Easter
Publié le 22/02/2012
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The most important Christian festival, a
time when Christians celebrate the RESURRECTION of
JESUS from the dead. According to the NEW TESTAMENT,
Jesus was crucifi ed on a Friday. The following
Sunday he rose from the dead. These events
took place around the time of the Jewish festival
of PASSOVER. As a result, Christians do not observe
Easter on a set date. They observe it on a Sunday
in spring around the time of Passover. That Sunday
is the fi rst Sunday after the fi rst full moon after the
spring equinox (roughly March 21).
For Catholic, Orthodox, and some Protestant
Christians, the most "liturgically correct" way to
observe Easter is with a vigil. This is a lengthy service
late Saturday evening, which looks forward to
the resurrection Sunday morning. Another common
practice is to hold "sunrise services" early Easter
morning. In North America and Europe, Christians
also celebrate Easter with colored eggs. The eggs
are said to symbolize the new life that the resurrection
of Jesus made possible. They probably also
preserve ways of celebrating the coming of spring
that were common in Europe before CHRISTIANITY.
Not all Christians observe Easter. Some Protestants
reject it as a human invention. Among those
who do not observe Easter are the "plain people,"
such as the AMISH.