There is no fixed date when Catholics celebrate Easter. Every year you need to re-calculate the day on which, according to the scripture, the Ascension of Christ took place. In 2024, the Catholic holiday falls at the end of March - the 31st. Orthodoxy is accepted and most believers will meet the solemn event much later - May 5 or April 22, according to the old style.
When Catholics celebrate Easter
Determine the date on which the celebration of the Catholic Resurrection of Christ takes place, according to the Gregorian calendar. And he is 13 days ahead of the Julian accepted in Orthodoxy. Calculate the onset of Easter, taking into account some factors:
- it is impossible for the day to fall on Pesach - the holiday of the Jews;
- the date must necessarily coincide with the calendar Sunday - the first after the full moon, which follows the spring equinox.
This scheme is accepted in the Western and Eastern traditions of Christianity.
History of the celebration
In the first century after the crucifixion of the Messiah, Christians celebrated the event every week - they mourned the Savior on Friday and rejoiced at his ascension on Sunday. Annual celebrations began to be arranged starting from the 2nd century. However, there was no single date in the churches - the clergy simply adhered to the period associated with the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. It was proposed to celebrate the event on one date at the Council of Nicaea in 325
How is the holiday going
From Palm Sunday, preparations begin - they consecrate houses, put willow branches near the icons.On Ash Wednesday, during the litany, the priest sprinkles ashes on the heads of the parishioners. The ritual is a symbol of atonement for sins before the bright holiday. On this day, it was also customary to drown an effigy of Judas in the river. On Great Saturday, they bless the food that will be put on the table on Easter.
On the morning of Christ's Resurrection, a solemn mass is served. Before her 3 days spend festive litanies. On Saturday evening, a religious procession is held in the churchyard and a fire is kindled. Large wax candles, Easter, are lit from it, which believers take home.
Traditions
One of the main symbols of the holiday among Catholics are colored eggs. There are several legends explaining the custom:
- Brought them to the crucifixion by Mary Magdalene. The blood of the Savior fell on the shell and dyed it red.
- Mary Magdalene brought boiled eggs to feed the women who gathered at the cave with the body of Christ. When they found out that the Messiah was not in the tomb, the egg shell turned red.
- This is a pagan custom that was skillfully used when preaching Christianity.
The second symbol is Easter bunnies. The tradition originated in Europe and spread in the 18th century, when immigrants from Germany to the United States began to give children small marzipan bunnies.
According to legend, a kind woman used to hide colored eggs in her garden before Easter so that local children would find them. When the children found the gift, they saw the rabbit running away and thought that he was hatching these eggs.
How Catholics celebrate the holiday in different countries
Catholicism is the most common Christian denomination, so in many states there are large Catholic communities that celebrate Easter with special traditions:
- The US is hosting special Easter fashion shows that set the style for the coming months. The custom originated in the 19th century, when parishioners showed off their new outfits as they left the Fifth Avenue Church after the service.
- In Bermuda, colorful kites glued from tissue paper are released into the sky. The ritual symbolizes the Ascension of the Mission.
- In English, Peterli hosts an annual championship where everyone breaks colored eggs.
- In France, on the night before Easter Sunday, bonfires are burned to drive away evil spirits.
- Fireworks are traditionally launched in Florence. For the show, pyrotechnics are brought in a 300-year-old cart drawn by white bulls to the city's cathedral. The procession is accompanied by 150 band members and soldiers.
- In Germany they decorate wells with ribbons and create original fountains.
- In the Czech Republic, boys lightly beat girls passing by with rods. People believe that such punishment preserves beauty.
But the Christians of Norway celebrate the church holiday “more cheerfully”. In the days before the celebration, new detectives are released, and crime series are broadcast on TV.
Do's and Don'ts on Easter
The days preceding the solemn event, and Easter itself, should be celebrated with loved ones. On Saturday, the end of the 45-day Great Lent, so fast food is put on the table. Need more time to devote to spiritual practices and prayers.
Not allowed on the holiday week and on Sunday:
- slander, gossip, stir up conflicts;
- do simple household and hard physical work.
In 2024, Easter will be celebrated on March 31st. The celebration of the Catholics takes place with the reading of prayers in the church, with the gathering of the family at the same table. In different countries, believers adhere to special traditions. But all of them are aimed at emphasizing the bright atmosphere of the solemn event.
