Easter, translated from Greek as “deliverance”, serves as a reminder that Christ, having suffered all the sufferings for the human race, rose on the third day after the burial. Easter in England, Russia or Italy is the main Christian holiday, which is expected annually by millions of believers around the world. On this great day for all Orthodox, believers triumph for the deliverance of the son of God from torment and the granting of eternal life to people. Easter is celebrated, as a rule, on one of the Sundays of spring. Why is Easter celebrated at different times every year?
Based on the message of the New Testament, the death of Jesus Christ occurred at the celebration of the Jewish Passover, which was always noted earlier after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Since all the months of the Jewish calendar used to begin on the new moon, the full moon always fell on the 14th, and the first month of the year began on the first spring full moon, that is, Jewish Passover was always celebrated on the next full moon after this date, so the day of Easter celebration could shift. In the IV century, they tried to choose a common date at which the features of calculating the Jewish Passover of the time of Jesus would be preserved. Thus, the "mobile" date of the great Christian holiday was established, and now everyone knows why Easter is celebrated at different times.
Major Easter Traditions
House cleaning
It is believed that all housework needs to be done three days before the holiday. Knowing why Easter is celebrated at different times, the date of its onset is easy to calculate. On Thursday, before the long-awaited day, believers wash windows and floors to let in more light on the Great Holiday. In Russia, there were many traditions associated with Pure Thursday. The Christians cleaned the house and yard from dirt and debris, they smoked a room, a garden and pets by the juniper, trying to scare away the ailment and misfortunes. Then people bathed in a bath, and the girls scratched their braids under the apple trees to make their hair grow thicker. And to this day it is believed that on Friday you can’t do anything, not even wash.
Easter table
Bright Easter brought us many beautiful traditions that are loved today by Orthodox Christians. The main dishes that stand on the table are Easter cakes and colored eggs. Few people bake Easter cakes today, because they are easy to buy in the store. Eggs were also customarily painted with purchased stickers. Many have already forgotten where the tradition of giving colored eggs came from . This custom came to us from St. Mary Magdalene, who, after the ascension of Christ, presented the emperor Tiberius with a red egg, a symbol of the life-giving death of Jesus, before her sermon began. Just as a clean egg appears from beneath a hard shell, so Jesus rose from the tomb for eternal life.
Why is Easter celebrated at different times? The question is not the most important for Christians. For many today, this is an occasion to gather at a holiday table as a family, break eggs, give Easter cakes, greeting each other with traditional phrases: “Christ is risen!” “Truly risen!”