Easter

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The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred three days after his crucifixion at Calvary.

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday). The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to have occurred between AD 26 and 36. Easter marks the end of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. The last week of the Lent is called Holy Week, and it contains Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Easter is followed by a fifty-day period called Eastertide or the Easter Season, ending with Pentecost Sunday.

Quotes[edit]

Lizzie Akers:O the Easter bells are gladly ringing,
Hear the shouts along the King’s highway;
Songs of praise the children, too, are singing,
Christ, the Lord of Life, is ris’n today.
Lizzie Akers:O the Easter bells are gladly ringing,
For the night of death has passed away,
Lo! the gates of morn are open swinging,
Christ, the Lord of Life, is ris’n today.
Bishop TD Jakes:Here is the amazing thing about Easter; the Resurrection Sunday for Christians is this, that Christ in the dying moments on the cross gives us the greatest illustration of forgiveness possible.
  • O the Easter bells are gladly ringing,
    Hear the shouts along the King’s highway;
    Songs of praise the children, too, are singing,
    Christ, the Lord of Life, is ris’n today.
    • Lizzie Akers, in "Easter Bells (Akers)".
  • O the Easter bells are gladly ringing,
    For the night of death has passed away,
    Lo! the gates of morn are open swinging,
    Christ, the Lord of Life, is ris’n today.
    • Lizzie Akers, in "Easter Bells (Akers)".
  • Easter. The word evidently comes from Ostara, the Scandinavian goddess of spring. She was the symbol of the resurrection of all nature and was worshipped in early spring. It was a custom with the pagan Norsemen at that time to exchange coloured eggs called the eggs of Ostara. These have now become Easter-Eggs. As expressed in Asgard and the Gods: “Christianity put another meaning on the old custom, by connecting it with the feast of the Resurrection of the Saviour, who, like the hidden life in the egg, slept in the grave for three days before he awakened to new life”. This was the more natural since Christ was identified with that same Spring Sun which awakens in all his glory, after the dreary and long death of winter.
  • Remember Jesus of Nazareth, staggering on broken feet out of the tomb toward the Resurrection, bearing on his body the proud insignia of the defeat which is victory, the magnificent defeat of the human soul at the hands of God.
  • Easter had come; the season of light and refreshment for universal nature! Winter, as he departed, had shrouded himself in a veil of gloomy mist, and spring followed close after fleeing abysmal clouds. She had sent forth the blasts, her messengers, to arouse the earth from its slumber; they roared above meadow and plain, waved their wings around the mighty summits of the mountain ranges, and stirred the sea to its depths. There was a savage conflict and turmoil in the air, whence issued, nevertheless, a note as of victory. The blasts were those of spring, and were instinct with life,—they heralded a resurrection.
  • God of mercy,
    you wash away our sins in water,
    you give us a new birth in the Spirit,
    and redeem us in the blood of Christ.
    As we celebrate Christ's resurrection,
    increase our awareness of these blessings,
    and renew your gift of life within us. We ask this through our Lord Jesus.
    • Gospel, in Word and Worship Workbook for Year C: For Ministry in Initiation, Preaching ...(1 January 1997)”, quoted by Mary Birmingham, p. 274
...See, He rises from the tomb,
Glowing with immortal bloom.
New Saint Joseph:...Help us to live as new people
in pursuit of the Christian ideal.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it.
  • Easter is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year....the greatest feast (festum festorum), and that Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter.
    • Leo I (Sermo xlvii in Exodum), quoted in Easter.
  • The Easter Morning
    The fasts are done;
    the Aves said;
    The moon has filled her horn;
    And in the solemn night I watch;
    Before the Easter morn.
    So pure, so still the starry heaven,
    So hushed the brooding air, I could hear the sweep of an angel's wings;br>If one should earthward fare.

Timing[edit]

  • Easter was first mentioned in a mid-second century Paschal homily believed to be written by Melito of Sandis (d.c.180) for reading aloud in the morning of Pascha, an earlier name for the feast. Originally, Easter was observed with Jweish Passover, but after the first council of Nicaea in 325 it was declared that Easter should be observed on Sunday, held to be the day of resurrection of Christ. The date was movable being the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
    • Melito of Sardus, in "1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think (29 October 2013)", p. 246.

Symbolism of Easter eggs[edit]

Melito of Sardus:...the egg symbolizes new life breaking through the seeming death of eggshell, represented by the hardness. This symbolic representation of the egg likely predated Christianity, but was adapted to represent Christ’s return from death and coming forth from the tomb.
Easter basket of candy eggs.
An Easter postcard depicting the Easter Bunny
  • Two of the most common symbols of Easter are the egg and the rabbit; and the egg symbolizes new life breaking through the seeming death of eggshell, represented by the hardness. This symbolic representation of the egg likely predated Christianity, but was adapted to represent Christ’s return from death and coming forth from the tomb.
    • Melito of Sardus, in "1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think (29 October 2013)", p. 246.
  • Because the use of eggs was forbidden during Lent, they were brought to the table on Easter Day, coloured red to symbolize the Easter joy. This custom is found not only in the Latin but also in the Oriental Churches. Coloured eggs are used by children at Easter in a sort of game which consists in testing the strength of the shells (Kraus,
    • Real-Encyklopædie, s.v. Ei), quoted in "Easter."
  • Hedwig didn't return until the end of the Easter holidays. Percy's letter was enclosed in a package of Easter eggs that Mrs. Weasley had sent. Both Harry's and Ron's were the size of dragon eggs, and full of home-made toffee. Hermione's, however, was smaller than a chicken's egg. Her face fell when she saw it. "Your mum doesn't read Witch's Weekly, by any chance, does she, Ron?" she asked quietly. "Yeah," said Ron, whose mouth was full of toffee. "Gets it for the recipes." Hermione looked sadly at her tiny egg.

Symbolism of Easter bunny[edit]

  • The Easter rabbit is also likely to hark back to cultures to cultures predating Christianity, for which the appearance of the rabbit in the landscape symbolized the coming of spring (itself symbolized by the animal’s renowned fertility). The rabbit has been adopted by many Christian cultures, but has not taken any specific Christian meaning comparable to that of the egg.
    • Melito of Sardus, in "1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think (29 October 2013)", p. 246.
  • The Easter Rabbit lays the eggs, for which reason they are hidden in a nest or in the garden. The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility.
    • Simrock, Mythologie, 551, quoted in "Easter."

Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations[edit]

Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 209-10.
  • Awake, thou wintry earth—
    Fling off thy sadness!
    Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
    Your ancient gladness!
    Christ is risen.
  • Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
    Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
    Stronger than the dark, the light;
    Stronger than the wrong, the right;
    Faith and Hope triumphant say
    Christ will rise on Easter Day.
  • Ye Heavens, how sang they in your courts,
    How sang the angelic choir that day,
    When from his tomb the imprisoned God,
    Like the strong sunrise, broke away?
  • Hail, Day of days! in peals of praise
    Throughout all ages owned,
    When Christ, our God, hell's empire trod,
    And high o'er heaven was throned.
    • Fortunatus (Bishop of Poictiers), Hail, Day of Days! in Peals of Praise.
  • Come, ye saints, look here and wonder,
    See the place where Jesus lay;
    He has burst His bands asunder;
    He has borne our sins away;
    * Joyful tidings,
    Yes, the Lord has risen to-day.
  • 'Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees
    Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy.
  • O chime of sweet Saint Charity,
    Peal soon that Easter morn
    When Christ for all shall risen be,
    And in all hearts new-born!
    That Pentecost when utterance clear
    To all men shall be given,
    When all shall say My Brother here,
    And hear My Son in heaven!
  • In the bonds of Death He lay
    Who for our offence was slain;
    But the Lord is risen to-day,
    Christ hath brought us life again,
    Wherefore let us all rejoice,
    Singing loud, with cheerful voice,
    Hallelujah!
  • Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
    On the third morning He arose,
    Bright with victory o'er his foes.
    Sing we lauding,
    And applauding,
    Hallelujah!
    • Hallelujah! Hallelujah! From the Latin of the 12th Century. J. M. Neale. Trans.
  • I think of the garden after the rain;
    And hope to my heart comes singing,
    "At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,
    And the Easter bells be ringing!"
  • The fasts are done; the Aves said;
    The moon has filled her horn
    And in the solemn night I watch
    Before the Easter morn.
    So pure, so still the starry heaven,
    So hushed the brooding air,
    I could hear the sweep of an angel's wings
    If one should earthward fare.
  • Spring bursts to-day,
    For Christ is risen and all the earth's at play.
  • God expects from men something more than at such times, and that it were much to be wished for the credit of their religion as well as the satisfaction of their conscience that their Easter devotions would in some measure come up to their Easter dress.
  • Christ is our Passover!
    And we will keep the feast
    With the new leaven,
    The bread of heaven:
    All welcome, even the least!
  • "Christ the Lord is risen to-day,"
    Sons of men and angels say.
    Raise your joys and triumphs high;
    Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply.
  • Jesus Christ is risen to-day,
    Our triumphant holy day;
    Who did once upon the cross
    Suffer to redeem our loss.
    Hallelujah!
    • Jesus Christ is Risen To-day. From a Latin Hymn of the 15th Century. Translator unknown.

External links[edit]

  • Encyclopedic article on Easter on Wikipedia
  • The dictionary definition of Easter on Wiktionary
  • Works related to Easter on Wikisource
  • Media related to Easter on Wikimedia Commons