Event

Easter[nb 1] (Old English usually Eastrun, -on, or -an; also Eastru, -o; and Eostre),[4] also called Pasch (derived, through Latin: Pascha and Greek Π?σχα Paskha, from Aramaic:????‎, cognate to Hebrew: ??????‎ Pesa?),[nb 2][5][6][7][8] or Resurrection Sunday,[9][10] is a festival and holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred three days after his crucifixion by Romans atCalvary.[11][12] It is the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

The week before Easter is called Holy Week, and it contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday), commemorating the Last Supper and its preceding foot washing,[13][14] as well as Good Friday, commemorating thecrucifixion and death of Jesus.[15] In western Christianity, Eastertide, the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the fiftieth day,Pentecost Sunday. In Orthodoxy, the season of Pascha begins on Pascha and ends with the coming of the fortieth day, the Feast of the Ascension.

Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon, the full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March (taken to be the date of the equinox).[16] Ecclesiastically, the equinox is thus reckoned to be on 21 March (although the astronomical equinox occurs on 20 March in most years), and the "Full Moon" is not necessarily on the astronomically correct date. The date of Easter therefore varies from 22 March to 25 April inclusive. Eastern Christianity bases its calculations on the Julian calendar, whose 21 March corresponds, during the 21st century, to 3 April in the Gregorian calendar, and in which therefore the celebration of Easter varies between 4 April and 8 May.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In many languages, the words for "Easter" and "Passover" are identical or very similar.[17] Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church,[18] and decorating Easter eggs, a symbol of the empty tomb.[19][20][21] The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection,[22][23]traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide.[24] Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter parades.[25][26][27] There are also various traditional Easter foods that vary regionally.