva .

When Orthodox Easter is celebrated in 2019, what date it will be - many of us are already interested in advance.

Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter this year April 28, 2019. And exactly a week before it, on April 21, all Orthodox Christians will traditionally celebrate. On the same day, April 21 in 2019, there will be.

The tradition of celebrating Easter does not begin with the Resurrection of Christ - it existed before that. The Jewish holiday of Passover was and is celebrated to commemorate the exit of the Israeli people from Egyptian captivity under the leadership of Moshe (Moses).

It just happened that the Savior rose from the dead on this very day. As you know, such coincidences may seem random only at first glance. The liberation of the Jewish people from captivity in Egypt is a story that is generally regarded as the liberation of all mankind from the power of sin and death.

The miraculous resurrection of Christ signifies the greatest victory of good over evil, a visible symbol of the fact that love and faith are much stronger than hatred and fear.

And just as the Jewish people sacrificed the Passover lamb, so the Lord himself sacrificed his son to the slaughter. And in this event the boundless love of God for man was manifested.

And even if a person has a neutral attitude towards the Easter holiday, this does not deprive him of the right to join the jubilant humanity, which will certainly utter the cherished words:

"Christ is risen!"

“Truly risen!”

WHERE DOES THE WORD “EASTER” COME FROM?

Interestingly, translated from Hebrew, the word “Pesach” means “passed by” or “passed by.” This means that one day God passed by the Jewish houses and destroyed only the homes of their oppressors - the Egyptians.

In our time, the symbolism of history is also obvious: good certainly triumphs over evil. The Lord removes oppression and frees man from sin. By accepting the sacrifice of Christ, absolutely any of us can count on forgiveness and understanding.


Why does the date of Easter keep changing?

The question of what date Easter will be in 2019 is often associated with another one. Why does the date of this holiday change all the time, unlike, for example, Christmas (January 7) or Epiphany (January 19)? Indeed, Easter belongs to the so-called moving holidays - celebrations that do not have a clearly established day.

The fact is that in Orthodoxy the celebration of Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon. How to determine exactly the first full moon?

It is believed that spring comes after March 21 - i.e. day of the spring equinox. Then the day for the first time becomes equal to the night in duration (in hours). It turns out that as soon as March 21 has passed, you need to wait for the full moon, and the next Sunday will be Easter.

When is Orthodox Easter celebrated?

Therefore, the main Christian holiday among the Orthodox is always celebrated from April 7 to 8 May:

  • Orthodox Easter 2019 – April 28.
  • Orthodox Easter 2020 – April 19.
  • Orthodox Easter 2021 – May 2.
  • Orthodox Easter 2022 – April 24.
  • Orthodox Easter 2023 – April 16.

Here is the clergyman’s commentary on this matter:

All about the symbols of the holiday - colored eggs and Easter cake

Of course, the immutable symbols of the holiday are colored eggs and Easter cake. And it seems that everything is known about these two traditions. But this simplicity lies only on the surface, and in general we should not forget that the amazing is nearby.

Why are eggs painted for Easter?

Indeed, why will we be dyeing eggs again for Easter 2019?

The most common legend says that when Mary Magdalene learned that Christ had risen from the dead, she hastened to tell the whole area about it. And of course, she went to the Roman Emperor Tiberius, who in those years ruled the occupied territories of Israel.

Of course, her preaching about the resurrection was not taken seriously. Therefore, when Mary said to Tiberius: “Christ is risen!”, he took an ordinary chicken egg and answered: “The dead do not rise, just as eggs do not turn red.” And at the same moment, the egg in his hand turned bright red, which probably left the ruler speechless for some time. However, he did not deny the obvious and said: “Truly he is risen!”

Interestingly, this story also has its own symbolism. Essentially, it shows society's attitude towards miracles. Some are ready to wholeheartedly believe that they happen. And even without evidence. Other people, who are often called rational, pragmatic (and more recently they were more often called materialists), require an objective basis for any statement.

It is noteworthy that neither Mary Magdalene nor Tiberius enter into the discussion. And the higher power itself shows the incredulous emperor that miracles do happen.

And even if we know everything about life and a little more, this does not mean that we can do without faith. After all, it is precisely this that is a kind of prototype of a positive future, aspiration forward, a certain project of our destiny. By the way, the word project itself is translated as “forward-looking.”

NOTE

Since the egg is painted in bright red shades, it is necessary that this color be one of the predominant colors on the Easter table. Of course, the harmony of the palette and taste preferences of the owners are respected, but red eggs must certainly be present as a symbol of the holiday.


Why Easter must have colored eggs

Along with the story of Marina Magdalene and Emperor Tiberius, there are several more assumptions why colored eggs should certainly be present at Easter:

  1. First of all, the egg is considered a symbol of the Universe, a symbol of life itself. This is one of the cultural archetypes along with the image of water, fire and other iconic symbols. The egg seems to stand above all religions, nationalities and cultures. And this privileged position is recognized by almost everyone. If you think about it, an egg is not what gives life. This is life itself. This small prototype of an organism contains everything necessary for the emergence of a new living being. In appearance, it is no different from a pebble or other inanimate object. But under the shell, various processes intensively occur, thanks to which procreation occurs. Using the achievements of modern science, we can see everything with our own eyes, as if the shell did not exist. But ancient people had to comprehend the world mostly through their faith. What did not stop them from living, rejoicing and loving.
  2. The image of an egg was considered sacred by the Egyptians, Persians and Romans. Interestingly, the Romans ate a baked egg before any festive meal. It was believed that this was a good symbol of a successful undertaking of any business. By the way, these peoples always celebrated the coming of spring. And boiled eggs were always present on the table as an image of the revival of nature and good changes.
  3. Interestingly, on the birthday of another Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, which happened 2 centuries after the resurrection of Christ, a chicken laid an egg with red specks, and this was considered a lucky sign. Since then, it was customary for the Romans to send colored eggs to each other on the occasion of any holiday.
  4. And another version is particularly original. It is believed that the stone that blocked the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher resembled the shape of an egg.

It can be noted that none of the versions contradicts the other. Therefore, they all equally have the right to exist. Moreover, different assumptions only complement each other.

It is natural to imagine that people of ancient times also exchanged their cultural experiences, just like modern society. And although for obvious reasons the traditions spread more slowly then, they were still preserved and even survived to this day.

Thus, the custom of dyeing eggs lives on as long as Christianity exists. Eras passed, entire states and peoples disappeared, but the memory of the bright resurrection lived and lives among a huge number of people.

It turns out that everyone who paints eggs comes into contact with ancient history, which dates back at least 20 centuries. If you think about it for just a second, you can immediately feel the atmosphere of a real holiday. And these bright thoughts will certainly put anyone who wants to get into the Easter spirit into a positive mood.

What does the Orthodox Easter cake symbolize?

When we wonder what date Easter will be in 2019, we certainly remember not only the date of the bright holiday itself, but also about Easter cake. Delicious, aromatic pastries, a symbol of the holiday, which, if the correct recipe is followed, can last in the house for at least the entire Bright Week (the week after Easter Sunday).

There are several dozen varieties of this holiday dish. Traditionally it is baked from a dough based on milk, butter and chicken eggs.

It is customary to decorate Easter cake with sprinkles, pieces of fruit or berries, glaze - in a word, in this creative matter, every cook can give complete freedom to his imagination.

Why did the tradition of baking Easter cakes begin? Unlike eggs, there is no exact answer to this question.

However, what is certain is that this tradition is ancient. She has been living since time immemorial. As you know, Christ himself broke bread and poured wine during the Last Supper exactly three days before his resurrection.

Any type of bread has sacred significance for all peoples of the earth. Even today, when hunger in many countries has been completely defeated, it is considered bad manners to play with pieces of bread, throw them away, or speak unflatteringly about this truly national product without exaggeration.

In this sense, Easter cake can be considered as a symbol of fertility, satiety, and prosperity in the home. And given the tradition of breaking bread, which was established during the Last Supper, we can say that bread is a symbol of the body of Christ.

Therefore, baking and eating Easter cake is another opportunity to get in touch with the holiday and feel the magical atmosphere that reigns annually throughout the planet for 2 thousand years.

But here is the information, as they say, first hand. Hieromonk Job Gumerov answers the question of why the tradition of preparing Easter cake appeared.

What to do for Easter: traditions and modernity

So, for the holiday, or rather, on the eve of Easter Sunday, almost everyone paints eggs and buys Easter cakes. Of course, you can bake the baked goods yourself - after all, preparing for the holiday is also the holiday itself.

What else do they do for Easter? Whatever the date of this resurrection, in 2019 people will surely come into contact with many ancient traditions. Here are the most famous of them.

Lighting eggs and Easter cake

Of course, on such a day, believers strive to get to church and attend the all-night service, which takes place on the night from Saturday to Sunday. And even if this was not possible, they come to the temple in order to...

The tradition of consecration allows a person to tune in to the bright waves of the holiday. It is no secret that a special atmosphere develops in a gathering of believers, which can hardly be felt at home or even while watching a service broadcast on TV.

That is why you should definitely visit the temple on such a day. And it wouldn’t be superfluous to do a favor by treating those in need with eggs and Easter cakes.


Christening

Well, at home the holiday continues - moreover, here it is in full swing. In the morning you need to try to get up early, because the Savior rose in the morning. And the rising sun itself symbolizes the beginning of the celebration.

According to tradition, all those celebrating take Easter eggs and bow to Christ - i.e. They push eggs against each other and break the shell from either end - sharp or blunt. After this, you need to kiss the cheeks three times and say the well-known words:

"Christ is risen!"

“Truly risen!”

If you follow the church canon, the phrase will sound slightly different, which does not change its meaning at all:

Traditionally, people go to visit, treat Easter dishes to relatives, friends, neighbors and just everyone who is dear to their hearts. In this sense, it is very good that Easter is always celebrated on Sunday. We have the opportunity to remember and visit everyone who may have been waiting for our attention for a long time.

Other folk customs for Easter

Easter cake and eggs are the main symbols of the holiday, therefore Easter traditions are mainly associated with them:

  1. After visiting the church, you can buy several candles and decorate the Easter cake with them. Traditionally, one candle is placed in one pasochka, after which the fire is lit so that it brings joy to everyone in the house.
  2. You can arrange a pleasant holiday for everyone at home - and of course, don’t forget about the kids. For example, let them look for colored eggs that will be previously hidden in different places in the house. Have a fun search together.
  3. You can also organize “rolling games” - whose egg will roll the farthest.
  4. Traditionally, the house is decorated with greenery and emerging tree branches. In general, it is permissible to use all symbols that represent rebirth and good changes.


Festive table for Easter

Along with the question of when Easter will be in 2019, people are often interested in what dishes will be right to put on the table. After all, the festive menu serves as a kind of culinary portrait of the celebration and allows you to enjoy the moment to the fullest.

In addition, with the onset of the holiday, Lent ends, which imposes the most stringent requirements for restrictions on food and drinks. And after such a long ordeal, the joy of the holiday only intensifies.

Traditionally, along with Easter cake, there are other baked goods on the table, as well as meat dishes:

  • boiled pork;
  • baked veal;
  • wild duck stewed in sour cream;
  • all kinds of pies, kulebyaki, sweet baked goods.


As for the holiday drink, red wine is rightfully considered to be it. It is preferable to prepare in advance and purchase a church horse. It’s even more interesting if you make red wine yourself. It can be prepared almost a year in advance, but the wait only enhances the pleasure.

What not to do on Easter Sunday

  • You shouldn’t sort things out or start important business conversations on such a day.
  • It is better to refrain from unpleasant memories and everything that literally darkens the Resurrection of Christ. It is important to understand that Easter is a day of joy, not sorrow. Believers remember not the deceased, but the risen Savior.
  • You should not indulge in gluttony and drink. Of course, no one denies themselves food, and a couple of glasses of nice red wine won’t hurt. We must remember what the main food is on such a day - spiritual, not earthly.
  • It is not advisable to clean up, do repairs, visit beauty salons, wash windows, etc. That is, all actions that distract from a pleasant celebration are undesirable. At the same time, there are no direct prohibitions on this. Everyone can act according to their own conscience. In addition, sometimes a person may find himself at work even on Christ’s Resurrection. And of course, he must fulfill his official duty.
  • You should not visit on such a day, and you should choose another time to honor the dead. Easter is the triumph of life over death, truth over sin. It’s better not to forget about this when we celebrate Easter in 2019.

Representatives of the Orthodox Church also express a similar opinion.

On the beautiful spring day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, everyone can feel like they are part of something wonderful and eternal. After all, celebrating Easter is a great honor. This means coming into contact with sacred history - perhaps the main event in the history of mankind.

Easter. history of the holiday

Postcard of the Russian Empire (early 20th century) with a design typical of an Easter card

Easter(Greek . πάσχα , l at. Pascha, Hebrew. פסח ‎ [Pesa ] - “passing by”), also - Resurrection of Christ - the oldestChristian holiday ; the main holiday of the liturgical year. Installed in honorresurrection of jesus christ . Currently, its date in each specific year is calculated according to lunisolar calendar what makes Easter moving holiday (dates for each church year are different).

history of the holiday

Passover Jews celebrate it in honor of the Exodus from Egypt. In memory of these events in Jerusalem, it was prescribed to perform the ritual slaughter of a one-year-old male lamb, without blemish, which should be baked on fire and eaten completely, without breaking the bones, with unleavened bread (matzo) and bitter herbs in the family circle during the Passover night. After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, ritual slaughter became impossible, so Jews eat only unleavened bread on Passover. The holiday begins on the fourteenth day of the spring month Nissan(in the Jewish calendar, the first month of the biblical year, approximately corresponds to March - April of the Gregorian (modern) calendar and is celebrated for 7 days in Israel and 8 outside Israel.

During the period of early Christianity, Christians began to celebrate the first liturgies, similar in form to the Jewish Passover. The liturgies were celebrated as the Last Supper - the Passover of suffering associated with the Death on the Cross and the resurrection of Christ. Thus, Easter became the first and main Christian holiday, determining both the liturgical charter of the Church and the doctrinal side of Christianity.

Initially, the death and resurrection of Christ were celebrated weekly: Friday was the day of fasting and mourning in memory of suffering Christ, and Sunday is a day of joy. These celebrations became more solemn during the Jewish Passover - the anniversary of the death of Christ.

Already in the 2nd century, the holiday took on the character of an annual event in all Churches. In the writings of early Christian writers there is information about the celebration of the annual day of death on the cross and the Resurrection of Christ. From their writings it is clear that initially the suffering and death of Christ were celebrated with a special fast as “Easter of the Cross”; it coincided with the Jewish Passover, the fast continued until Sunday night. After it, the Resurrection of Christ itself was celebrated as Easter of joy or “Resurrection Easter.”


Myrrh-bearing women at the empty tomb. Ivory.
British museum. 420-430

Soon the differences in the traditions of the Local Churches became noticeable. An “Easter dispute” arose between Rome and the churches of Asia Minor. The Christians of Asia Minor strictly adhered to the custom of celebrating Easter on the 14th of Nisan. Among them, the name of the Jewish Passover changed to the name of the Christian Passover and subsequently spread. Whereas in the West, which was not influenced Judeo-Christianity, the practice has developed of celebrating Easter on the first Sunday after the Jewish Passover, while calculating the latter as the full moon of the last equinox.

The question of a single day for the celebration of Easter for the entire Christian cumene was raised by Emperor Constantine the Great at a council of bishops convened in Nicaea in 325, later called the First Ecumenical Council. At the council, it was decided to coordinate the day of Easter celebration between communities, and the practice of focusing on the Jewish date that fell before the equinox was condemned. All bishops not only accepted the Creed, but also signed up to celebrate Easter for everyone at the same time. The initial definition of the First Ecumenical Council regarding Easter, that fasts and holidays should be observed simultaneously by everyone in the Church, became the basis for the church charter.It was decided to celebrate Christian Easter as it was celebrated at that time in most churches: “in Rome and Africa, throughout Italy, Egypt, Spain, Gaul, Britain, Libya, in the whole of Hellas, in the eparchies of Asia, Pontus and Cilicia,” namely - strictly after the Jewish Passover - 14 Nisan (full moon) and always on Sunday. The day of Passover was chosen to be the nearest Sunday after the first spring full moon (that is, the first full moon after the vernal equinox).

Evidence from the 4th century says that Easter on the Cross and Easter on Sunday were already united at that time both in the West and in the East. The celebration of Easter on the Cross preceded the celebration of Easter Sunday, each lasting a week before and after Easter Sunday. Only in the 5th century did the name Easter become generally accepted to designate the actual holiday of the Resurrection of Christ. Subsequently, the day of Easter began to stand out more and more clearly in the liturgical plan, for which it received the name “king of days”, “holidays of the holiday”.

In the 6th century, the Roman Church adopted the Eastern Paschal. The Eastern or Alexandrian Paschal was used throughout the Christian world until the end of the 16th century, for more than 800 years. It is built on four restrictions:

Celebrate Easter after the spring equinox;

Not to be done on the same day as the Jews;

Not just after the equinox, but after the first full moon that occurs after the equinox;

And after the full moon, no other than on the first day of the week according to the Jewish reckoning.


Enamel miniature “Resurrection of Christ”
(scapular of Andrei Bogolyubsky, c. 1170-1180s), Louvre

In 1582, in the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new Paschal, called the Gregorian. Due to the change in Easter, the entire calendar also changed. As a result of the Paschal reform, Catholic Easter is often celebrated earlier than the Jewish one or on the same day and precedes the Orthodox Easter in some years by more than a month.

In 1923, the Patriarch of Constantinople Meletius IV (Metaxakis) held the so-called. " Pan-Orthodox congress" with the participation of representatives of the Greek, Romanian and Serbian Orthodox churches, at which the New Julian calendar was adopted, even more accurate than the Gregorian and coinciding with it until the year 2800.Gradually, the Constantinople, Hellas, and Romanian churches switched to the new style. Today, only the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox churches, as well as Athos, fully use the Julian calendar. The Finnish Orthodox Church has completely switched to the Gregorian calendar. The rest of the Churches celebrate Easter and other moving holidays in the old style, and Christmas and other non-moving holidays in the new style.

Gospel aboutevents taking place on Easter days

According to ancient Jewish tradition, Messiah- The King of Israel must appear on Passover in Jerusalem. The people, knowing about the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, solemnly greeted Jesus as the coming King.

Maundy Thursday - Christ establishes the Sacrament of the Eucharist in the Upper Room of Zion in Jerusalem. Nowadays, the Church remembers and again celebrates the Last Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ with His disciples and apostles. At the Last Supper, Christ established the main sacrament of the Christian faith - the Eucharist (which translated from Greek means “thanksgiving”), during which all the faithful partake of the Body and Blood of Christ Himself. Without Communion, the Church teaches, there is no true Christian life; According to the faith of the Church, in this sacrament the most complete union of man with God occurs, as far as possible on earth. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) describe this day as the day of unleavened bread, that is, the Jewish Passover. Thus, at the Last Supper, the Old Testament Passover - lamb, wine and unleavened bread - is mystically associated with the New Testament - Christ, His Body and Blood.

Good Friday - according to tradition, before Easter, Pontius Pilate wanted to release one prisoner, in the hope that the people would ask for Jesus. However, incited by the high priests, the people demand the release of Barabbas. John emphasizes that the crucifixion occurs on the day of Easter, since the slaughter of the Paschal sacrificial lamb on the Old Testament Passover is a prototype of the New Testament Passover - the slaughter of Christ as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. Just as the bones of the Passover lamb (firstborn and without blemish) should not be broken, so Christ’s legs are not broken, unlike others executed. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, having asked Pilate to bury the body of Jesus, wrap it in a shroud soaked in incense and place it in the nearest tomb - a cave until the Sabbath rest.

Holy Saturday - the high priests, remembering that Christ spoke about his resurrection on the third day, despite the current holiday and Saturday, turn to Pilate to set a guard for three days so that the disciples do not steal the body, thereby depicting the resurrection of the teacher from the dead.

Resurrection of Christ (the first day after Saturday) - after the Sabbath rest, the Myrrh-Bearing Women go to the tomb. In front of them, an Angel descends to the tomb and rolls away the stone, an earthquake occurs, and the guards are thrown into fear. The angel tells the wives that Christ has risen and will precede them to Galilee.

After 8 days (Anti-Easter, Fomina Week) Christ again appears to the disciples, among whom is Thomas, through a closed door. Jesus tells Thomas to put his fingers into the wounds to verify the reality of the resurrected body. Thomas exclaims “My Lord and my God!”

Over the next forty days Christ appears to the disciples on the Sea of ​​Tiberias (in Galilee) while fishing, where he restores the apostleship of Peter, as well as to more than five hundred other people.

On the fortieth day after the resurrection Jesus ascends to heaven, blessing the apostles.

On the fiftieth day after the resurrection The apostles, according to the promise of the Lord, receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

These events formed the basis of the liturgical calendar.


Titian, London National Gallery
Mary Magdalene was the first to see the resurrected Jesus, at first she mistook him for a gardener, but when she recognized him, she rushed to touch him. Christ did not allow her to do this (“Do not touch Me”), but ordered her to announce his resurrection to the apostles

Easter date calculation

The general rule for calculating the date of Easter is: “Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon.” The spring full moon is the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox. Both Easter - Alexandria and Gregorian - are based on this principle.

The date of Easter is determined from the relationship between the lunar and solar calendars (lunisolar calendar).

The complexity of the calculation is due to the mixture of independent astronomical cycles and a number of requirements:

Circulation of the Earth around the Sun (date of vernal equinox);

The revolution of the Moon around the Earth (full moon);

The established day of celebration is Sunday.

If the full moon is earlier than March 21, then the next full moon (+ 30 days) is considered Easter. If the Easter full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday.

However, the Orthodox and Catholic Church use different Paschals, causing the same rule to result in different dates.

Orthodox Easter is calculated according to the Alexandrian Paschal; the date of the first day of Easter (Easter Week) can fall on any of the days in the period from March 22 until April 25 in the Julian calendar (which in the 20th-21st centuries corresponds to the period from April 4 to May 8 according to the New Style). In the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches, the date of Easter is calculated according to the Gregorian Easter. In the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church carried out a calendar reform, the purpose of which was to bring the calculated date of Easter into accordance with the observed phenomena in the sky (by this time the old Easter already gave dates for full moons and equinoxes that did not correspond to the real positions of the luminaries.

The discrepancy between the dates of Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter is caused by the difference in the date of church full moons, and the difference between solar calendars (13 days in the 21st century). Catholic Easter in 30% of cases coincides with Orthodox Easter, in 45% of cases it is ahead of it by a week, in 5% - by 4 weeks, and in 20% - by 5 weeks. There is no difference between 2 and 3 weeks.

Easter Sunday dates
2001-2020

year

Catholic

Orthodox

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Regarding Easter, all-moving holidays are celebrated in the sequence of Gospel events:

Lazarev Saturday ;

Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - a week before Easter;

Holy Week - the week before Easter;

Easter - Holy Resurrection of Christ ;

Easter week (Antipascha in Orthodoxy, Octave of Easter in Catholicism) - the appearance of the risen Christ to the disciples on the 8th day of Easter and the belief of Thomas;

Ascension of the Lord - the fortieth day after Easter;

Pentecost - the fiftieth day after Easter (in Orthodoxy it coincides with Holy Trinity Day ).

Easter or the Resurrection of Christ is an ancient holiday for the entire Orthodox world. It is considered the most important religious holiday of the year. On this day, festive services and breaking the fast after Lent are held.

This is a holiday that moves by date. Calculated according to the lunar calendar. Passover is celebrated after the Jewish Passover, on the first Sunday after the full moon, which in turn first occurred after the spring equinox. The holiday falls on the time interval from March 22 to April 25 according to the Julian calendar. Easter commemorates the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Gospel says that on Friday of Holy Week the Lord was crucified on the cross and buried. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, women came to the Holy Sepulcher. One of them was the sinner Mary Magdalene. They discovered that the coffin was empty. Then two men came down to them and asked why they were looking for the living among the dead. In addition, the holiday is associated with pagan beliefs about the revival of nature after winter, life and renewal. You can learn the history of the holiday from the primary source – the Bible, in the book “Exodus”. The name "Passover" comes from the Hebrew word "passover", which means "to jump over something." So the Lord “jumped over” the houses of the Jews when He sent troubles and struck the firstborn of Egypt because the Egyptian Pharaoh did not want to free the Jewish people from slavery. This day began to be called Easter. The word acquired a new meaning after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ on the eve of the Jewish Passover. Divine services in the temple take place at night from Saturday to Sunday. The service consists of several parts:
  1. "Midnight Office" Dedicated to the prayer of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Midnight Blagovest - the ringing of bells announces the Resurrection. Candles and lamps are lit. Priests in white rank sing “Angels in Heaven...”. Then a religious procession is held. Eggs, Easter cakes, Easter cottage cheese and everything that is prepared for the festive table are blessed.
  2. “Matins” begins after returning to the temple and opening the “gates of heaven.” Prayers are fulfilled proclaiming the resurrection and victory of Christ. After the hymn they say the Easter greeting - “Christ is Risen!”, and answer - “Truly He is Risen!”. They kiss three times and exchange colored eggs.
  3. Following Matins, the festive liturgy begins. It ends with illumination of kvass bread - artos.


After church, people gather around the family table for a festive breaking of the fast. According to tradition, you need to start your meal with a blessed Easter egg and Easter cake or Easter cake. Traditionally, the festive table should be generous, consisting of 48 dishes - for each day of Lent. Traditional family meals are usually prepared. Festive dishes need to be placed correctly on the table. Products blessed in the church are placed in the center. 12 colored eggs are placed in a circle on a dish with greens, and one white one, a symbol of Jesus and the apostles, is placed in the center. The main symbol of Easter is colored eggs. The roots of the tradition lie in the legend of how Mary Magdalene came with the news of the resurrection of Christ to Emperor Tiberius and presented a white egg as a gift. The emperor replied that resurrection is impossible, just as it is impossible to change the color of an egg from white to red. But the egg turned red - a symbol of the blood of Jesus. The egg symbolizes life, renewal, prosperity. Coloring eggs has grown into a whole artistic and applied direction. Natural eggs, wooden, porcelain, paper, and precious metals are painted. There are many styles and techniques of painting. The most common in Russia are krashenki - multi-colored plain eggs and pysanka - colored eggs painted with patterns. The patterns are symbolic and continue the theme of rebirth. Easter is a pyramid-shaped cottage cheese pie. The shape symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher. The abbreviation ХВ must be present.


Easter cake is a sweet bread made with yeast dough with lots of eggs and butter. That is why Easter cakes do not go stale for a long time. The more richly decorated the holiday bread is, the more prosperous the year will be and the better the harvest. The holiday cake is a symbol of the breaking of bread by Jesus at the supper with the apostles. Bread is baked on Maundy Thursday. On the holiday, they exchange Easter cakes with relatives and friends, and serve them to the poor and needy. An important symbol of Easter is the Holy Fire. It is taken out from the Holy Sepulcher in the Temple of Jerusalem every year on the Saturday before the holiday. Symbolizes the emergence of light from the Holy Sepulcher, the resurrection of Jesus.

Different countries have a wide variety of traditions for celebrating Easter. They dance, dance in circles, sing folk holiday songs, beat and roll eggs at speed, and make wishes. Easter brings together close and distant relatives, of different ages and social levels, at the festive table; grievances and misunderstandings remain forgotten in the past. The holiday unites souls, gives hope and love to people.

Children about Easter

About Easter for children

We will tell you about the history of the holiday Easter, about Easter traditions and treats. Let's talk about Easter traditions in different countries. Let's answer the question: why are eggs painted for Easter and blessed in church?

The Orthodox call this day “the holiday of holidays,” “the triumph of triumphs.”

This is the most important day of the Orthodox church year. Literally translated into Russian, the word “Easter” means “transition.” This is the resurrection (transition) of Jesus Christ from the dead, this is the transition from darkness to light, this is the victory of good over evil.

Easter It is celebrated not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by representatives of other branches of Christianity. There are similar holidays in other religions.

Even many non-believers celebrate the holiday of holidays, because Easter is the beginning of spring, the awakening of nature.

Easter does not have an exact celebration date. Every year it is calculated according to a special church calendar.

From the history of Easter

On the third day after the burial of Christ, early on Sunday morning, several women went to the tomb (to the cave) to bring incense intended for the body of Jesus. As they approached, they saw that the large stone blocking the entrance to the coffin had been rolled away, the coffin 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's not here. He has risen, as he said,” the Angel addressed the frightened women. With fear and joy, the women hastened to tell the Apostles about what they had seen. “And behold, Jesus met them and said: Rejoice! And they came, grabbed His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus says to them: Do not be afraid; go, tell my brothers, so that they go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” On the bright holiday of Easter, the Church calls on believers to “purify their senses and see Christ, shining with the impregnable light of the resurrection, and, singing the song of victory, hear clearly from Him: “Rejoice!”

A week before Easter, the entire Orthodox world celebrates Palm Sunday.

From the history of Palm Sunday

A week before Easter, the Lord and his disciples went to Jerusalem. Approaching the Mount of Olives, the Lord asked his disciples to bring a donkey and a donkey from a nearby village. Then he mounted a donkey and went to Jerusalem. Many people spread their clothes before him, while others cut branches from trees and laid them in Jesus' path. All the people glorified the Lord with loud shouts. Jerusalem greeted him at the entrance with green branches and shouts of “Hosanna!” (the rescue).

And today, Orthodox Christians stand with willow trees and candles during Matins on Palm Sunday. Christians glorify the Lord with the words: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Easter is preceded by seven weeks Great Lent. The Church invites parishioners to think less at this time about physical benefits and more about spiritual ones.

The week before Easter is called Holy Week(week). Each day of the week is associated with the events of the last days of Christ’s earthly life.

Maundy Monday And Maundy Tuesday- a recollection of the last conversations of Jesus Christ with the people and disciples. These days in Rus' they clean houses, bake Easter cakes and cook eggs.

Great Wednesday. One of the twelve apostles of Christ, Judas Iscariot, being greedy for money, came to the high priests and said: “What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They were delighted and offered him 30 pieces of silver. Since that time, Judas has been looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus Christ not in front of the people.

On Great Wednesday, during the evening service, the sacrament of consecration of oil, or unction, is performed.

Maundy Thursday- establishment of the sacrament of holy communion, betrayal of Judas. On Thursday of Holy Week, the most important gospel event is remembered in the divine service: the Last Supper, at which the Lord established the New Testament sacrament of holy communion.

On Maundy Thursday, when the Easter cakes are already baked, the house is in order and nothing earthly distracts us, Orthodox people go to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the morning liturgy, in remembrance of that very first Communion, which was established by the Savior at the Last Supper in Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday is not Maundy Thursday because on this day they go to the bathhouse or wipe the dust off furniture, but because people come to church to confess and take communion.

Great heel(Friday) - death of Jesus Christ on the cross, death of Judas. The final trial of Jesus Christ by Pilate, the scourging of the Savior. Jews accept responsibility for the death of the Lord on themselves and their descendants. The Savior with the cross goes to Golgotha. Crucifixion of the Lord at 12 noon. Darkness over the whole earth from 12 to 3 o'clock. At 3 o'clock - the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Earthquake. A warrior pierces the Savior's rib with a spear. Joseph takes off Christ's body and wraps it in a shroud. Burial of the Savior in a cave.

There is no liturgy on Good Friday, because on this day the Lord himself sacrificed himself, and the “Royal Hours” are celebrated.

At Vespers, the clergy lift the shroud (i.e., the image of Christ lying in the tomb) from the throne, as if from Golgotha, and carry it out of the altar into the middle. This is done in remembrance of the removal of Christ’s body from the cross and its burial.

On this day, you must definitely come to the Holy Shroud with your whole family, with your children and grandchildren, and bring even the little ones to this shrine. And in prayer, thank the Savior, who took upon himself the sins of the entire human race, and therefore each of us!

Holy Saturday- the day of remembrance of the presence of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ in the tomb, where it was laid by those who removed the Savior from the Cross, Joseph and Nicodemus. A special sign of the significance of Holy Saturday is the annual miraculous ignition of the Holy Fire in the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, which occurs on this day. The receipt of the Holy Fire from ancient times to the present day by the Patriarch of Jerusalem in front of a huge crowd of believers is one of the visible evidence of the truth of the Christian faith and gospel history.

For believers, Holy Saturday is a time of preparation for the celebration of the greatest holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Usually on this day, after the morning service in churches, the consecration of Easter cakes, Easter cakes and eggs for breaking the fast on Easter day begins.

Typically, consecration is performed like this: believers place their offerings (placed in a bag, plate or small basket) on a special table in the temple, inserting a candle into the Easter cake that is lit before the consecration begins. The priest reads a special prayer and sprinkles the offerings with holy water. At midnight, while singing the stichera “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior,” a procession of the cross takes place around the temple. Then, with the doors closed, Easter Matins begins, and finally the clergy and worshipers enter the church. Joyful cries: “Christ is risen!” - will be heard all this bright day. The royal doors of the main altar will be open throughout the next week, in memory of the fact that when the Lord rose again, the sun did not set for a whole week, just as the sky will be open for another seven days.

This is how the Monk Theodore the Studite said about Easter: “Why do we wait so impatiently for Easter, which comes and goes? Haven't we celebrated it many times before? And this one will come and go - in the present age there is nothing permanent, but our days pass like a shadow, and life runs like a messenger gallops. And so on until we reach the end of real life.

So, someone might ask, shouldn’t we rejoice at Easter? - No, on the contrary, let's enjoy it much more - but that Easter that happens every day. What kind of Easter is this? - Cleansing of sins, contrition of heart, tears of vigil, clear conscience, mortification of earthly members: fornication, impurity, passions, evil desires and all other evil. Whoever is worthy to achieve all this celebrates Easter not just once a year, but every day.”

Easter traditions

On the eve of Easter, people bake in the house Easter cakes and paint the eggs with onion skins. You can paint eggs with multi-colored special dyes that are sold in stores, you can paint them with a thin brush, and stick beautiful stickers on them. Painted eggs look even brighter against the background of green grass, and a plate with grass is easy to prepare yourself. This is a fun creative activity.

Why are eggs painted and blessed at Easter?

Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, preaching to Emperor Tiberius, encountered disbelief on his part. He told her: “A person cannot be resurrected, just as a white egg cannot itself become red.” And then the Lord gave such a sign that the white egg turned red, thereby confirming the preaching of Mary Magdalene. Therefore, on Easter, people traditionally paint, bless eggs and give them to each other.

By the way, there is a more prosaic explanation for where the custom of painting eggs with onion skins came from at Easter. During Lent, eggs could not be eaten as food - this is not a Lenten dish. But the chickens did not know about this and continued to lay eggs. There were no refrigerators then, and our wise ancestors noticed that if you boil eggs in onion skins, they can be stored for several weeks.

The festive Easter table is beautiful and joyful. It's fun to come up with new ways to decorate it. The main decoration of the table is, of course, Easter cakes and Easter cakes. If the Easter cakes are bought in a store, you should take the time to decorate them with icing and generously sprinkle them with colorful sugar. Then even store-bought cakes will look original.

Plate for Easter

Ten days before Easter, you need to pour a little earth into the bottom of a beautiful deep plate. The soil is sold in flower shops. Mix wheat or oat grains with the soil. They can also be bought at the market or in a store. Pour the mixture until it is like a thin paste and keep in a warm room, watering from time to time. When the seeds begin to sprout, the blades of grass will stretch towards the light, and the plate must be turned frequently to ensure that the grass grows straight. By Easter, the plate will be covered with thick green grass, on which you can put painted eggs.

EASTER TRADITIONS OF OTHER COUNTRIES

Belgium. The children are told that the bells are silent until Easter, because they have left for Rome and will return with a rabbit and eggs.

Greece. The soundtrack of the holiday also has an evangelical meaning. While reading the Gospel story about the death and resurrection of Christ, as soon as the earthquake in Jerusalem is mentioned, an unimaginable noise arises in the church. The parishioners, having waited, begin to hit the wooden stairs with sticks, and the elderly rattle the seats of the benches. The man-made “earthquake” thus symbolizes the opening (opening) of the tomb at the resurrection of Christ.

Bulgaria. Hundreds of large and small clay pots made before the holiday, decorated with good wishes, are thrown from the upper floors to commemorate the Easter victory over evil. Any passerby can take a shard from a broken pot for good luck.

Ukraine. On Easter Monday, the boys pour water on the girls, and the girls “take revenge” on them for this on Tuesday.

Family Easter customs

As a rule, many relatives and friends gather for the Easter table. We should try to prepare an Easter gift for everyone: a beautiful egg and a small Easter cake.

For centuries, a favorite Easter game in Rus' was egg rolling. This game was arranged like this: they installed a wooden or cardboard “skating rink” (slide) and cleared a flat area around it, on which they laid out colored eggs, toys, and simple souvenirs. The playing children approached the “skating rink” one by one and each rolled their own egg. The prize was the object that the egg touched. Why not revive this custom? The “skating rink” can be made from any suitable board, for example from a bookshelf taken out of a closet.

Even at Easter, it is customary to “clink” eggs with each other, hitting the opponent’s egg with the blunt or sharp end of a colored hard-boiled egg. The one whose egg is not cracked wins.

It is customary to celebrate Christ on Easter. Old and young, children and adults, men and women kiss each other three times. It is customary for the younger ones to say “Christ is Risen!” They greeted them first, and the elders answered them: “Truly He is Risen.”

In Russia, as in other Orthodox countries, after the silence of the bells during Holy Days, the gospel rings especially solemnly on Easter itself. Throughout Bright Week - the week after Easter - anyone can climb the bell tower and ring in honor of the Resurrection of Christ.

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