Pokémon

This name is apparently an acronym for "POK Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic" factor (a cancer causing agent), so the name could be either a backronym or simply coincidence. Names used in other languages. A mammalian oncogene was named "Pokemon" [4] (http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/54387.cfm) (no "é") by its discoverers. Names derived from the Hebrew Pesach (Passover):. See also Jynx and Kadabra for specific lawsuits regarding these characters.. Names related to Eostremonat (Eostre Month):. They claim incorrectly that the word "Pokemon" is a Japanese word which means "I am a Jew." One Saudi Arabian Sheikh (Sheikh Abdel Moneim Abu Zant) has written "The Pokémon craze is a Jewish plot aimed at forcing our children to forgo their faith and values and to distract them from more important things such as scientific ambitions." The Anti-Defamation League has denounced these theories. [3] (http://www.adl.org/presrele/IslME_62/3791_62.asp). 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.

A few Islamic religious speakers in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt hold that Pokémon is part of a "Jewish conspiracy" to corrupt Muslim children. They were a widespread symbol of rebirth and resurrection and thus might have been adopted from any number of sources.
. 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. An image of the controversial card may be seen here (http://www.geocities.com/swastika_webring/pokeswas.jpg). This practice might explain the incorporation of Eostre traditions into the Christian holiday. [2] (http://www.adl.org/presrele/Mise_00/3511_00.asp) This raised a public backlash in Japan for being intolerant towards the symbols of the Buddhist religion for the sake of avoiding controversy. 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.

As a result of this controversy Nintendo stopped using this symbol even in the Japanese version. 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". by unauthorized import. 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. However, these Jewish groups attacked the Japanese version distributed in the U.S. 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. The manji was shown only on a Japanese version card and was excluded from the North American release. Amongst other traditions, Grimm connected the 'Ostern Hare' (Easter Bunny) and Easter Eggs to the goddess Ostara/Eostre.

If a Japanese map of any major city is examined, little clockwise swastikas, or "manji", where Buddhist temples are located, can be seen. 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. Nintendo says that this is a matter of cultural misunderstanding, as the swastika used to be used in East Asian cultures as a symbol for "good fortune" by the Buddhist religion. 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. Pokémon has been criticised by some members of the Jewish community for its use of the swastika, the most widely known symbol of Nazism, which they hold is inappropriate for children's toys. 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. The alleged outcry was enough to move the Vatican to comment, in an official statement on April 21, 2000:. The debate receives considerable attention because the name 'Easter' is derived from Eostremonat, and thus, according to Bede, from the pagan goddess Eostre.

It would be incorrect to state that the Christian religious community is of a single mind in this matter, but most mainstream sects of Christianity are utterly indifferent to Pokemon. 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. The surprisingly small amount of original protests (as opposed to reports of protests) seem to reinforce this belief. 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. Still, most people (including many Asian Christian congregations) dismiss these claims to be nonsense, and attribute many of the alleged protests to urban legend. In recent years some scholars (Ronald Hutton, P.D. The claimed parallels between Pokémon and Satanism include:. 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.

Some Protestant Christian groups in the United States believe Pokémon to be Satanic in origin.[1] (http://www.cephasministry.com/save_our_children_pokemon_booklet.html) After the US release of Pokémon Yellow, there was a sudden widespread criticism of it passed through Christian congregations primarily by word-of-mouth. Some Christian fundamentalists reject nearly all the customs surrounding Easter, believing them to be irrevocably tainted with paganism and idolatry. In late 2002, it was scheduled to tour Europe, but was cancelled for unknown reasons. In Hungary (where it is called Ducking Monday), perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg. It was based off of the popular Pokémon anime, and was well-liked among fans of the franchise (in spite of some continuity errors relating to the anime). A similar tradition existed in Poland (where it is called Dyngus Day), but it is now little more than an all-day waterfight. A live action show called Pokémon Live! toured the United States in late 2000. Some feminists allege it is a disgusting medieval tradition.

Main article: Pokémon Live!. The habit slightly varies across the Czech Republic. There are various Pokémon manga series, four of which were released in English by Viz Communications, and seven of them released in English by Chuang Yi. The females can get revenge in the afternoon when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any male. The trading card game also spread to schools around the world, with news reports stating about their confiscation from classrooms. A legend says that females should be whipped in order to keep their health and fertility during whole next year. The latest incarnations of the card games is known as Pokémon-e Trading Card Game, the cards of which (for the large part) are compatible with the Nintendo e-Reader. The whipped female gives a coloured egg to the male as a sign of her thanks and forgiveness.

However, with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Game Boy video games, Nintendo took back the card game from Wizards of the Coast and started publishing the cards themselves. Rather, the purpose is for males to exhibit their attraction to females; unvisited females can even feel offended. At the time, it was published by Wizards of the Coast, the company most famous for Magic: The Gathering. It must be mentioned that while whipping can be painful, the purpose is not to cause suffering. It is a collectible card game based off the famous Pokémon video game. 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. The Pokémon Trading Card Game was first introduced to North America in 1999, and in Japan at an earlier date. In the morning, males whip females with a special handmade whip called pomlázka.

Main article: Pokémon (card game). In the Czech Republic, a tradition of whipping is carried out on Easter Monday. Sunday is seen only on TV Tokyo, with no English adaptation planned. Even the milk cartons change to have murder stories on their sides. Currently, Advanced Generation can be seen on TV Tokyo, and the English Advanced Challenge adaption can be seen on Kids WB in the United States, YTV in Canada, and Sky 1 in the United Kingdom. Housoukyoku originally aired on TV Tokyo but has since ended its run, while Chronicles can only be seen in the United Kingdom on Toonami UK as of May 2005. 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. There is also a television program in Japan titled Pokémon Sunday, a live action Pokémon-themed variety show hosted by the Pokémon Research Team. In Norway, in addition to skiing in the mountains and painting eggs for decorating, it is tradition to solve murders at Easter.

The English adaptation of this series, Pokémon Chronicles, combines the episodes from this series as well as various other made-for-TV specials (originally unrelated to Housoukyoku) that have aired in Japan but not translated for English release. The Easter Bunny's motives for doing this are seldom clarified. The second, entitled Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku is a spinoff of the first, and tells the adventures within the continuity of Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation, starring many of the recurring characters in Pocket Monsters. 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. Again, for the English release, Advanced Generation was split into separate series. 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. Ash takes on the role of a teacher and mentor for a younger, beginning Pokemon trainer in this series. Today it is commercially important, seeing wide sales of greeting cards and confectionery such as chocolate Easter eggs, marshmallow bunnies, Peeps, and jelly beans.

The saga continues into Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation (in Japan) where Ash and company travel to Hoenn, a southern region in the Pokémon World. Since its origins, it has been a time of celebration and feasting. For the English language release, Pocket Monsters was split into four separate series spanning five seasons. As with many other Christian dates, the celebration of Easter extends beyond the church. The first, and the more familiar one, Pokémon or Pocket Monsters (often referred to as Pokemon: Gotta Catch Em All to distinguish it from the later series) tells the adventures of Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in the original Japanese version) as he travels through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto to become the greatest Pokémon Master.
. There are two Pokémon anime series based on the video games. 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).

Main article: Pokémon (anime). 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. There is currently a Nintendo DS sequel, (Pokémon Diamond and Pearl), as well as a Gamecube game entitled Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness in development. Instead, in the afternoon, it is often traditional to hold "Agape vespers". The series has also diversified into various spin-offs, such as pinball games, virtual pets, simulated photography, and racing. The day after, Easter Sunday proper, there is no liturgy, since the liturgy for that day has already been done. A third version of Ruby and Sapphire, called Pokémon Emerald, was released on May 1, 2005. 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 most recent full fledged game has been Fire Red and Leaf Green which are remakes of Red and Blue. The hymn "Christ is Risen" is sung many times within this service. The Game Boy Advance first saw the release of Ruby and Sapphire, with Emerald being the tertiary version. 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. Gold and Silver were followed by the exclusively Game Boy Color version, Crystal. 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. Pokémon Red and Blue (Pokémon Green was available in English via import but had many swear words from the translator) were followed by Pokémon Yellow (in Japan, Red and Green were followed by Blue which was subsequently followed by Yellow). At midnight, the vespers end and all light in the church building is extinguished.

Each generation of Pokémon games so far has followed a pattern of two complementing versions followed later by at least one other version with some extras. Traditionally, on the evening of Holy Saturday, Pascha vespers begin and these services last until midnight (local time). While battling monsters is nothing new to RPGs, many players found themselves nearly addicted to finding, fighting, and capturing each and every one of the Pokémon in the game. Another, perhaps easier, goal was to finish the game's storyline by becoming the Pokémon League Champion by collecting eight Gym Badges and defeating the Elite Four. In addition to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, Orthodox are supposed to reduce all entertainment and non-essential activity, gradually eliminating them until Holy Friday. The ultimate goal of these games was to catch at least one member of all the different species of Pokémon (150 at the time, 151 including one that could not be obtained during regular gameplay), and to do so, players had to trade for Pokémon not available in the version they had. Celebration of the holiday begins with the "anti-celebration" of Great Lent. These games were nearly identical, save for the fact that each version had a select group of Pokémon that the other version did not. This is succinctly summarized by the Orthodox Easter hymn "Christ is Risen":.

The first games in the series were the RPGs Pokémon Red and Blue (Red and Green in Japan and a subsequent special edition known as Blue). 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. The Pokémon franchise originated with a series of Japanese video games created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy. 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. Main article: Pokémon (video games). This is not to say that Christmas and other elements of the Christian liturgical calendar are ignored. based subsidary called Pokémon USA, which a minority owner is 4Kids Entertainment, the international distributors outside Japan of the popular Pokemon anime series. 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.

The Pokémon Company in turn has a U.S. Christmas customs, on the other hand, are usually foreign imports, either from Germany or the USA. The subsidary handles everything from publishing the games in Japan to running the official merchandise stores, the Pokémon Centers. Easter-connected social customs are native and rich. Because of the unprecedented popularity of the franchise, Nintendo formed a subsidary company called The Pokémon Company to handle the franchise. This is reflected in the cultures of countries that are traditionally Orthodox Christian majority. Shows such as the Simpsons have made mild references to Pokemon and other anime in their cartoons. Every other religious festival on their calendars, including Christmas, is at best secondary in importance to the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord.

The satirical cartoon South Park spoofed Pokémon in Episode 312, entitled "Chinpokomon", in which the bosses behind the creation of the toys were revealed to be Japanese ultranationalists bent on avenging Japan's defeat in World War II. Easter is the fundamental and most important festival of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox. The Pokémon characters have become pop-culture icons, with a Pikachu balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, thousands of merchandise items, and in 2005, a theme park in Nagoya, Japan. Some churches read the Old Testament lessons before the procession of the Paschal candle, and then read the gospel immediately after the Exsultet. (In an "in-joke" used in the English version of the Pokemon anime movie "Destiny Deoxys," Brock says this as he catches hot dogs from a machine in mid-air.)The games have sold over 100 million copies to date, not counting the ones released for consoles. 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. The game's catchphrase used to be "Gotta catch 'em all!", although now it is no longer officially used. Additional celebrations are usually offered on Easter Sunday itself.

Pokémon battles are based on the non-lethal Eastern sport of fighting insects, but the Pokémon never bleed or die, only faint. The Easter Vigil concludes with the celebration of the Eucharist and Holy Communion. The Pokémon games are strategy games with a small RPG element which allow players to catch, collect, and train pets with various abilities, and battle them against each other to build their strength and evolve them into more powerful Pokémon. This act is often sealed by the sprinkling of the congregation with holy water from the font. These figures have grown from the 151 monsters (including the secret one, Mew) from the original games. Whether there are baptisms at this point or not, it is traditional for the congregation to renew the vows of their baptismal faith. The franchise has 386 unique monsters that lie at the heart of the Pokémon series (391 including currently known Pokémon from future games). Anciently, Easter was considered the most perfect time to receive baptism, and this practice is being revived in some circles.

Pokémon is also the collective name for the fictional creatures within the Pokémon games. Then the focus moves from the lectern to the font. The name Pokémon is a portmanteau of the words Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター Poketto Monsutā), which is its Japanese name. A sermon may be preached after the gospel. It has been merchandised into anime, manga, trading cards, toys, and much more. This part of the service climaxes with the singing of the Alleluia and the proclamation of the gospel of the resurrection. Pokémon (Japanese: ポケモン Pokemon, pronounced Poh-Kay-Mon, although it is frequently mispronounced "Poh-Kee-Mon") is a video game franchise, created by Satoshi Tajiri and published by Nintendo for several of their systems, most importantly the Game Boy. 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.

See also: Allegations of Satanism in popular culture. 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 game world also incorporates Asian traditions about elemental forces. 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. For example, some practise martial arts, which some Christian groups denounce as pagan. The Easter festival is kept in many different ways among Western Christians. Many Pokémon embody or practice Asian spiritual and mystical concepts.
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These powers are not derived from God and therefore must stem from Satan. 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. Many Pokémon have paranormal or psychic powers. 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. Pokémon "evolve." Evolution precludes literal creationism, therefore Pokémon denies some forms of Biblical interpretation. Many commentators, however, have interpreted the last supper as a Passover seder at which Jesus presided. "Magical" stones are used to evolve certain Pokémon. 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.

Magical "talismans" (gym badges) are necessary to control many of them. 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. They are captured and must be invoked to perform tasks. Nowhere in his history did Socrates Scholasticus state that the observance of Easter was due to pagan influences, however. Pokémon parallel demons. 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. Pokémon Zensho. The observance of any special holiday throughout the Christian year is an innovation postdating the early church.

Poketto Monsutaa Chamo Chamo Puritei by Yumi Tsukirino, who also made Magical Pokémon Journey. 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. Pokémon Getto Da ze! by Satomi Nakamura. There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic fathers. The stories tell the tales of the art behind some of Himeno's cards (the tale of Persian from the Jungle set is particularly popular). 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. There are six volumes and each includes a special promotional card. The Paschal Divine Liturgy generally takes place around midnight, into the early morning of Pascha.

Pokémon Card Ni Natta Wake (How I Became a Pokémon Card) by Kagemaru Himeno, an artist for the TCG. Easter is immediately followed by Bright Week, during which there is no fasting, even on Wednesday and Friday. Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker (not released by Viz). 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. Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire and Pokémon Pocket (not released by Viz). Lazarus Saturday officially brings Great Lent to a close, although the fast continues for the following week. Pokémon Gold & Silver (not released by Viz). Following the fifth Sunday of Great Lent is Palm Week, which ends with Lazarus Saturday.

Satoshi to Pikachu, not released by Viz). In Eastern Christianity, preparations begin with Great Lent. Ash & Pikachu (a.k.a. Eastertide, the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost, seven weeks later. Pikachu Meets the Press (newspaper style comics, not released by Chuang Yi). 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. Pokémon: PiPiPi Adventures), a shōjo manga. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are sometimes referred to as the Sacred Triduum (Latin for "Three Days").

Magical Pokémon Journey (a.k.a. Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus' entry in Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Pokémon Adventures, a shōnen manga based on the video games. 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). The series is based on the video game and anime. 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. It was divided into four tankōbon, each with four separate titles in North American and the English Singapore versions: The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Pikachu Shocks Back, Electric Pikachu Boogaloo, and Surf's Up, Pikachu. 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.

Pokémon (The Electric Tale of Pikachu a.k.a Dengeki Pikachu), a shōnen manga created by Toshihiro Ono. 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 Lihavőtted (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: Fůhuó Jié; literally "Resurrection Festival". Bulgarian Великден (Velikden) (literally: the Grand Day).

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

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

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

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

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

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.