Easter: what do we know about the traditions of the main Orthodox holiday
How to calculate the date of holiday, why red is its main color and that represent Easter eggs.
16 APR Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter — the most important and one of the brightest in the Christian tradition. Church celebration lasts for 40 days, but the main celebrations happen during the Easter Sunday.
The Feast Of The Bright Resurrection
Easter is inextricably linked with the theme of regeneration, of passing from death to life. According to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of human in agony died on Friday, immediately after which his body was buried. His coffin was equipped with a special guard. However, when at dawn on Sunday myrrh-bearing women, together with Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to perform the rite of the anointing, they found the stone moved away, and appeared to them an angel announced that Christ’s body is not here.
Mary Magdalene, fearing that the body of Christ was taken to an unknown place, turned to Peter and other disciples. When they again came to the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene was Jesus Christ himself who said that he ascend to his Father. On the same day the news of the Bright Resurrection of Christ spread among the faithful.
How to calculate the date of the holiday
The Central event in the Christian calendar — Easter — is a celebration of the transitory: its date varies from year to year and depends on the solar and lunar calendars. In addition, due to the difference of the Julian and Gregorian calendars have different dates of Orthodox and Catholic Easter.
In order to determine the exact date of the celebration, used a complex system of calculation.
But the celebration is invariably for the period between March 22 and April 25 and is celebrated on the Sunday following the first spring full moon
If the first spring full moon falls just in time for Sunday, then Easter will be celebrated a week later if the full moon falls before the 21st of March, the festival will be calculated from the next full moon.
From the dates of celebration depend on the dates of lent preceding Easter. It was on his last Passion — week account for the bulk of the preparation for the celebrations.
Lightest service
Easter service is the most bright and happy in the Church calendar. On the eve of believers gather in the temple, where at midnight sent a festive procession. After the procession, chanting bypasses the area around the Church begins the Easter Matins and Liturgy.
An essential element of the holiday is the special red candles.
Red on this day also prevails in ceremonial garments of the clergy is the main color of the holiday, symbolizing the blood of Christ shed at the crucifixion
Fire is another important symbol of the holiday, signifying the purification and light. To Russia from Jerusalem every year on a special flight Holy fire is delivered, which is carried out of the Holy Sepulchre during worship performed in the temple of the resurrection of Christ. The removal of the Holy fire symbolizes the exit of the Holy Sepulchre of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (the True Light).
Symbols of life in Easter traditions are the Easter cakes and eggs.
Eggs, Easter cake and Easter
The Passover meal, the first after the end of lent, is always lush and festive. On the table this day, have cake, curd Easter and eggs. Each of these elements has a special meaning.
So, the Easter egg is associated with the Holy sepulcher because it looks dead on the outside, but it carries with it a new life
In addition, it is believed that Mary Magdalene made their way to the Emperor Tiberius, gave him the only gift I could afford — colored egg.
Today eggs are painted in various colors but traditional remains red as the main color of the whole festival.
Cake — one of the most famous elements of Easter table — originates at special Church bread, artos, which is handed out to parishioners on the eve of Easter, symbolizes the Lord’s body
Easter cakes and Easter eggs traditionally bring to light on Saturday. However, the special prayer exists only at the consecration of cheese (Easter) and eggs, but private prayer at the consecration of the cake no.
Curd Easter and dyed eggs, which symbolizes the Holy Sepulchre, but because of its appearance — it always prepared in the form of a truncated cone. In St. Petersburg even has a Church, known as “Kulich and Easter” — its bell tower is made in the form of the Passover, and the temple resembles cake.
The kiss of peace and the Red hill
Since Easter night and for the next 40 days the believers christocrats. According to the precepts of the apostles, when they met to say “Christ is risen!” in the response — “Truly he is risen!”, while triple kissing. Easter eggs it is also customary to give them the Easter kiss, smashing them against each other like a triple kiss.
In addition, on this day it is customary to bring gifts to hospitals, orphanages, prisons and to give alms. It is believed that in order for the land was fertile, want to ride on her Easter eggs — hence the custom of rolling eggs downhill race. In tsarist Russia, these entertainments lasted 2-3 weeks and was called Red hill. The custom is still alive, although today most often these fun have on Easter Sunday.