Easter, translated from Greek as "deliverance"serves as a reminder that Christ, who suffered all the sufferings for the human race, was resurrected on the third day after the burial. Easter in England, Russia or Italy is the main Christian holiday, which millions of believers around the world are waiting for every year. On this great day for all Orthodox believers, the triumphant deliverance of the Son of God from torment and the giving of eternal life to people. Easter is celebrated, as a rule, in one of the Sundays of spring. Why is Easter celebrated at different times each year?
Proceeding from the message of the New Testament, the death of Jesus Christ occurred at the celebration of the Jewish Passover, which was celebrated earlier always after the first full moon following the day the vernal equinox. Because all the months of the Jewish calendar used to bebegan on the new moon, the full moon always came on the 14th, and the first month of the year began on the first spring full moon, that is, the Jewish Passover was always celebrated in the nearest full moon after that date, so the day of the celebration of Easter could move. In the IV century, they tried to choose a common date, at which the peculiarities of the calculation of the Jewish Passover from the time of Jesus would be preserved. Thus, the "mobile" date of the great Christian holiday was established, and now everyone knows why Easter is celebrated at different times.
Main Easter traditions
House cleaning
It is believed that all the housework needs to be done.three days before the holiday. Knowing why Easter is celebrated at different times, the date of its occurrence is easy to calculate. On Thursday, before the long-awaited day, believers wash the windows and floors in order to let in more light in the Great Holiday. In Russia, there were many traditions associated with Pure Thursday. Christians cleaned the house, the yard from dirt and debris, fumigated the room with a juniper, a vegetable garden and domestic animals, trying to scare away the sickness and misfortune. Then people bathed in the bath, and the girls scratched their scythes under the apple trees so that their hair grew thicker. To this day, it is believed that on Friday nothing can be done, not even to wash.
Easter table
Bright Easter brought us many beautifultraditions that are loved today by Orthodox Christians. The main dishes that stand on the table are Easter cakes and painted eggs. Kulichi today already few people bake, because they are easy to buy in the store. Eggs are also accepted to be painted with purchased stickers. Many have already forgotten where exactly the tradition came to give colored eggs. This custom came to us from St. Mary Magdalene, who after the ascension of Christ presented the emperor Tiberius with a red egg, the symbol of the life-giving death of Jesus, before the start of her sermon. Just as a clean egg emerges from under the hard shell, so Jesus rose from the tomb for eternal life.
Why is Easter celebrated at different times?The question is not the most important for Christians. For many today, this is a reason to gather for a family at a festive table, break eggs, give cakes, greeting each other with traditional phrases: “Christ is risen!” - “Truly risen!”.
