Easter on the Net - The Story of Easter

The Story of Easter

Easter is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But the celebrations of Easter have many customs and legends that are pagan in origin and have nothing to do with Christianity.

Scholars, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe the name Easter is thought to come from the Scandinavian "Ostra" and the Teutonic "Ostern" or "Eastre," both Goddesses of mythology signifying spring and fertility whose festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.

Traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.

The Christian celebration of Easter embodies a number of converging traditions with emphasis on the relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived Pasch, another name used by Europeans for Easter. Passover is an important feast in the Jewish calendar which is celebrated for 8 days and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets. (For more information please visit our Passover celebration - Passover on the Net).

Easter is observed by the churches of the West on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox (March 21). So Easter became a "movable" feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.

Christian churches in the East which were closer to the birthplace of the new religion and in which old traditions were strong, observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival.

Easter is at the end of the Lenten season, which covers a forty-six-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter. The Lenten season itself comprises forty days, as the six Sundays in Lent are not actually a part of Lent. Sundays are considered a commemoration of Easter Sunday and have always been excluded from the Lenten fast. The Lenten season is a period of penitence in preparation for the highest festival of the church year, Easter.

Holy Week, the last week of Lent, begins with the observance of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday takes its name from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet. Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion. Friday in Holy Week is the anniversary of the Crufixion, the day that Christ was crucified and died on the cross.

Holy week and the Lenten season end with Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Comments

Samuel from Italy

22:23 01/28/2012

Please, note that Easter has it's legend behind it and Passover has it's own legend behind it. Whatever God does, Satan also does the counterfeit of it. It is rather unfortunate that these two festivals coincide. Jesus did not commanded us to celebrate Easter, a celebration of a goddess Eastre, which was substituted by the Roman Empire Church but rather Passover as the Apostle Paul stated in 1Cor. 11:23. He continue in 1Cor.5:8 by saying "so let us keep the feast", what feast? The Passover Feast because Jesus our Passover had been sacrificed for us. The main message of the Passover be it the Mosaic period or the Messianic period is SALVATION - Israel was saved from physical slavery in Egypt and we are also saved from spiritual slavery of SIN and it is the blood that save us. In the Passover celebration there is nothing like Easter rabbit, burns, easter coloured eggs and so on. All these are polished paganism which was introduced by the Roman Catholic religion. I therefore counsel any one who will read this to consider the ff. verses and note them carefully if we want the blood of Jesus Christ to save us from all these easter accidents which the goddess eastre brings upon the saints:- 2Cor. 11:3-4; 1Tim. 4:1-2 and Dan. 7:25. Secondly, the month of Abib - Nissan - April, is not the fourth month of the year but rather the first month of the year, and Passover should be celebrated on the first month so that the blood of Jesus will save us from premature death, and all evils which the enemy will bring on our way throughout the year.

alexaa from California, US

18:21 11/29/2011

hi i think that you have to make us more claer what you want us to tell but it was auson in a wey i love all the decortation but i didnt ondersatan to mucho hahahha is just what i think jbiiie

b.raju from India

03:06 09/07/2011

this is a very good story.

Mr.Majola from South Africa

13:46 07/11/2011

The origin of easter holiday is not well defined in this article ,make more research on it.

Riontono from Kentucky, US

09:21 05/16/2011

Kool Info. but how did the bunny connect with jesues

Rosa

19:35 05/01/2011

wow! very basic info here, nothing deep...the "christian celebrations" reffered to here were actually instituted by the Catholic church(a man made organization) and aren't "christian" in nature. To really be a "christian" and observe TRUE "chritian" practices is in fact to be: a follower of Christ. Christ came first, not the Catholic relgion; therefore it is best(if you desire for him and others to see you as a christian, to just FOLLOW HIM and do as he says. It's actually way more fun!! I celebrate the ressurection of Christ also and am thankful in America I have the freedom to do so:)...I used to celebrate the easter bunny and eggs, not anymore, I found the real thing!...Here's the recipe for a great "Easter" (if you want to call it that): 1. Believe Jesus died on the cross for you and he is the only way to heaven. 2. Then become a "born again believer"( talk to Jesus...tell him that you believe and that you know you need him to forgive you and cleanse you and ask him to do so. He will, he never turns anyone away. 3. Now you can enjoy his ressurection as one of his forgiven children "a true christian":) and he'll be your best friend

samira from Mexico

14:51 04/29/2011

me agrada saber k muchos paises selebran el acrificio de JESUS aaa muy buena la inf

adela ramirez from California, US

22:13 04/25/2011

awesome website.. i like how theres lots of facts and how you give breif details about the subject. ;)

mireille from American Samoa

12:10 04/25/2011

ddin't understand :D

corey from Costa Rica

00:52 04/24/2011

que lindo todo esto!! Felices pascuas a todos!!! :3

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