Easter Sunday (also called Easter Day, Resurrection Day and Resurrection Sunday) is generally considered the most holy of Christian sacred days. The day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus following his death by crucifixion. For many Christians, the holiday also marks a day of personal renewal and of the renewal of their Christian faith.
Celebrated this year on April 12 (Western Christians) and on April 19 (Eastern Christians), Easter is a “moveable feast”, meaning it does not occupy a fixed date in relation to the civil calendar. The basic rule is that Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox (meaning the March equinox).
Easter Sunday observances include worship sunrise services, special music, feasting, and parades.
Note:Perhaps the most famous sunrise service in the United States is the Moravian Sunrise Service in Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC. The second part of the beautiful Easter Liturgy takes place in a graveyard (God's Acre) and includes the music of the Salem Congregation Band numbering more than 400 pieces.
As with holidays generally, there are many who bemoan the secularization and commercialization of Easter. We point out here that many of the symbols of Easter are far from being modern fabrications . . . and that some actually predate the holiday itself. By way of example:
The “Easter egg” predates the Christian holiday of Easter by at least several centuries. In Pagan times the egg was viewed as a symbol of rebirth and played an important role in many rite-of-Spring festivals. Rituals coming from an incredibly distant past include the wrapping of eggs in gold leaf or the coloring of eggs by boiling them with the leaves of plants and/or petals of certain flowers.
Traditional greeting: “Happy Easter”
The World Christian Encyclopedia (2001 edition) states that there are 2.1 billion Christians in the world. During this special time of Easter, we suggest that we each pause for a few moments and, in manners appropriate in our individual faith traditions and/or belief systems, send thoughts of love and good will to all of our Christian brothers and sisters.
Shalom Salaam Peace
Kay & Dave Corby, Founders Common Tables We have supplied information about Common Tables to individuals and/or organizations in 138 different countries/territories.
To learn more about the world’s faith traditions, including Christianity, we invite you to consider the books suggested in our online bookstore: The Higher Shelf.
