Easter- the most important and solemn Christian holiday. It takes place every year at different times and refers to mobile holidays. Other moving holidays, such as Pentecost and others, also depend on the day of Easter. Easter celebration is the longest: 40 days, believers greet each other with the words “ Christ is Risen!» - « He is truly risen! The Day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ for Christians is a time of special celebration and spiritual joy, when believers gather for services to glorify the risen Christ, and the entire Easter week is celebrated “ like one day" The church service throughout the week almost completely repeats the nightly Easter service.
Easter event: excerpt from the Gospel
Christian holiday of Easter- this is a solemn remembrance of the Resurrection of the Lord on the third day after His suffering and death. The moment of the Resurrection itself is not described in the Gospel, because no one saw how it happened. The removal from the Cross and burial of the Lord took place on Friday evening. Since Saturday was a day of rest for the Jews, the women who accompanied the Lord and the disciples from Galilee, who witnessed His suffering and death, came to the Holy Sepulcher only a day later, at dawn of that day, which we now call Sunday. They carried incense, which, according to the custom of that time, was poured on the body of a deceased person.
After the Sabbath had passed, at dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord, who descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it; his appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow; Frightened by him, those guarding them trembled and became as if they were dead; The angel, turning his speech to the women, said: Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus crucified; He is not here - He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there. Here, I told you.
And, hastily leaving the tomb, they ran with fear and great joy to tell His disciples. When they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them and said: Rejoice! And they came, grabbed His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus says to them: Do not be afraid; go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Matthew 28:1-10).
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Celebration of Easter in history. Why is Sunday called Sunday?
From the Christian holiday of Easter comes modern name day of the week - Sunday. Christians especially celebrate every Sunday of the week throughout the year with prayer and a solemn service in the temple. Sunday is also called " Little Easter" Sunday is called Sunday in honor of Jesus Christ who rose again on the third day after the crucifixion. And although Christians remember the Resurrection of the Lord weekly, this event is especially solemnly celebrated once a year - on Easter.
In the first centuries of Christianity there was a division into Easter of the Cross And Easter Sunday. Mentions of this are contained in the works of the early fathers of the Church: the epistle of St. Irenaeus of Lyons(c. 130–202) to the Roman bishop Victor, « A Word about Easter» saint Meliton of Sardinia(beginning of the 2nd century - ca. 190), the works of the saint Clement of Alexandria(c. 150 - c. 215) and Hippolytus the Pope (c. 170 - c. 235). Easter of the Cross- the memory of the suffering and death of the Savior was celebrated with a special fast and coincided with the Jewish Passover in memory of the fact that the Lord was crucified during this Old Testament holiday. The first Christians prayed and strictly fasted until Easter Sunday - the joyful memory of the Resurrection of Christ.
At present, there is no division between Easter of the Cross and Sunday, although the content has been preserved in the liturgical Charter: the strict and mournful services of Holy Thursday, Friday and Saturday end with the joyful and jubilant Easter service. Actually, the Easter night service itself begins with a mournful midnight office, at which the canon of Great Saturday is read. At this time, in the middle of the temple there is still a lectern with the Shroud - an embroidered or painted icon depicting the position of the Lord in the tomb.
What date is Easter for the Orthodox?
The early Christian communities celebrated Easter at different times. Some together with the Jews, as Blessed Jerome writes, others - on the first Sunday after the Jews since Christ was crucified on the day Passover and rose again the morning after the Sabbath. Gradually, the difference in the Easter traditions of local Churches became more and more noticeable, and the so-called “ Easter dispute"between Eastern and Western Christian communities, a threat arose to the unity of the Church. On, convened by the emperor Konstantin in 325 in Nicaea, the issue of a common celebration of Easter was considered. According to a church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, all the bishops not only accepted the Creed, but also agreed to celebrate Easter on the same day:
For the harmonious confession of the Faith, the saving celebration of Easter had to be celebrated by everyone at the same time. Therefore, a general resolution was made and approved by the signature of each of those present. Having completed these affairs, the basileus (Constantine the Great) said that he had now won a second victory over the enemy of the Church, and therefore celebrated a victorious celebration dedicated to God.
Since that time, all local Churches began to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. If the Jewish Passover falls on this Sunday, then Christians move the celebration to the next Sunday, since back in, according to the 7th rule, Christians are prohibited from celebrating Easter with Jews.
How to calculate the date of Easter?
To calculate Easter, you need to know not only the solar (equinox), but also lunar calendar(full moon). Since the best experts on the lunar and solar calendar lived in Egypt at that time, the honor of calculating the Orthodox Easter was given to Bishop of Alexandria. He was supposed to annually notify all local Churches about the day of Easter. Over time it was created Easter for 532 years. It is based on the periodicity of the Julian calendar, in which the calendar indicators for calculating Easter - the circle of the Sun (28 years) and the circle of the Moon (19 years) - repeat after 532 years. This period is called " great indiction" The beginning of the first “great indiction” coincides with the beginning of the era “ from the creation of the world" The current one, the 15th great indiction, began in 1941. In Rus', Easter tables included liturgical books, for example, the Following Psalter. Several manuscripts from the 17th–17th centuries are also known. called " Great Peace Circle" They contain not only the Paschal for 532 years, but also tables for calculating the date of Easter by hand, the so-called Five-Finger Paschal or “ hand of Damascus».
It is worth noting that in the Old Believers, knowledge has been preserved to this day, how to calculate the date of Easter by hand, any mobile holiday, the ability to determine on what day of the week a particular holiday falls, the duration of Peter’s Fast and other important information necessary for performing divine services.
Orthodox Easter service
Throughout Holy Week preceding Easter, each day of which is called Great, Orthodox Christians perform services and remember the Passion of Christ, last days earthly life of the Savior, His suffering, crucifixion, death on the Cross, burial, descent into hell and Resurrection. For Christians, this is a particularly revered week, a time of special strict fasting, preparations for the celebration of the main Christian holiday.
Before the start of the festive service, the Acts of the Apostles are read in the church. Easter service, as in ancient times, takes place at night. The service begins two hours before midnight with the Sunday Midnight Office, during which the canon of Holy Saturday is read “ Wave of the sea" On the 9th song of the canon, when the Irmos is sung “ Don't cry for me, Mati", after censing, the Shroud is taken to the altar. Among the Old Believers-bezpopovtsy, after the third song of the canon and sedalna, the word is read Epiphany of Cyprus « What is this silence?».
After the Midnight Office, preparations for the Procession of the Cross begin. Priests in shiny robes, with a cross, the Gospel and icons leave the temple, followed by those praying with burning candles; They walk around the temple three times in the sun (in the direction of the sun, clockwise) while singing the stichera: “ Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Saviour, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth with pure hearts to glorify Thee" This procession of the cross is reminiscent of the procession of the myrrh-bearing women in the deep morning to the tomb to anoint the Body of Jesus Christ. The procession stops at the western doors, which are closed: this again reminds us of the myrrh-bearers who received the first news of the resurrection of the Lord at the door of the tomb. “Who will roll away the stone from our tomb?” - they are perplexed.
Procession of the Cross on Easter among the Old Believers The priest, having shown the icons and those present, begins the bright matins with the exclamation: “Glory to the Holy, and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity.” The temple is illuminated by many lamps. Priests and clergy sing three times troparion holiday:
X rt0s risen and 3 from the dead, upon death came 2 and 3 grave gifts of life.
After this, the troparion is repeated many times by the singers while the priest recites the verses: “May God rise again” and others. Then the clergyman with a cross in his hands, depicting an Angel who rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb, opens the closed doors of the temple and all believers enter the temple. Further, after the great litany, the Easter canon is sung in a solemn and jubilant chant: “ Resurrection day", compiled St. John of Damascus. The troparia of the Easter canon are not read, but are sung with the refrain: “Christ is risen from the dead.” During the singing of the canon, the priest, holding a cross in his hands, censes the holy icons and people at each song, greeting him with a joyful exclamation: “ Christ is Risen" The people answer: “ He is truly risen" The repeated appearance of the priest with censing and the greeting “Christ is Risen” depicts the Lord’s repeated appearances to his disciples and their joy at the sight of Him. After each song of the canon, a small litany is said. At the end of the canon, the following morning luminary is sung:
Pl0tіyu ўsnyv ћkw dead, tsRь i3 gD, three-day sunrise, and3 Gdama raised up and3з8 tli2, and3 ўcelebrated death. Easter is imperishable, the world is saved.
(Translation: King and Lord! Having fallen asleep in the flesh like a dead man, You rose again for three days, raising Adam from destruction and destroying death; You are the Easter of immortality, the salvation of the world).
Then psalms of praise are read and stichera on praises are sung. They are joined by the stichera of Easter with the refrain: “May God rise again and let His enemies be scattered.” After this, while singing the troparion “Christ is risen,” the believers give each other a fraternal kiss, i.e. “They worship Christ,” with a joyful greeting: “Christ is Risen” - “Truly He is Risen.” After the singing of the Easter stichera there is a reading of the word of St. John Chrysostom: " If anyone is pious and God-loving" Then the litanies are pronounced and the dismissal of Matins follows, which the priest performs with a cross in his hand, exclaiming: “Christ is risen.” Next, the Easter hours are sung, which consist of Easter chants. At the end of the Easter hours, the Easter liturgy is celebrated. Instead of the Trisagion, at the Easter liturgy it is sung: “Those who were baptized into Christ, put on Christ. Alleluia." The Apostle reads from the Acts of St. apostles (Acts 1:1-8), the Gospel is read from John (1:1-17), which speaks of the incarnation of the Son of God Jesus Christ, called in the Gospel “the Word”. In some parishes of Old Believers-priests there is an interesting custom - at the Easter Liturgy, the Gospel is read simultaneously by several clergy and even in several languages (repeating each verse of the Gospel several times). Thus, in some Lipovan parishes they read in Church Slavonic and Romanian, in Russia - in Church Slavonic and Greek. Some parishioners recall that Bishop (Lakomkin) read the Gospel in Greek on Easter.
A distinctive feature of the Easter service: it is all sung. At this time, churches are brightly lit with candles, which worshipers hold in their hands and place in front of the icons. The blessing after the liturgy is “brashen”, i.e. cheese, meat and eggs, the believers are given permission from fasting.
In the evening, Easter Vespers is celebrated. Its peculiarity is the following. The rector dresses in all sacred clothes and, after the evening entrance with the Gospel, reads the Gospel on the throne, which tells about the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles in the evening on the day of His resurrection from the dead (John XX, 19-23). Divine service on the first day of St. Easter is repeated throughout the entire Easter week, with the exception of the reading of the Gospel at Vespers. For 40 days, before the holiday, Easter troparia, stichera and canons are sung during the service. The prayer to the Holy Spirit: “To the Heavenly King” is not read or sung until the holiday.
Kontakion for the holiday:
Ѓ 3 also in the grave came down without death, but with the power of destruction, and 3 ћkw the victor of xrte b9e was resurrected. Having given joy to the wives of the world, and given their gifts to the world, and to those who have fallen, given the resurrection.
(Translation: Although You, the Immortal, descended into the grave, you destroyed the power of hell and, like a Victor, rose again, O Christ our God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women: “Rejoice.” You gave peace to your apostles, you give resurrection to the fallen).
In arrival and departure bows instead “Worthy to eat”(until the celebration of Easter) the irmos of the ninth song of the Easter canon is read:
With veti1sz sveti1sz new їєrli1me, glory be to you. liky nn7e and3 ves1sz sіHne, the same thing is beautiful, њ the rise of your joy2 (bow to the ground).
(Translation: Light up, light up (with joy) the new Jerusalem; for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you; triumph now and rejoice Zion: and You, Mother of God, rejoice in the resurrection of the One born of You).
Unfortunately, today not every person can go to an Old Believer church for Easter service. In many regions there are no Old Believer churches; in others they are so remote that it is extremely difficult to get to them. Therefore, the section contains the sequence of the Easter Service according to the two Charters. The Easter Divine Service according to the abbreviated Charter includes sequentially Bright Matins, the Canon of Easter, Easter Hours, and Obednitsa (in civil script). We also offer a detailed follow-up of the service for Holy Easter with the secular rite (in Church Slavonic in pdf format), which is widely used in non-priest communities due to the absence of the priesthood.
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Traditions of celebrating Easter among the Old Believers
Old Believers of all types - both priests and non-priests - have many common traditions of celebrating the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Old Believers begin breaking their fast on Holy Easter at a meal with their family after the temple service. Many communities also have a common church meal, at which many believers gather. On the day of the Resurrection of Christ, special dishes are placed on the table, which are prepared only once a year: Easter cake, cottage cheese Easter, painted eggs. In addition to special Easter dishes, many traditional delicacies of Russian cuisine are prepared. At the beginning of the Easter meal, it is customary to eat food consecrated in the temple, then all other dishes.
Easter holiday dishes which are prepared once a year On Easter, it is customary to christen yourself - to congratulate each other on the great holiday and exchange colored eggs, as a symbol of life, kissing each other three times. You can read more about Easter kissing in the commentary by Fr. Ivan Kurbatsky ""
Painted Red-colored eggs with onion skins were previously called krashenka, painted eggs were called pysanka, and wooden Easter eggs were called yaichata. A red egg signifies rebirth for people through the blood of Christ.
Other colors and patterns used to decorate eggs are an innovation that in many non-priest communities not welcome, as well as thermal stickers with the image of the face of Christ, the Virgin Mary, images of temples and inscriptions. All this “printing” is usually widely presented on store shelves in the weeks leading up to Easter, but few people think about future fate such a thermal sticker - after it is removed from the Easter egg, it is together with the image of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary goes straight to the trash bin.
Within the priestless agreements, there are a number of differences in the celebration of Easter. Thus, in some non-priest communities in Siberia, Easter cakes are not baked at all and, accordingly, are not consecrated, considering this a Jewish custom. In other communities there is no changing of clothes, changing from dark clothes and scarves to light ones; parishioners remain in the same Christian clothes that they came to the service. What is common in the Easter traditions of Old Believers of all agreements is, of course, the attitude towards work during Bright Week. On the eve of a holiday or resurrection, Christians work only until half the day preceding the holiday, and It is a great sin for Old Believers to work throughout Easter week.. This is a time of spiritual joy, a time of solemn prayer and glorification of the risen Christ. Unlike the Old Believers-priests, in some non-priest concords there is no custom of a mentor going around the houses of parishioners with the Glorification of Christ, however, each parishioner, if desired, can certainly invite a mentor to sing Easter stichera and have a festive meal.
Happy Easter- my favorite holiday since childhood, it is always joyful, especially warm and solemn! It especially brings a lot of joy to children, and every believer tries to give Easter Egg, Easter cake or sweets, especially for the child.
Egg rolling - ancient Russian Easter fun for kids During Bright Week, some non-priest communities still preserve an ancient fun for children, which adults also join in with undisguised joy - rolling colored (unconsecrated) eggs. The essence of the game is this: each player rolls his egg along a special wooden path - a chute, and if the rolled egg hits someone else's egg, the player takes it for himself as a prize. Gifts and souvenirs are usually laid out not far from the chute. In the old days, such competitions could last for several hours! And the “lucky ones” returned home with a rich “harvest” of eggs.
Rolling eggs on Easter at the Moscow Old Believer Prayer House (DPCL) For all Old Believers, regardless of agreement, Easter is Feast of Holidays and Celebration of Celebrations, this is the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, this is a great triumph, an eternal holiday for angels and archangels, immortal life for the whole world, incorruptible heavenly bliss for people. The atoning sacrifice of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, the blood He shed on the Honest Cross, delivered man from the terrible power of sin and death. Let it be " Easter is new, holy, Easter is mysterious", glorified in festive chants, will continue in our hearts all the days of our lives!
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Resurrection of Christ. Icons
In Old Believer iconography there is no separate icon of the Resurrection of Christ, because not only people, but even angels did not see the moment of the resurrection of Jesus. This emphasizes the incomprehensibility of the mystery of Christ. The familiar image of Christ, in snow-white robes, coming from the tomb with a banner in his hand, is a later Catholic version, which only appeared in the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church in the post-Petrine era.
In Orthodox iconography, the icon of the Resurrection of Christ, as a rule, depicts the moment of the Savior’s descent into hell and the removal of the souls of the Old Testament righteous from hell. Also sometimes the resurrected Christ is depicted in radiance, an angel preaching the good news to the Myrrh-Bearing Women, and other subjects related to the Resurrection. The plot of “The Resurrection of Christ - the Descent into Hell” is one of the most common iconographic plots.
Resurrection of Christ - Descent into Hell. Russia, XIX century The general idea of the Easter image of Christ in hell is consonant with the theme of the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt. Just as Moses once freed the Jews from slavery, so Christ goes into the underworld and frees the souls languishing there. And not only frees them, but transfers them to the kingdom of Truth and Light.
Descent into hell. Andrey Rublev, 1408-1410 
Dionysius. Icon “The Descent into Hell” (late 15th century, Russian Museum). 
Resurrection and descent into hell with the Passion and holidays. XIX century. Museum of the History of Religion, St. Petersburg
Churches of the Resurrection of Christ
The most famous Church of the Resurrection of Christ is Church of the Holy Sepulcher(Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection of Christ).
The Churches of the Resurrection of Christ in Rus' were built in the name of the Resurrection of the Word, or Renewal, that is, the consecration after the restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, accomplished in 355 under Saint Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles.
Several churches in honor of this holiday have been preserved in Moscow, one of them is Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Uspensky Vrazhek. The first mention of the temple dates back to 1548. It was a wooden church that burned down in the great Moscow fire on April 10, 1629. In its place by 1634 the existing stone temple was built. For almost two centuries the temple stood unchanged; in 1816-1820 the refectory and bell tower were rebuilt.
One of the oldest churches in Kolomna was consecrated in honor of the Resurrection of the Word. On January 18, 1366, the holy noble prince Dmitry Donskoy and the holy princess Evdokia (monastically Euphrosyne) of Moscow were married in this church. The temple was rebuilt several times. In the 1990s. it was returned to the parish of the Assumption Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church.
During the time of the Golden Horde, a building was erected in Kolomenskoye Posad, mentioned in the scribe books of 1577-1578. At the beginning of the 18th century, a temple was built in its place with a main altar in honor of the Resurrection of the Word and a side church in the name of St. Nicholas. In the early 1990s, the administration transferred this one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the city of Kolomna to the Russian Orthodox community Old Believer Church. The main temple holiday is now celebrated on December 19, in honor of St. St. Nicholas “winter”, and among the people many people still know this temple as the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
Old Believer Churches of the Resurrection of Christ
The famous Rogozhskaya bell tower was consecrated on August 18, 1913 in the name of the Resurrection of Christ, after this temple was erected at the expense of benefactors in honor of the granting of freedom of religion to the Old Believers. After the temple was desecrated during the persecution of the atheists, it had to be reconsecrated. In 1949 it was consecrated in the name of the Assumption Holy Mother of God, since the old antimis in the name of the Resurrection of Christ disappeared, however, an antimis consecrated in the name of the Dormition of the Mother of God was kept on Rogozhsky. The temple remained in this position until January 31, 2014. In the late 1990s, proposals to return the temple to its historical name began to be studied. After reconstruction and overhaul the temple in 2012 needed to be reconsecrated. The initiative to reconsecrate the temple with its historical name was supported by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, Metropolitan Korniliy (Titov) at the Consecration Council in 2014. On February 1, 2015, the church-bell tower of the Rogozhskoe cemetery took place in Rogozhskaya Sloboda. Thus he had a historical name.
The Old Orthodox Pomeranian Church belongs to the current one (Moscow). This is the first Old Believer church of the Pomor community (2nd Moscow community of Pomor marriage consent), erected after the manifesto on religious tolerance of 1905 in Moscow. The history of this temple is very long-suffering. The restoration of the temple is currently ongoing at the expense of community members, and services are being held.
Also in Lithuania, in the city of Visaginas, there is the Church of the Resurrection of Christ of the Ancient Orthodox Pomeranian Church.
Christian Easter and Passover among the Jews (Jewish Passover)
In 2017, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on April 16, and the Jewish holiday of Pesach (Jewish Passover) falls on April 11–17 this year. Thus, many thoughtful Christians wonder: “ Why in 2017 Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter together with Jews?. This question comes from the 7th canon of saints, which literally reads like this:
If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, celebrates the holy day of Easter before the spring equinox with the Jews, let him be expelled from the sacred rank.
It turns out that allegedly this year all Orthodox Christians will violate the 7th Apostolic Canon? In the minds of some Christians, a whole “ ecumenical tangle”, when in 2017 Orthodox, Catholics and Jews celebrate Easter on the same day. How can this be?
To resolve this issue, you should know that disputes about calculating the day of Easter in the Orthodox Church, in fact, ended with the approval of the Orthodox Paschal on First Ecumenical Council. Easter Tables make it possible to calculate the day of Easter calendar-wise, that is, without looking at the sky, but using calendar tables that cyclically repeat every 532 years. These tables have been compiled so that Easter satisfied two apostolic rules about Easter:
- Celebrate Easter after the first spring full moon (that is, after the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox);
- not to celebrate Passover with the Jews.
Since these two rules do not unambiguously define the day of Easter, two more auxiliary rules were added to them, which, together with the apostolic (main) rules, made it possible to determine Easter unambiguously and compile calendar tables of the Orthodox Easter. The auxiliary rules are not as important as the apostolic rules, and, moreover, one of them began to be violated over time, because calendar method calculations of the first spring full moon included in Easter gave a small error - 1 day in 300 years. This was noticed and discussed in detail, for example, in the Collection of Patristic Rules Matthew Vlastar. However, since this error did not affect the observance of the apostolic rules, but only strengthened them, shifting the day of Easter celebration a little forward according to the dates of the calendar, the Orthodox Church decided not to change the Paschal, approved by the fathers of the Ecumenical Council. In the Catholic Church, Paschal was changed in 1582 in such a way that the auxiliary rule, which had lost force, began to be fulfilled again, but the apostolic rule about not celebrating with the Jews began to be violated. As a result, Orthodox and Catholic Easter diverged in time, although sometimes they can coincide.
If you look at the two apostolic rules given above, it is striking that one of them - about non-celebration with the Jews - is not stated entirely strictly and requires interpretation. The point is that Jewish Passover celebration lasts 7 days. Orthodox Easter, in fact, is also celebrated for 7 days, throughout Bright Week. The question arises: what does “ not to celebrate with the Jews"? Should Easter Sunday not coincide with the first day of the Jewish Passover? Or should we take a more strict approach and not allow Easter Sunday to be imposed on any of the 7 days of the Jewish holiday?
In fact, carefully studying Paschal, one can suspect that before the First Ecumenical Council, Christians used both the first (weak) and second (strong) interpretation of the apostolic canon. However, the fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, when compiling Paschal, most definitely settled on the first interpretation: Bright Resurrection should not coincide only with the first, main day of the Jewish Passover, but it can coincide with the subsequent 6 days of the Jewish holiday. This was the opinion of the First Ecumenical Council, clearly expressed in Paschal, which the Orthodox Church still follows. Thus, in 2017, the Orthodox do not violate the 7th rule of the saints about celebrating Easter with the Jews, because Christian Easter does not coincide with the first day of Jewish Passover, and on other days such “ overlays“are not prohibited, especially since similar cases have occurred before.
New Paschalists and their teaching
In our time, in 2010, several members of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church doubted the patristic interpretation of the apostolic rule on Easter and decided to reconsider this issue. Actually, only one was involved in the revision A. Yu. Ryabtsev, and the rest simply took him at his word. A.Yu. Ryabtsev, in particular, wrote (we quote his words partially, omitting obvious speculation):
... Often our Easter coincides with last days Jewish Passover, which is celebrated for seven days, and the first main rule for calculating Passover is violated... In modern practice We sometimes find ourselves on the last days of Passover.
A.Yu. Ryabtsev proposed to prohibit the coincidence of Easter Sunday with all 7 days of the Jewish holiday of Easter and to celebrate Orthodox Easter according to new rules he himself proposed. The supporters of this doctrine began to be called “ New Paschalists" or " new Easter eggs" On May 1, 2011, they celebrated Easter for the first time according to the new rules in an ancient cave temple on Mount Tepe-Kermen in Crimea. After the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2011, which condemned the celebration of Easter according to new calculations, the New Paschalists became a separate religious group that still exists today. It only includes a few people. Apparently there is some connection between this group and G. Sterligov, who also expressed the idea of changing the day of celebrating Orthodox Easter.
Easter is the original holiday of the arrival of spring and the awakening of new life. About 3.5 thousand years ago, the Jews gave new meaning to the Canonian holiday of welcoming spring - on this day they also began to celebrate the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, described in the Old Testament. About 2 thousand years ago, Easter acquired another meaning; on this day Jesus Christ was resurrected.
On this day it is customary to say: “Christ is Risen!”, to which they answer “Truly He is Risen!”.
The name Passover comes from the Hebrew word "Pesach", which means "deliverance", "exodus", "mercy".
Easter date
In the Christian tradition, Easter is celebrated according to the lunisolar calendar, on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. Easter is always celebrated only on Sunday, but falls on different dates.
Lent precedes Easter
The celebration of Easter in Christianity is preceded by Lent- the longest and strictest period of abstinence from many types of food and entertainment.
Easter traditions
It is customary to celebrate the onset of Easter by placing on the table colored Easter cakes and Easter itself - this is the name given to a curd dish in the shape of a pyramid with a truncated top.
In addition, the symbol of the holiday are painted boiled eggs. According to ancient traditions, they were considered a symbol of life. The eggs are also associated with the legend of how Mary Magdalene presented an egg to Emperor Tiberius as a sign that Jesus Christ had risen. He said that this was impossible, just as an egg cannot suddenly turn from white to red, and the egg instantly turned red.
Since then, Christian believers have painted eggs red for Easter. Although recently the masses paint eggs in any color or put stickers on them.
Although Easter is celebrated by Christians (Catholics and Orthodox) and Jews. Details of the celebration vary.
On Easter, believers often visit churches, illuminate Easter cakes and colored eggs.
Easter history of the holiday briefly.
History of Easter
The celebration of Easter began not with the resurrection of Christ from the dead, but much earlier, and is associated with the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. You can find even more ancient references to the spring holiday, on which an animal was sacrificed to God so that the rest would be alive and well.
So, the word “Passover” comes from the Hebrew “passover”, which in turn comes from the word “passover”, which means “to pass”. Why is this so?
According to the story told in the Bible, the Jews moved to Egypt after Jacob's son Joseph the Fair became an advisor to Pharaoh.
As time passed, the number of the Jewish people increased, and the next Pharaoh ordered to load them with hard work and kill the first-born boys. God commanded Moses, who in his youth killed an Egyptian for mocking a Jew and fled Egypt, to return and free his people. It is believed that God sent ten trials (the ten plagues of Egypt) to the country as punishment for the Egyptians. As a result, all the first-born boys died, except for the Jews: on their doors there was a sign drawn in the blood of a lamb. Then Pharaoh agreed to release the Jews from slavery.
Moses took the people and led them back to Canaan. On the seashore they were overtaken by an army of Egyptians, but the waters parted, letting the Jews through and drowning their pursuers.
Since then, on the 14th day of Nisan (March), Jews celebrate Passover for 7 days. At first, a sacrifice was made on this day: each family had to roast and eat a lamb without breaking its knees. However, now it is replaced by a lamb or chicken shank, which is not eaten, but is symbolically left on the table in honor of the holiday.
Easter in the New Testament
ABOUT modern history Perhaps everyone knows Easter. On this day, Jesus Christ, crucified on the cross two days earlier, rose from the dead. Pontius Pilate was ready to release one prisoner according to the tradition of Good Friday, but the crowd asked not for Christ, but for the criminal Barabbas.
On the second day after the crucifixion, according to the traditions of Jerusalem, his legs should have been broken, but the executioners saw that he was already dead and did not do this. The disciples of Christ wrapped his body in a shroud and hid it in a tomb. The high priests, with the consent of Pilate, placed guards at the tomb so that the promised resurrection could not be faked.
Easter is celebrated in commemoration of Christ's Resurrection. On this day Lent ends, and you can eat whatever you want. No sacrifices are made because it is believed that Jesus Christ became the sacrifice (“lamb of God”) for all the righteous. You can exchange congratulations and triple kisses not only on the day of the holiday, but also during the week after it.
At first, Easter was called two weeks - before the Resurrection of Christ and after. They were called Easter of the Cross (Suffering) and Easter of the Resurrection (Resurrection). Now these are Holy and Bright weeks, and Easter is the holiday itself on Sunday.
It is interesting that in the first centuries of our era Easter was celebrated together with Passover. But later, at the First Ecumenical Council in 325, it was decided to celebrate it on the first Sunday after the full moon, which occurs after the spring equinox. Adjusted to the modern calendar, Orthodox Easter is not celebrated earlier than April 4 and later than May 8.
Easter, the day of the Resurrection of Christ, is the most important holiday Orthodox Church. This is precisely the main meaning of the Orthodox faith - God himself became a man, died for us and, having risen, delivered people from the power of death and sin. Easter is a holiday of holidays!
Easter. A little history
EASTER ends the seven-week Lent, preparing believers for the proper celebration of the holiday.
During the entire Holy Week preceding EASTER, basic preparations for the holiday were made, including cleaning and whitewashing houses, etc. (see Holy Thursday), women baked special Easter bread (paska, Easter cake), painted and painted eggs, baked piglets (in Ukraine and Belarus). Easter dishes They were usually consecrated in church on the eve of the holiday or on the first day of EASTER. During Holy Week, men were busy preparing firewood for the Easter fire, storing feed for livestock, etc.
Easter celebrations began with a procession of the cross, when a procession of parishioners led by clergy left the church and walked around it, and then returned to the church threshold; here the priest announced the Resurrection of Christ, after which the people returned to the temple, where the festive service continued.
History of Easter, Easter customs and meals
The history of Easter goes back to ancient times. About 5 thousand years ago, Jewish tribes celebrated it in the spring as a calving festival, then Easter was associated with the beginning of the harvest, and later with the departure of the Jews from Egypt. Christians have put a different meaning into this day and celebrate it in connection with the resurrection of Christ.
At the first Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches in Nicaea (325), it was decided to move the Orthodox holiday a week later than the Jewish one. By decree of the same council, Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Thus, the holiday travels through time and falls every year on different days in the period from March 22 to April 25, old style.
Having come to Rus' from Byzantium, Christianity also brought the ritual of celebrating Easter. The entire week preceding this day is usually called Great or Passionate. The last days of Holy Week are especially highlighted: Maundy Thursday - as a day of spiritual cleansing, receiving the sacrament, Good Friday - as another reminder of the suffering of Jesus Christ, Holy Saturday - a day of sadness, and finally, the Bright Resurrection of Christ.
The Orthodox Slavs had many customs and rituals dedicated to the days of the Great Week. Thus, Maundy Thursday is traditionally called clean, and not only because on this day every Orthodox man strives to be spiritually cleansed, to take communion, to accept the sacrament established by Christ. Maundy Thursday was widespread folk custom cleansing with water - swimming in an ice hole, river, lake or dousing in a bathhouse before sunrise. On this day they cleaned the hut, washed and cleaned everything.
Starting from Maundy Thursday we prepared for festive table, painted and painted eggs. According to ancient tradition, colored eggs were placed on fresh sprouted greens of oats, wheat, and sometimes on soft green tiny leaves of watercress, which were specially sprouted in advance for the holiday. From Thursday they prepared paska, baked Easter cakes, babas, pancakes, small products made from the best wheat flour with images of crosses, lambs, cockerels, hens, doves, larks, as well as honey gingerbread. Easter gingerbread cookies differed from ordinary ones in that they had the silhouettes of a lamb, bunny, cockerel, dove, lark and egg.
The Easter table differed from the festive splendor; it was tasty, plentiful and very beautiful. Wealthy owners served 48 different dishes according to the number of days of the expired fast.
The holiday lasted throughout Bright Week, the table remained set, people were invited to the table, food was given, especially to those who could not or did not have such an opportunity, the poor, the poor, and the sick were welcomed.
The Resurrection of Christ is the biggest holiday of Orthodox Christians. For Western Christians, the biggest holiday is Christmas. Every person has a birthday and the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has a birthday does not say anything about who He is. Only the Lord God could resurrect, therefore the Resurrection of Christ says that Jesus Christ is truly the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Lord God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.
The Resurrection of Christ is the essence of the Orthodox faith. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain,” the Apostle Paul addresses Christians. One day he preached in Athens. The inhabitants of the city, famous since ancient times for their curiosity about everything new, seemed ready to listen to Paul... He told them about the One God, about the creation of the world, about the need for repentance, about the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world. The Athenians listened to the apostle with interest until he began to talk about the resurrection. Having heard about this incredible fact, they began to disperse, sarcastically saying to Pavel: “We will listen to you next time.” The story of the resurrection of Christ seemed absurd to them.
But the main thing in Paul’s sermon was precisely that Christ rose from the dead.
Christ conquered death. By His death and resurrection He brought to life everyone for whom the event that occurred in the burial cave is an indisputable fact and is perceived so closely that it becomes a fact of his own resurrection. “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will also bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14).
Christ resurrected after the Jewish Passover, a holiday established in honor of the liberation of the Israeli people from Egyptian slavery. The Resurrection of Christ became a new Easter - the joy of liberation from the slavery of death. “The word “Easter,” writes Saint Ambrose of Milan, “means “passing.” This holiday, the most solemn of holidays, was named so in the Old Testament Church - in remembrance of the exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt and at the same time their deliverance from slavery, and in the New Testament Church - in commemoration of the fact that the Son of God Himself, through the Resurrection from the dead, passed from this world to the Heavenly Father, from earth to heaven, freeing us from eternal death and slavery to the enemy, giving us “the power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
The significance of the resurrection of Christ for humanity makes Easter the most significant celebration among all other holidays - the Feast of Feasts and the Triumph of Triumphs.
The Easter night service is permeated with optimism. Each reading and chant echoes the words of the catechetical word of St. John Chrysostom, which is read already when the morning wakes up outside the windows of Orthodox churches: “Death! Where is your sting? Hell! Where is your victory?
Christ conquered death. The tragedy of death is followed by the triumph of life. After His resurrection, the Lord greeted everyone with the word: “Rejoice!” There is no more death.
The apostles announced this joy to the world. They called this joy “the Gospel” - the good news of the resurrection of Christ. The same joy fills a person’s heart when he hears: “Christ is risen!”, and it echoes in him with the main words of his life: “Truly Christ is risen!”
How to celebrate Easter?
You need to prepare for Easter celebrations in advance. The Church prepares believers for the most important holiday with a seven-week fast - a time of repentance and spiritual cleansing. It is impossible to experience Easter joy in its entirety without fasting, even if not as strictly as the monastic rules prescribe. If you tried to fast before Easter, you can confirm this yourself.
The celebration of Easter begins with participation in the Easter service. It is completely special, different from ordinary church services, very “light” and joyful. IN Orthodox churches As a rule, the Easter service begins exactly at midnight, but it is better to come to the temple in advance so as not to end up outside its threshold - most churches are crowded on Easter night.
At the Easter liturgy, all believers try to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. And after the service is over, the believers “share Christ” - they greet each other with a kiss and the words “Christ is Risen!”
Arriving home, and sometimes right in the temple, they arrange an Easter feast. During Easter week, all churches generally allow anyone to ring the bells. The celebration of Easter lasts forty days - exactly as long as Christ appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection.
On the fortieth day, Jesus Christ ascended to God the Father. During the forty days of Easter, and especially in the first week - the most solemn one - they go to visit each other, give colored eggs and Easter cakes, and play Easter games.
Lesson notes. EASTER OF CHRIST (history of the holiday)
A story for children of senior preschool age.
talk about the customs and rituals associated with the holiday.
To develop the spiritual and moral potential of students.
Create motivation for the holiday through familiarity with its history, traditions, and customs.
Tasks: Introduce children to the Orthodox holiday “Bright Easter” and its history. Talk about the customs and rituals associated with the holiday. Arouse children's interest in folk culture. To cultivate patriotic feelings for the Orthodox traditions of the Russian people, for folk art
Progress of the lesson:
The history of Easter is a journey through millennia. Leafing through its pages, you can discover something new for yourself every time, because the history of the origin of Easter is an interweaving of traditions, beliefs and customs.
Let's go on such a journey! Do you agree?
Easter is the holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. We joyfully celebrate Easter and sing: “Christ is risen!” We all unanimously answer: “He is truly risen!” Years pass in succession Under the azure skies. And the peoples everywhere sing: “He is truly risen!” There is joy and hugs everywhere: “Brother, sister, Christ is risen! Hell is destroyed, there is no damnation: He is truly risen!” (V. Kuzmenkov)
Jesus Christ was sent by God to earth for our salvation from sins (bad deeds)
He was kind, fair, never condemned anyone and fought against evil.
The kings were afraid that Jesus Christ would himself become the ruler of the whole world. And they executed Him - crucified Him on the cross.
Jesus Christ was executed on Friday. At this time, the earth shook and stones fell from the cliffs and mountains. For people it was the saddest and most mournful day. Today this day is called GOOD FRIDAY.
After the execution, Christ's disciples removed his body from the cross and placed it in a cave and closed the entrance to it with a huge stone.
On Sunday, the women came to the cave and saw that the entrance to it was open. The women were very surprised that such a huge and heavy stone was moved away.
The angel reported the good news about the miraculous resurrection of Christ. Christ has risen, which means he has become immortal.
One of the women, Mary Magdalene, decided to inform the Roman emperor about the resurrection of Christ. She gave the emperor an egg, which symbolized a miracle. But the emperor said to Mary: “This egg would sooner turn red than I would believe that Jesus has risen.”
The egg immediately turned red... Since then, the tradition of painting eggs for Easter has appeared.
The bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ has its own traditions, customs, symbols and ancient rituals associated with them.
The Easter fire, the spring water of the stream, a wreath, eggs, Easter cakes - all these are symbols of the Great Day and have roots in the distant past.
Fire protected our ancestors from predatory animals and evil spirits; people lit fires to drive away winter and welcome spring faster. The Easter fire embodied the power of the hearth.
The Easter wreath is the personification of eternal life.
The egg symbolized small miracle birth. There are many customs with eggs. Our ancestors wrote prayers, magic spells and signs on them. Deep meaning is embedded in simple patterns. For example, a circle symbolizes the bright sun, and wavy lines symbolize oceans and seas.
On the holiday, egg fights at the Easter meal, or “clinking” eggs, as people say, are popular. This is a simple and fun game: someone holds an egg with the nose up, and the “opponent” hits it with the nose of another egg. The one whose shell is not cracked has won and continues to “clink glasses” with the other person.
The holiday lasted throughout Bright Week, the table remained set, people were invited to the table and treated, especially to those who could not or did not have such an opportunity.
Easter is the main holiday of the Christian calendar. It is not for nothing that it is called “the holiday of the holidays and the celebration of celebrations.”
