When is Easter 2024? – What is an Orthodox Easter – All We Know
Check out the article to know When is Easter 2024? – What is an Orthodox Easter – All We Know. Easter is the holiest day for Christians all over the world. They celebrate this day in the memory of the resurrection of Jesus. Continue reading to know when is Easter 2024.
The holy day of Easter keeps changing every year according to the lunar calendar. Easter is followed on different days by the Eastern & the Western Christians. The dates are variable as per the lunar calendars followed by the communities.
Easter is celebrated on the 1st Sunday, which is followed by the 1st full moon after the March equinox (Spring Equinox). In 2024, Easter will be celebrated on 31st March, and the Orthodox Easter will be observed on 5th May 2024. Hence, the Orthodox Easter always comes after the Easter.
The Western dates for Easter always fall between the 22nd of March and the 25th of April, while the Eastern dates for the Orthodox Easter fall between the 4th of April and the 8th of May.
What is an Orthodox Easter?
The day on which the Western churches celebrate the day of the resurrection of Jesus is known as Easter. The day on which the Eastern churches follow this event is known as Orthodox Easter. This day is a sign of hope and new beginnings as it reminds us of the return of Jesus Christ.
The dates of both these events vary every year and sometimes coincide with each other. The Eastern churches follow the Gregorian calendar executed by Pope Gregory XIII. In contrast, the Western churches follow the Julian calendar, which Julius Caesar implemented.
The day of Easter comes after forty days of fasting by the Christians, which they term as ‘Lent’. The Sunday of Easter marks the end of the holy week. The Orthodox Easter is also known as the Greek Easter. The Easter eggs and rabbits signify a new life and birth at the time of spring on Easter.
Why is Easter celebrated?
The Bible mentions that Jesus was taken into custody by the Romans as he professed himself to be the Son of God and was then crucified by them. After three days, he was resurrected, which was witnessed by Mary Magdalene.
Easter is celebrated every year by Christians to commemorate the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. That particular event brought a transformation in the lives of people as they started to believe in eternity. Easter then started to be known as a symbol of the defeat of evil over the good-doings. The Easter eggs and rabbits signify a new life and birth at the time of spring.
The Easter fasting begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on the day of the following Sunday. There are certain significant days falling within this period. The significance of the Palm Sunday is that the duration when Jerusalem again blossomed with the footsteps of the Lord. Holy rituals are done as a crucial part of Orthodox Easter.
Followed by Good Friday, the day commenced when Jesus was excruciated. After three days, Easter Sunday is celebrated as the important day of the re-birth of the Divine. This day symbolizes the end of the holy week.
How do Christians Celebrate Easter?
Easter is celebrated worldwide with a high level of excitement. People decorate and paint the Easter eggs, and the kids are given chocolates and jellybeans. In Australia and New Zealand, the Christians bake hot cross buns as a part of their Easter celebrations.
People gather at a particular Church to memorize the demise of Jesus, his teaching, and the ways in which their lifestyle changed. The devotees fill the Church with fragrance, and the choir sings hymns. People undergo spiritual chanting with candles, and several games are played involving decorated eggs, which are mostly red. This red color of eggs signifies the blood of Jesus on the Red Cross.
There is a special greeting on the day of Easter. When people meet each other, they present the decorated eggs and kiss thrice on the cheek while saying, “Christ is risen”, to which the other person responds by saying, “He is truly risen”.
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