So what’s the speciality of 21st April 2019? Well, the day is extremely important for at least 1.5 billion people who are preparing to welcome their most important annual festival. The 21st of April, 2019 is going to be celebrated as ‘Easter Sunday’ by Christians all over the world. ‘Christmas’ is like a household term everywhere, but did you know that Easter is actually the more important festival in the Christian religion? So what does Easter really signify, when is it celebrated and how is it celebrated? For the answers to this and a lot more, read on.
The Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God and that he died for the sake of the whole world. Jesus was crucified and is believed to have risen or resurrected from the dead on the third day after his death. Easter is celebrated to commemorate this event. The days preceding Easter are a time of prayer and penance for Christians. This is known as the period of Lent. It comes up to 40 days excluding the Sundays. During this period, the believers remember Jesus Christ’s 40 day fast in the desert. Many stay away from meat and eggs during this period. Some totally keep away from meals as well during certain days. The week preceding Easter is called the Holy Week. The important days of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday fall in this week. Special importance is given to charity during the period of Lent.
So after 40 days of fasting, Easter is the day that the believers break the fast with sumptuous meals and celebrations.
The Pagan origins
But is Easter purely a creation of Christians? Well, there are few who claim otherwise. They attribute it to pagan cultures which were prominent even before the period of Jesus. Easter is said to take its name from the Anglo-Saxon Goddess Eostre who is associated with the vernal equinox. It is also claimed that what is celebrated as Easter today is, in fact, a modification of the celebrations of the Teutonic tribes who worshipped their Goddess Ostara. The goddess is associated with fertility and rebirth.
The Date
So what about the date? Easter is always celebrated on a Sunday and the date is determined based on the March equinox. The Sunday after the first full moon following the March equinox is celebrated as Easter.
The Festivities
As mentioned earlier, Easter is associated with a great deal of celebration, especially as it comes after a long period of fasting. Delicious food is prepared and families indulge in mouth-watering meals together. In some places, the passion of Christ and resurrection is enacted out.
But Easter eggs are by far the most popular festivity of the day. Easter egg hunts are organised for kids. In the USA, the President organises an Easter egg hunt at the White House. Initially, real eggs were painted and used for the celebrations. Over the course of time confectionery started to be used for making the eggs. Chocolates, toys and other goodies are placed inside the eggs. The Easter bunny is another important tradition associated with the day. It is basically like the Santa Claus of Easter. People dress up as the Easter bunny and give gifts to the children. In Australia, since rabbits cause harm to agriculture, they have replaced the Easter Bunny with the Easter Bilby.
Easter is a celebration of the victory of good over evil. It spreads the message of love. So this year round, get out your hunting hats and go get yourselves some easter eggs.
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