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
The First Time, Pakistan Declared Public Holidays on Holi, Diwali and Easter
For the first time in its 68 year history, minority communities in Pakistan including Hindus and Christians will have a national holiday observed on their important festivals. The total number of Christians in Pakistan was estimated at 2.5 million in 2005, which is around 1.6 per cent of the population.
The resolution was moved by Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, an elected Hindu lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League from Sindh. Continue Reading
