Spring marks the time for some of the most important religious holidays of the year. Particularly, this is the time when Christianity celebrates the crucial moment of its origin.
Commemorated with feasts and festivities as well as religious services, Easter is meant to remind followers of the events that took place during this period so many years ago. In Hungary, Easter is one of the most significant holidays of the year.
Perhaps the most important celebration in Christianity, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Followers believe that on Good Friday, Jesus Christ was executed by crucifixion and then buried in a cave. On the following Sunday, some visitors to his grave found that the stone closing the cave had been removed and that the tomb was empty. As he was then seen that day, it is believed that he was resurrected from the dead by God.
In Western Christianity, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th. The following day, Easter Monday, is a legal holiday in many countries with predominantly Christian traditions. In Eastern Christianity, Easter falls between April 4th and May 8th based on the Gregorian date.
Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (which follow the motion of the sun and the seasons). Instead, they are based on a lunar calendar, similar—but not identical—to the Hebrew calendar. The precise date of Easter has often been a matter for contention.
The holiday includes several important days surrounding the actual Easter Sunday as well. In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence that occurs for 40 days beginning on Ash Wednesday. The week before Easter is also important, including Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday all celebrating Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem. The week following Easter Sunday is then called Easter week.
The celebration of the holiday varies depending on one’s religious practice. Generally commemorations include special church services with recitations of relevant passages of the Bible, vigils, and additional services.
The celebration of Easter, however, extends beyond the church. Since its origins, it has been a time of celebration and feasting. In recent decades it has become highly commercially significant worldwide and there is a huge market for confections and greeting cards relevant to the holiday. Generally, it is a time of family gathering, much like Christmas.