Among the most important festivals in the Christian calendar, Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday, marks the end of a 40-day period of fasting, called Lent, which marks repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.The date of celebrating Easter is not fixed; it is linked to the first Sunday of a full Moon day between March 21 and April 25, around the time of the Spring Equinox. The dates follow the Gregorian ecclesiastical rules established in 325 CE by the First Council of Nicaea. This ensures that Easter Sunday is observed all over the world on the same day and the dates can be calculated for an indefinite period in future. Most churches observe Easter according to the Gregorian calendar, but a few still follow the Julian calendar.Sacred Occasion On Easter Sunday, devotees attend church services and remember the sufferings that Jesus went through for the sake of humanity. The week preceding Easter is known as the Holy Week. The Friday before Easter Sunday is observed as Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified.The festival is celebrated by Christians across the world. In India, the festivities are more visible in regions that have a large Christian population. Kerala, Goa, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram are among states that celebrate Easter with great religious fervour.
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Easter Sunday Religious Ceremonies
Good Friday: Sacred Observance & Activities
Good Friday commemorates the suffering and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. It is observed by Christians around the world, especially in the Catholic and Anglican countries. For Christians in India, too, it is a day dedicated to fasting, praying, and meditating on the agony and suffering of Jesus. Many churches have a subdued service with solemn hymns and prayers of thanksgiving. The message is centered on observance of the Lord’s Supper and his suffering for his followers. The Friday before Easter Sunday is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. It is also known as Easter Friday, Black Friday, Holy Friday or Great Friday. In Eastern Christianity, which follows the Julian calendar, Easter falls on the first Sunday following the full Moon on or after March 21, the date of the spring equinox. The Western calculation uses the Gregorian or Christian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
