Celebrating Easter

Easter is an important Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This takes place on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox.* Easter also marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and reflection observed in the lead up to this holiday. Easter is celebrated by approximately 2.18 billion people across the globe as of 2010.†

Palm Sunday

This day marks the start of the Holy Week, the period between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. It commemorates Jesus Christ's 'triumphant' entry into Jerusalem.‡ Christians celebrate this day by waving palm branches as part of the church service. The palm branches symbolise victory, triumph, peace and eternal life.

Good Friday

This day observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday and commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It's a serious day that is observed by attending church services and reflecting on Jesus' suffering and death. §

Easter Sunday

This day celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and symbolises his victory over sin and death. Worshippers attend church services where there is the singing of special hymns and partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

History and Significance

The Holy Week is an important and spiritual time for Christians. The key days in this time period takes them through Christ's suffering, death and finally leads to the joy of his resurrection. The focus of this week is reflecting on themes of sacrifice, forgiveness and eternal life. Christians get closer to Jesus Christ through prayer and worship with the final day, Easter Sunday, a celebration of Christ's resurrection.

Traditions and Rituals

Easter, also known as Pascha for the Orthodox community, shares many elements with other Christian traditions. There are specific customs and rituals that are unique to the Orthodox Church. Here are some key traditions:

Lent
In the lead up to Easter, Christians fast for 40 days, except Sundays. They give up certain foods, temptations and or bad habits in commemoration of Jesus Christ's 40 day fast in the wilderness.

Midnight Service (Paschal Vigil)
This is a church service that happens at midnight on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. This service marks the transition into the joyous celerbation of Jesus Christ's resurrection. It is a night of prayer and celebration with the highlight of the service being the lighting of the Paschal Candle to represent the resurrection of Christ.

Easter Feast (Paschal Meal)
This happens after the Paschal Vigil. Christians gather for a feast to break their Lenten fast. They celebrate the resurrection of Christ by eating food that symbolise Christ's body such as meat. dairy and red-dyed eggs.

Other Easter Traditions

• Red Dye Eggs: Dyeing eggs red symbolises the blood of Christ. After dyeing the eggs Christians crack the eggs open to represent the resurrection of Jesus.
• Visiting the Cemetery: In some cultures, families visit the graves of their loved ones on Easter to light candles, leave flowers and say prayers for the souls of the departed.
• Church services, including a midnight vigil.
• Easter egg hunts.
• Easter meals, such as lamb or ham.
• The Easter Bunny bringing treats.
• Easter bonnets and parades.
• Spring cleaning.

References

* 'The origins of Easter', The University of Sydney

† "Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population" (PDF), Pew Research Center

‡ 'What is Holy Week?' Trinity College - University of Melbourne

§ Ibid.