Easter

Names used in other languages.
. Names derived from the Hebrew Pesach (Passover):. There is some concern that this will lead to the same kind of situation as products approved by the corporation associated with the Atkins diet—that some products will most certainly fall outside the scope of the diet. Names related to Eostremonat (Eostre Month):. Agatson wherein Kraft will begin producing a variety of foods that meet the requirements of the South Beach Diet. Some suggest an etymological relationship between Eostre and the Sumerian goddess Ishtar ([1] (http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html) [2] (http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract1.html) [3] (http://www.pathlights.com/theselastdays/tracts/tract_22n.htm) [4] (http://www.tiral.com/2004/04/the_origins_of_.html)) and the possibility that aspects of an ancient festival accompanied the name, claiming that the worship of Bel and Astarte was anciently introduced into Britain, and that the hot cross buns of Good Friday and dyed eggs of Easter Sunday figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do now. In 2004, a deal was made between Kraft Foods and Dr.

They were a widespread symbol of rebirth and resurrection and thus might have been adopted from any number of sources. It discourages the eating of overly refined foods, particularly refined flours and sugars. However, the giving of eggs at spring festivals was not restricted to Germanic peoples and could be found among the Persians, Romans, Jews and the Armenians. It suggests whole grains and large amounts of vegetables, along with adequate amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 oils. This practice might explain the incorporation of Eostre traditions into the Christian holiday. This diet emphasizes making a permanent change in one's way of eating. The Pope sanctions such conversion tactics as biblically acceptable, pointing out that God did much the same thing with the ancient Israelites and their pagan sacrifices. Saturated and trans fats are bad.

The Pope suggests that (http://www.englishheathenism.homestead.com/popesletter.html) converting heathens is easier if they are allowed to retain the outward forms of their traditional pagan practices and traditions, while recasting those traditions spiritually towards the one true God instead of to their pagan gods (whom the Pope refers to as "devils"), "to the end that, whilst some gratifications are outwardly permitted them, they may the more easily consent to the inward consolations of the grace of God". Good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastic History of the English People") contains a letter from Pope Gregory I to Saint Mellitus, who was then on his way to England to conduct missionary work among the heathen Anglo-Saxons. Eating fiber or fat with carbohydrates will slow their digestion. He also cites various place names in Germany as being evidence of Ostara, but critics contend that the close etymological relationship between Ostara and the words for 'east' and 'dawn' could mean that these place names referred to either of those two things rather than a goddess. Other preferred carbohydrates are ones that have more nutritional value than the alternatives (ie, brown rice is allowed in moderation, but white rice is discouraged). Amongst other traditions, Grimm connected the 'Ostern Hare' (Easter Bunny) and Easter Eggs to the goddess Ostara/Eostre. Good carbohydrates have a low glycemic index, that is, they are digested and absorbed slowly.

Others point to Grimm's stated intent to gather and record oral traditions which might otherwise be lost as explanation for the lack of further documentation. The diet also emphasizes the difference between good and bad carbohydrates, combinations of foods, and good and bad fats. Again, because of a lack of written documentation, critics suggest that Grimm took Bede's mention of a goddess Eostre at face value and constructed the goddess Ostara around existing Germanic customs which may have arisen independantly. The more strict Phase 1 may be reinstituted if the person feels they have developed cravings for foods they shouldn't have. Jakob Grimm took up the question of Eostre in his Deutsche Mythologie of 1835, noting that Ostaramanoth was etymologically related to Eostremonat and writing of various landmarks and customs related to the goddess Ostara in Germany. By the time the dieter has lost the desired weight, they should be having three servings of whole grains and three servings of fruit a day. The debate receives considerable attention because the name 'Easter' is derived from Eostremonat, and thus, according to Bede, from the pagan goddess Eostre. After this phase, grain-based foods and fruits are gradually returned to the diet, although in smaller amounts than were likely eaten before beginning the diet, and with a concentration on foods with a low glycemic index, such as whole grains instead of refined flour.

Others note that Bede's status as "the Father of English History", having been the author of the first substantial history of England ever written, might make the lack of additional mention for a goddess whose worship had already died out by Bede's time unsurprising. In the initial phase, lasting a few weeks, dieters attempt to eliminate cravings for "bad carbohydrates" by eating no grains or fruits. Chantepie de la Saussaye, Elizabeth Freeman) have suggested that a lack of supporting documentation for this goddess might indicate that Bede assumed her existence based on the name of the month. Agatson believes this is a positive thing, as it encourages many people to move to a heart-healthier diet than may otherwise make this choice. In recent years some scholars (Ronald Hutton, P.D. (There are studies of the effects of extended Ketosis on the average body, but they are at this time inconclusive.) Weight loss turned out to be a beneficial side effect; Dr. In his 'De Temporum Ratione' the Venerable Bede wrote that the month Eostremonat was so named because of a goddess, Eostre, who had formerly been worshipped in that month. The South Beach diet was developed for cardiac patients to lose weight without risking ketosis.

Some Christian fundamentalists reject nearly all the customs surrounding Easter, believing them to be irrevocably tainted with paganism and idolatry. The South Beach Diet emphasizes the consumption of so-called "good carbohydrates", mainly ones that are high in fiber or nutrition, and typically low in glycemic index. In Hungary (where it is called Ducking Monday), perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg. The South Beach diet is frequently confusingly compared to the Atkins diet, which is a low-carbohydrate diet. A similar tradition existed in Poland (where it is called Dyngus Day), but it is now little more than an all-day waterfight. The diet first appeared in a book of the same name, published by Rodale Press. Some feminists allege it is a disgusting medieval tradition. The South Beach diet was developed by a cardiologist, Arthur Agatston, practicing in the Miami, Florida area.

The habit slightly varies across the Czech Republic. The South Beach Diet: Good Fats Good Carbs Guide by Arthur Agatston 2004 ISBN 0959708707. The females can get revenge in the afternoon when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any male. South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide: The Complete and Easy Reference for All Your Favorite Foods by Arthur Agatston 2004 ISBN 1579549586. A legend says that females should be whipped in order to keep their health and fertility during whole next year. The South Beach Diet Cookbook: More than 200 Delicious Recipes That Fit the Nation's Top Diet by Arthur Agatston 2004 ISBN 1579549578. The whipped female gives a coloured egg to the male as a sign of her thanks and forgiveness. The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss by Arthur Agatston 2003 ISBN 1579546463.

Rather, the purpose is for males to exhibit their attraction to females; unvisited females can even feel offended. It must be mentioned that while whipping can be painful, the purpose is not to cause suffering. The pomlázka consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods) and is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with coloured ribbons at the end. In the morning, males whip females with a special handmade whip called pomlázka.

In the Czech Republic, a tradition of whipping is carried out on Easter Monday. Even the milk cartons change to have murder stories on their sides. All the major television channels show crime and detective stories (such as Poirot), magazines print stories where the readers can try to figure out who did it, and many new books are published. In Norway, in addition to skiing in the mountains and painting eggs for decorating, it is tradition to solve murders at Easter.

The Easter Bunny's motives for doing this are seldom clarified. According to the children's stories, the eggs were hidden overnight and other treats delivered by the Easter Bunny in an Easter basket which children find waiting for them when they wake up. In the United States, the Easter holiday has been largely secularized, so that many American families participate only in the attendant revelry, central to which is decorating Easter eggs on Saturday evening and hunting for them Sunday morning, by which time they have been mysteriously hidden all over the house and garden. Today it is commercially important, seeing wide sales of greeting cards and confectionery such as chocolate Easter eggs, marshmallow bunnies, Peeps, and jelly beans.

Since its origins, it has been a time of celebration and feasting. As with many other Christian dates, the celebration of Easter extends beyond the church.
. For the remainder of the week (known as "Bright Week"), all fasting is prohibited, and the customary greeting is "Christ is risen!", to be responded with "Truly He is risen!" (See also Pascha greeting).

In this service, it has become customary during the last few centuries for the priest and members of the congregation to read a portion of the Gospel of John (20:19–25 or 19–31) in as many languages as they can manage. Instead, in the afternoon, it is often traditional to hold "Agape vespers". The day after, Easter Sunday proper, there is no liturgy, since the liturgy for that day has already been done. Immediately after the Pascha liturgy, it is then customary for the congregation to share a meal, essentially an agape dinner (albeit at 2.00 am or later!).

The hymn "Christ is Risen" is sung many times within this service. Entirely lit by candle, the priest and congregation process around the church building and return for the completion of the liturgy—again entirely lit by candles held by the congregation. The Pascha liturgy begins at midnight, with the Priest lighting candles held by deacons or other assistants, who then go to light candles held by the congregation. At midnight, the vespers end and all light in the church building is extinguished.

Traditionally, on the evening of Holy Saturday, Pascha vespers begin and these services last until midnight (local time). In addition to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, Orthodox are supposed to reduce all entertainment and non-essential activity, gradually eliminating them until Holy Friday. Celebration of the holiday begins with the "anti-celebration" of Great Lent. This is succinctly summarized by the Orthodox Easter hymn "Christ is Risen":.

Pascha (Easter) is the primary act that fulfils the purpose of Christ's ministry on earth—to defeat death by dying and to purify and exalt humanity by voluntarily assuming and overcoming human frailty. Instead, these events are all seen as necessary but preliminary to the full climax of the Resurrection, in which all that has come before reaches fulfilment and fruition. This is not to say that Christmas and other elements of the Christian liturgical calendar are ignored. Eastern Rite Catholics in communion with the Pope of Rome have similar emphasis in their calendars, and many of their liturgical customs are very similar.

Christmas customs, on the other hand, are usually foreign imports, either from Germany or the USA. Easter-connected social customs are native and rich. This is reflected in the cultures of countries that are traditionally Orthodox Christian majority. Every other religious festival on their calendars, including Christmas, is at best secondary in importance to the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord.

Easter is the fundamental and most important festival of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox. Some churches read the Old Testament lessons before the procession of the Paschal candle, and then read the gospel immediately after the Exsultet. Some churches prefer to keep this vigil very early on the Sunday morning instead of the Saturday night to reflect the gospel account of the women coming to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. Additional celebrations are usually offered on Easter Sunday itself.

The Easter Vigil concludes with the celebration of the Eucharist and Holy Communion. This act is often sealed by the sprinkling of the congregation with holy water from the font. Whether there are baptisms at this point or not, it is traditional for the congregation to renew the vows of their baptismal faith. Anciently, Easter was considered the most perfect time to receive baptism, and this practice is being revived in some circles.

Then the focus moves from the lectern to the font. A sermon may be preached after the gospel. This part of the service climaxes with the singing of the Alleluia and the proclamation of the gospel of the resurrection. After this service of light, a number of readings from the Old Testament are read; these tell the stories of creation, the sacrifice of Isaac, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the foretold coming of the Messiah.

This, the most important liturgy of the year, begins in total darkness with the blessing of the Easter fire, the lighting of the large Paschal candle (symbolic of the Risen Christ) and the chanting of the Exsultet or Easter Proclamation attributed to Saint Ambrose of Milan. The traditional, liturgical observation of Easter, as practised among Roman Catholics and some Lutherans and Anglicans begins on the night of Holy Saturday with the Paschal Vigil. The Easter festival is kept in many different ways among Western Christians.
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The far more common worldwide name of the holiday, Pascha (or variations thereof) indicates that the holiday most likely arose as a continuation of Passover celebrations, with emphasis upon the Resurrection of Jesus. In addition, Jesus and the Apostles were observing Sukkot (the "Feast of Booths") when the Transfiguration occurred, indicating that he was not immediately opposed to the observance of annual holidays. Many commentators, however, have interpreted the last supper as a Passover seder at which Jesus presided. Furthermore, the entirety of the chapter (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.viii.xxiii.xml) renders the statement in the context of defending diversity of dates for the holiday, without rejecting or denigrating the celebration.

In addition, if one wishes to take this specific sentence prima faciae, one could just as easily invent a justification for rejecting weekly worship services on Sunday, Saturday, or any other day, rejecting the ownership of church buildings by religious organizations, and rejecting the participation of Christians in any sort of political process, as none of these activities were specifically enjoined by Jesus or the Apostles, either. Nowhere in his history did Socrates Scholasticus state that the observance of Easter was due to pagan influences, however. The ecclesiastical historian Socrates Scholasticus attributes the observance of Easter by the church to the perpetuation of local custom, "just as many other customs have been established", stating that neither Jesus nor his apostles enjoined the keeping of this or any other festival. The observance of any special holiday throughout the Christian year is an innovation postdating the early church.

However, an Easter Homily does survive from the 2nd century which indicates (http://www.preteristarchive.com/Books/0150_melito_pascha.html) that the practice arose quite early in the history of the Church. There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic fathers. Placing the Paschal Divine Liturgy at midnight guarantees that no Divine Liturgy will come earlier in the morning, ensuring its place as the pre-eminent "Feast of Feasts" in the liturgical year. The Paschal Divine Liturgy generally takes place around midnight, into the early morning of Pascha.

Easter is immediately followed by Bright Week, during which there is no fasting, even on Wednesday and Friday. After Lazarus Saturday comes Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and finally Easter itself, or Pascha (Πασχα), and the fast is broken immediately after the Divine Liturgy. Lazarus Saturday officially brings Great Lent to a close, although the fast continues for the following week. Following the fifth Sunday of Great Lent is Palm Week, which ends with Lazarus Saturday.

In Eastern Christianity, preparations begin with Great Lent. Eastertide, the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost, seven weeks later. In some countries, Easter lasts two days, with the second called "Easter Monday". Many churches start celebrating Easter late in the evening of Holy Saturday at a service called the Easter Vigil. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are sometimes referred to as the Sacred Triduum (Latin for "Three Days").

Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus' entry in Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. The week before Easter is very special in the Christian tradition: the Sunday before is Palm Sunday, and the last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday). In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of the forty days of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter Sunday. For example, Quartodecimanism was the practice of setting the holiday on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, which is the day of preparation for Passover.

Historically, other forms of determining the holiday's date were also used. In the Western Church, Easter has not fallen on the earliest of the 35 possible dates, March 22, since 1818, and will not do so again until 2285; it fell on the latest possible date, April 25 most recently in 1943, and will next fall on that date in 2038. See computus for a discussion covering both the traditional tabular methods and more exclusively mathematical algorithms such as the one developed by mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. The calculations for the date of Easter can be somewhat complicated.

These suggestions have yet to attract significant support, and their adoption in the foreseeable future is deemed unlikely. A few clergymen of various denominations have advanced the notion of disregarding the moon altogether in determining the date of Easter; proposals include always observing the feast on the second Sunday in April, or always having seven Sundays between the Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, producing the same result except that in leap years Easter could fall on April 7. See Reform of the date of Easter. The reform was proposed for implementation starting in 2001, but it was not ultimately adopted by any member body.

At a summit in Aleppo, Syria, in 1997, the World Council of Churches proposed a reform in the calculation of Easter which would have replaced an equation-based method of calculating Easter with direct astronomical observation; this would have side-stepped the calendar issue and eliminated the difference in date between the Eastern and Western churches. Since western churches now use the Gregorian calendar to calculate the date and Eastern Orthodox churches use the original Julian calendar, their dates are not usually aligned in the present day. Churches in western continental Europe used a late Roman method until the late 8th century during the reign of Charlemagne, when they finally adopted the Alexandrian method. Most churches in the British Isles used a late third century Roman method to determine Easter until they adopted the Alexandrian method at the Synod of Whitby in 664.

The Church of Rome used its own methods to determine Easter until the 6th century, when it may have adopted the Alexandrian method as converted into the Julian calendar by Dionysius Exiguus (certain proof of this does not exist until the ninth century). During the Middle Ages this practice was more succinctly phrased as Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox. The practice of this city was to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the earliest fourteenth day of a lunar month that occurred on or after March 21. Instead, the matter seems to have been referred to the church of Alexandria, which city had the best name for scholarship at the time.

At the First Council of Nicaea in 325 it was decided that Easter would be celebrated on the same Sunday throughout the Church, but it is probable that no method was specified by the Council (unfortunately no verbatim account of the Council's decisions has survived). The precise date of Easter has often been a matter for contention. Instead, they are based on a lunar calendar similar—but not identical—to the Hebrew Calendar. Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (which follow the motion of the sun and the seasons).

The following day, Easter Monday, is recognized as a legal holiday in most countries with a generally Christian tradition, but not as a rule in the United States, except formerly in a few states, all of which had dropped it by the 1980s. In Western Christianity, Easter Day always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 inclusive. The Easter Bunny is often identified as a remnant of this fertility festival, although there is no hard evidence of any link. According to the 8th century Christian monk and historian Bede, this month was dedicated to the pagan fertility goddess Eostre.

The English and German names, "Easter" and "Ostern", are not etymologically derived from Pesach and are instead related to ancient names for the month of April, Eostremonat and Ostaramanoth respectively. This would put the Last Supper slightly before Passover. The Gospel of John has a different chronology which has Christ's death at the time of the slaughter of the Passover lambs (perhaps for theological reasons). Easter depends on Passover not only for much of its symbolic meaning but also for its position in the calendar; the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover seder, based on the chronology in the Synoptic Gospels.

In most languages of Christian societies, other than English and German, the holiday's name is derived from Pesach, the Hebrew name of Passover, a Jewish holiday to which the Christian Easter is intimately linked. See Eastertide.). (Easter can also refer to the season of the church year, lasting for fifty days, which follows this holiday and ends around Pentecost. Easter is the most important holiday of the Christian year, observed in March, April, or May each year to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his death by crucifixion (see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year around AD 30-33.

Unkrainian Великдень (Velykdenj) (literally: the Grand Day). Slovenian Velika noč (singular; literally: the Grand night). Slovak Veľká Noc (singular; literally: the Grand Night). Serbian Uskrs or Vaskrs (literally: resurrection).

Polish Wielkanoc (literally: the Grand Night). Japanese 復活祭 (Fukkatsu-sai; lit. resurrection festival). Hungarian Húsvét (means taking (or buying) meat). Estonian Lihavõtted (literally: meat taking).

Czech Velikonoce (plural, no singular exists; made from Grand Nights). Croatian Uskrs (literally: resurrection). Simplified Chinese: 复活节; Traditional Chinese: 復活節; pinyin: Fùhuó Jié; literally "Resurrection Festival". Bulgarian Великден (Velikden) (literally: the Grand Day).

Belarusian Вялікдзень or Vialikdzen' (literally: the Grand Day). Welsh Pasg. Turkish Paskalya. Swedish Påsk.

Spanish Pascua. Scottish Gaelic Càisg. Russian Пасха (Paskha). Romanian Paşti.

Portuguese Páscoa. Norwegian Påske. Lower Rhine German Paisken. Italian Pasqua.

Irish Cáisc. Indonesian Paskah. Icelandic "Páskar". French Pâques.

Finnish Pääsiäinen. Esperanto Pasko. Dutch Pasen. Danish Påske.

Catalan Pasqua (but, more often, Setmana Santa, Holy Week). Bulgarian Пасха (Paskha). Arabic عيد الفصح (ʿĪdu l-Fiṣḥ). Greek Πάσχα (Paskha).

Latin Pascha (or Festa Paschalia). Samoan Eseta (derived from English). German Ostern. English Easter.