For Christians, Easter is the main holiday of the year, Sunday is celebrated on this day.Jesus Christ… Initially, the date of the celebration of Easter caused controversy, since in the Roman tradition the emphasis was on the Resurrection of Christ, and in the Asia Minor tradition - on his suffering (Jesus was crucified on the day of the Jewish Passover - Passover). But the dispute was resolved in 325 at the I Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.
The Roman tradition won out. On that day, it was determined that the celebration of Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon. Moreover, this day should not coincide with the first day of the celebration of the Jewish Passover.
Why is Easter celebrated on Sunday?
This day of the week, in fact, was named in honor of the resurrection of Jesus. If there are different opinions about the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, based on different interpretations of the available sources, then with the day of Resurrection everything is unambiguous: it was the seventh day of the week according to the Julian calendar. According to the four Gospels, on Sunday at dawn, the myrrh-bearing women went to Jesus to anoint the body with incense, but found that he was resurrected.
Why is Easter celebrated after the first spring full moon?
The first spring full moon refers to the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The day of the full moon is determined on the basis of church tables, and the date of the equinox is tied to March 21 according to the Julian calendar (April 3 according to the current Gregorian). Because of this, real astronomical phenomena often occur on completely different days.
When determining the date of Passover for the next year, the Church relies not on Jewish traditions, according to which Jewish Passover occurs on the 14th day of the spring month of Nisan (according to the Hebrew calendar, this is the first month of the biblical year) on the full moon after the vernal equinox, but on knowledge and facts from Gospels - Jesus Christ was crucified on Passover, and resurrected three days later, on Sunday. And this happened after the full moon and the vernal equinox. If the Jews on Passover celebrate the Exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt and the liberation of the Jewish people, then Christians put a completely different meaning in Easter - for them it is a holiday in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
What date will Easter fall in 2022?
Catholics and Orthodox use different calendars when counting: in the first case, the Gregorian, and in the second, the Julian. Therefore, it turns out that Catholics start from the spring equinox on March 21 according to the new style, and the Orthodox - from the date according to the old one (i.e. the real date is April 3). Thus, in 2022 Easter will be:
- for Orthodox Christians - April 24;
- for Catholics - April 17.
Easter in other years
| Year | date | |
|---|---|---|
| Easter 2023 | 2023 | Sunday 9 April |
| Easter 2024 | 2024 | Sunday 31 March |
| Easter 2025 | 2025 | Sunday 20 April |
| Easter 2026 | 2026 | Sunday 5 April |
| Easter 2027 | 2027 | Sunday 28 March |
| Easter 2028 | 2028 | Sunday 16 April |
How to prepare for Easter
So, now it is clear who and when will celebrate Easter in 2021 and 2022. Then it's time to answer a more interesting question - how are different peoples preparing for this holiday.
It is no secret that one and the same event is always refracted through the prism of cultural characteristics and spiritual wealth of people living in this or that corner of the planet. A classic example is New Years. The essence of the holiday is the same, but there are thousands of ways to celebrate it.
As for the bright Easter, here too we can reveal a lot of interesting details. We should start with how different nations are preparing for the meeting of the main Christian holiday:
- In Russia and other countries with a large number of Orthodox brothers and sisters, it is customary to paint eggs in advance and bake Easter cakes, which are called the cute word "pasta".It is often purchased in stores, but it is much more interesting to make Easter bread yourself. By the way, it has long been noted that if you knead the dough correctly and fulfill the entire recipe, the cake will remain fresh for several days, even wrapped in a towel.
- In Germany, the countries of Scandinavia and some other European countries, one interesting tradition has existed for a long time and is now loved. Parents purchase delicious chocolate eggs, as well as figures of chickens and bunnies in advance. They take a wicker Easter basket, put greens in it, and on top - colorful sweets. The next morning the basket is on the baby's table. And often they even hide it in the house or in the garden - let the children find the candy themselves.
- And in many European countries, it is customary to send postcards with the image of the Easter bunny. According to legend, it is he who rolls painted chicken eggs with his paws. There is even a belief that this animal was once a chicken, which the evil goddess Estra turned into a hare. Nevertheless, he has not lost his cheerfulness and continues to lay eggs every Easter.
Of course, there are common traditions that unite countries, peoples and continents. For example:
- On the eve of Bright Resurrection, everyone is trying to bring complete order to the house. It is considered bad form to wash floors, dishes and do other work directly on a holiday. It is better to take care of this on Thursday, because on Friday the Savior will be crucified.
- Of course, you should put yourself in order too. On such days, the purity of the soul and body must be impeccable. In addition to the usual hygienic procedures, believers try to pay attention to prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures.
- Divine services continue throughout Easter days. And every believer seeks to visit them. During the all-night vigil, as well as the next day, people must bring with them cakes and eggs - they are consecrated and brought to the table. It is interesting that Catholics, for example, have a tradition to light a large Easter candle - Easter. Everyone can take a piece of this fire - they bring candles to him and carefully carry them home. The main service is planned for Great Saturday - after all, it is after its end that everyone will joyfully exclaim: “Christ is risen! Truly resurrected! " After that, the Procession of the Cross takes place, and the believers go home, trying to share their joy with all relatives and friends.
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