On March 27, 2016, Catholics, Protestants and believers of the Armenian Orthodox Church celebrate Easter. Easter is the holiday of the Light One Christ's resurrection... The first Easter was celebrated by the ancient Jews 1500 years before the birth of Christ, in connection with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses. Old Testament Passover marked deliverance Jewish people from Egyptian slavery, and the word "Passover" in ancient Hebrew means "exodus", "deliverance". New Testament, Christian Easter was established by the apostles shortly after the death of the cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and was filled with new meaning. This is a celebration of victory over death.
Representatives of different religious confessions live in Crimea. What are the differences between the celebration of the Armenian Orthodox Easter, Catholic and Russian Orthodox Easter? Understanding.
Armenian Easter.
The Armenian Church is one of the oldest Christian communities. In 301, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion. For many centuries there has been no church unity between us, but this does not interfere with the existence of good-neighborly relations. At a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Russia O.E. Yesayan, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted:
"Our relations go back centuries ... The closeness of our spiritual ideals, a single moral and spiritual system of values in which our peoples live, are a fundamental component of our relations."
Interesting that: In 2017, Armenian Easter - Zatik - will be celebrated on April 16 along with representatives of all Christian denominations- Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants and Christian Armenians. Such a coincidence is extremely rare. For comparison - last time The "common day of Easter" was in 2011.
The traditions of calculating the dates of holidays in the Armenian Apostolic Church are very interesting. Here the decision is made by the representatives spiritual center Armenian Apostolic Church in Etchmiadzin. Every year before the holiday, special calendars are sent from this city, where specific dates are agreed. In this confession, the Gregorian calendar is used, and the Armenian Easter more often coincides with the Catholic one.
Armenian Easter is called Zatik, which means "liberation" and "cleansing". The holiday symbolizes deliverance from sins and return to God. On this day, Armenians greet each other with the words "Christ has risen from the dead - blessed is the Resurrection of Christ." One of old traditions, which have come down to modern times, is considered to be the Aklatiz doll, decorated with 49 stones and onions... This Easter attribute symbolizes good luck for home and family. Blessing of trees was an unusual tradition in Armenia on Easter. Elderly Armenian women blessed trees with candles in their hands on Easter morning. In pre-Christian times, it was customary to perform the ritual of sacrifice on this day. A young lamb or rooster was boiled all night, and then distributed to the poor and needy. Easter in Armenia traditional dish now is pilaf and colored eggs. Earlier on this day, Spitak Banjar was served. According to legend, the Holy Mother of God wrapped Jesus Christ in the leaves of this plant. Also, on Easter, it is customary for Armenian housewives to treat kutap - a dough with baked herbs or beans with fried onions, also auik (wheat cakes) and akhar (boiled lamb or rooster).
Traditional holiday treats
V ancient times in Armenia, on Easter, after Easter dinner, the merry festival continued in nature with various games, horse races and bonfires. And, of course, on this day, according to custom, in competition, they broke colored eggs. The Armenians painted eggs before the adoption of Christianity, they paint them even now. Red means the light of the sun.
Today, in all Armenian churches, divine sharakans, ancient spiritual verses, are heard. But the main liturgy in honor of the onset of Easter is held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Monday is a day off in Armenia. On the Day of Remembrance of the Dead, people traditionally visit the graves of relatives and friends.
Interesting that: The Orthodox Church determines the date of Easter on the first Sunday after vernal equinox and the next full moon. One more condition is strictly observed: Easter for Orthodox Christians should not coincide with Jewish. This norm is enshrined in a special decision of the Ecumenical Councils. The day of the Jewish Passover is calculated according to the lunar calendar, so sometimes there are coincidences. But for Orthodox tradition such a coincidence is unacceptable, but it is allowed among Catholics. When the days of celebration for Orthodox and Catholics coincide, Easter is held in both denominations without transfer. Protestants also base their calculations on the Gregorian calendar, so their Easter often coincides with the Catholic one. And such Orthodox churches as the Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, are guided by the neo-Julian calendar. He dictates the conditions for determining most of the holidays according to Gregorian calendar, and some (for example, Easter) - in Julian.
Catholic Easter.
In European languages, the word "Easter" is one of the variants of the Latin Pascha, which, in turn, goes back to the Hebrew pesach (transition, exodus from Egypt). The Jewish Passover, dedicated to the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery, was in the eyes of Christians the prototype of the redemption of mankind from sin, the remembrance of which is dedicated to Christian Passover. The Germans call Easter Ostern, just as the English call Easter, that is, after the name of the ancient German goddess of spring Eostro (Ostara). Thus, Christians timed their main holiday also for celebrations on the occasion of the revival of life after winter. Roman Catholic Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox and the first full moon thereafter. This order was determined in the early christian church and is still observed. In our time, the days of Catholic and Orthodox Easter do not coincide for the reason that the Russian Orthodox Church continues to keep chronology in accordance with the ancient Julian calendar.
V Orthodox churches Easter service - a light and joyful celebration - begins exactly at midnight. After the end of the service, the Orthodox Christians. This is the name of the custom to greet each other with a kiss and the words: "Christ is Risen!" Catholics celebrate Easter, starting with a special Saturday prayer, Easter Eve. Then, early Sunday morning, Resurection takes place - procession and Holy Mass. There is no tradition of fasting in this confession, since Catholics do not have a long fast as abstinence in food. Believers should only abstain from flesh on Friday. Catholic fasting has a spiritual character, during which you need to pray more, do more good deeds, give up bad habits and stormy fun. Symbol Easter holiday- colored eggs. The custom of dyeing eggs is widespread everywhere. Western European Catholics prefer red eggs without ornaments, in Central Europe (Poles, Slovaks) they paint them with a variety of techniques. Priests bless eggs in parishioners' homes on Saturday along with the rest of the ritual food. In the evening Good Saturday All-night vigil is served in all churches. In the morning, returning home, everyone breaks their fast, primarily with eggs. Hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets are the most important ritual Easter food. Cook and meat dishes as well as butter bread.
Traditions of celebrating Easter in different countries Europe.
In Italy for Easter they bake a "dove", Eastern Poland on Easter morning they eat okroshka, which is poured with water and vinegar, as a symbol of the Friday Passion of Christ. There is also a custom in Poland oblewany ponedzialek - on Monday after Easter, boys and girls pour water over each other. Throughout Europe, housewives put colorful eggs, toy chickens, chocolate bunnies in wicker baskets on young grass. These baskets sit on the table by the door throughout the entire Easter week. In Ecuador - fanseco - a soup made of 12 types of cereals - they symbolize the 12 apostles, cod, peanuts and milk. In England, hot cross buns must be cut with a cross before baking. In Portugal, on a Sunday, a priest walks through the sparkling cleanliness of parishioners carrying Easter blessings, where he is treated to blue and pink dragees, chocolate eggs, cookies, and a glass of port. On Easter Sunday morning, after the service, children and youth go around the house with songs and congratulations similar to Christmas carols. Among Easter entertainment, games with colored eggs are the most popular: they are thrown at each other, rolled on inclined plane smash, scattering the shell.
Why is the Easter bunny the symbol of Catholic Easter?
The symbol of Catholic Easter is also the Easter Bunny, which, according to popular beliefs, carries gift easter baskets and hides the eggs painted the day before. In Catholic countries, on the eve of Easter, the hare is very popular - it is printed on postcards, chocolate hares are made. The explanation for this goes deep into paganism. According to the legend pagan goddess In the spring, Estra turned the bird into a hare, but he continued to lay eggs. Another explanation for this phenomenon is more simple - when on Easter morning the children went to collect eggs from the chicken coop, they often found rabbits nearby.
Jewish Passover.
For the entire Jewish people, Easter is the most important and significant day of the year. Many great actions are associated with it, in particular, the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, which took place in the middle of the 13th century BC. The history of Passover (Passover) dates back to the distant past, in the days when, according to the biblical scriptures, Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt. This happened on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, when on the night before the last brutal execution, all the babies of Egypt were killed, except for the Hebrews. The execution bypassed their homes, because the doors were marked with the blood of sacrificial lambs. After this terrible act, Moses undertook to lead the Jewish people out of the Egyptian lands. The holiday was named in honor of the greatest salvation of the people of Israel and in honor of the fact that the trouble bypassed their home. Translated from Hebrew, "Pesach" means "to pass by, bypass or bypass." It is symbolic that the celebration of Passover falls precisely on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, according to the Hebrew lunar calendar... There is a slight difference in the number of days that people regale and praise this celebration. For example, in Israel itself it lasts 7 days, and outside it - 8 days. In 2016, Easter will begin on April 22nd and end on April 30th. A long-standing tradition says that all Jews begin to celebrate Passover after the sun has hidden its last ray over the horizon.
Traditions of Jewish Passover on the eve of the holiday in the houses all leaven - flour dishes, based on yeast are collected and burned at the stake. It is worth noting that during the entire period when the Jews honor the day of Easter, they do not eat leavened products, as well as those that can ferment. Before the start of the holiday, it is customary to collect "meot hittim". This means that the Jews collect funds for flour for the metsa, which is then distributed to the poor. Unleavened cakes are called metsoi and are baked without the use of yeast. This pastry symbolizes the bread that the Jews in a hurry grabbed when they secretly left Egypt. On the first and seventh days of the celebration, it is forbidden to do business, on the other days it is allowed to do minor work. The Jews call the first two days and the first night Yom-Tov, which means "good and festive day." During this period, a divine service is held in all synagogues of the country, in which they praise the dew, and also thank God by reading the Hallel psalms.
The very Jewish Passover in 2016 begins from the moment when in the evening, Nisan 14, families gathered at the table begin to read the Seder Korban Passover (the ceremony of the Passover sacrifice). This meeting, during which the family partakes of the dishes on the table, is called Seder, and is held on the first and second nights of the holiday in a specific order. While eating, it is necessary to read the Haggadah prayer, which tells about how the Israelites fled from Egypt. During the Seder, everyone should drink 4 glasses of wine, on the table there should be a chicken egg and a chicken wing (in honor of the sacrificial lamb), four matzo (as much as possible), a thicket of salt water (symbolizes the tears of all Israeli slaves), any bitter herb (celery , maror), haroset. It is customary to invite all the needy and poor people for dinner, and at the end of the meal, open the doors wide open, thereby starting the “night of vigil” for all the “sons of Israel”. The last day of the celebration of Passover, which is associated with the crossing of the Jewish people across the Red Sea, synagogues begin to read Hazkarat Neshamot. In addition, there is long tradition when the Israelites come to the river and speak the Torah passage.
Why shouldn't Easter and Passover coincide?
The Church has clearly defined that the celebration of the Christian Passover should not fall on the day of the celebration of the Jewish Passover. This should be due to the fact that the very Resurrection of Christ took place after the people of Israel left Egypt, which means after the origin of Passover. In order to accurately observe the chronology of the Gospel events, the following procedure was established for honoring these holidays. Until now, of course, there are disputes about the coincidence of all these great days, but the clergy are sure that they contradict the events indicated in the Gospel and set the wrong date for the most important Christian holiday, it would be extremely illogical.
Orthodox Easter.
The Orthodox Church recognizes two types of holidays: non-transient and transferable. The first are celebrated every year on the same day, without changing the date and month. No specific date has been set for rolling holidays; it is calculated every year according to certain criteria. The main rolling holiday, on which the dates of the beginning of Great Lent, Pentecost, Ascension and others depend church events, is Easter. Before the Resurrection of Christ, it is customary to restore order in all houses and courtyards. This tradition is especially relevant on Maundy Thursday. On this day, you need to swim at dawn in order to wash away all sins and evil thoughts from yourself. Then there will be a trip to the service in the church. Before Easter, you need to bake cakes. Previously, each housewife had her own secret recipe, which she kept secret. A properly made product can be stored for up to forty days. Today, on store shelves, there are many Easter powders, figurines, ornaments that facilitate the procedure for making Easter cakes and give it a creative character.
Another necessary attribute, without which Easter is indispensable in any family, are krashanki. Most traditional method dyeing eggs is considered to be placed in water with onion peel... From such an operation, the eggs acquire a rich red-brown hue. There are many other ways as well: food colorings, stickers, wax painting. There are masters who create whole pictures on eggshells. Krashankas are not only made for human consumption, they are exchanged with each other as sacred gifts. When all the holiday ingredients are ready, you can begin to shape the Easter basket. It contains cakes, krashanki and all the products that I would like to consecrate. On Saturday evening, all believers, dressed up and carrying Easter baskets, go to church for Vigil. In 2016, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on May 1.
Together with this they read:
03/04/2017 10:26:57 PM Mikhail
It's not clear anyway. Jesus Christ was executed on a specific specific day, on the third day He rose again on a specific specific day. And this day is celebrated in different days... And what has the calendars to do with it?
07.03.2017 8:15:43 Priest Vasily Kutsenko
The fact is that in the early Christian era there were two different traditions celebrating Easter. The first tradition is Asia Minor. According to this tradition, Passover was celebrated on 14 Aviva (Nisan) (just like the Jewish Passover). The second tradition is Roman. Roman Christians celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after Aviv 14 (Nisan). If the Christians who followed the first tradition were for the most part from Judaism, then the Christians of Rome were converted from paganism and the connection with the Jewish traditions was not so important for them. The question arises - which of these traditions is more correct? The answer is both equally. Because both of them were sanctified by the apostolic authority and were of the earliest origin.
Subsequently, a dispute arose between the Christian communities of Rome and Asia Minor about the date of the celebration of Easter, but no consensus was reached. Then this issue was raised at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, in 325, the Council Fathers decided to celebrate Easter on the same day for all Christians according to the Roman (and Alexandrian) tradition.
03/08/2017 10:40:20 AM Mikhail
In the "Lives of the Saints" on February 23 (March 8, NS) there is this: "... Regarding the difference between the Asia Minor and Western churches in understanding and celebrating Easter, the Bishops of Smyrna and Rome did not agree to deviate each from their local custom, i.e. St. Polycarp recognized as correct the celebration of Easter by Eastern Christians on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan and the dedication of it to the remembrance of the last supper of the Lord with the disciples and the sacrament of the Eucharist established on it, and Anikita recognized, on the contrary, the understanding of Easter, as the annual holiday of Resurrection, established in the West. Christ and its celebration on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. " Why didn't they listen to the direct disciple of the apostles, but followed the lead of someone?
09.03.2017 23:10:57 Priest Vasily Kutsenko
I will just once again briefly note the main aspects of the problem:
1. In the Gospel there is no exact date of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is only a reference to the Jewish Passover: In two days [should] be [the feast of] Easter and unleavened bread. And the chief priests and scribes were looking for how to take him by cunning and kill him(Mk. 14, 1); On the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover [lamb], His disciples say to Him: Where do you want to eat the Passover? we will go and cook(Mk. 14, 12); and as evening had already come - because it was Friday, that is, [the day] before Saturday, - came Joseph from Arimathea, a famous member of the council(Mk. 15, 42-43); after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and Mary of Jacob and Salome bought perfumes to go to anoint Him. And very early, on the first [day] of the week, they come to the tomb at the rising of the sun(Mark 16: 1-2).
2. The date of the Jewish Passover - 14 Nisan (Aviva) was calculated according to the lunar calendar. But the question arises - 1) how accurate was this calendar? and 2) can we confidently assert that the 14th of Nisan (Aviva), celebrated by the Asian Christians in the II century. (it was at this time that the dispute about the date of the holiday arose) fell on the same period of the year as during the earthly life of Christ (here it must be borne in mind that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, and the tradition of calculating the date of Easter could be lost)?
3. Both Rome and the Asian churches insisted on the apostolic origin of their tradition (it should not be forgotten that Rome is the city of the apostles Peter and Paul).
4. The difference in tradition testified to a different understanding and identification of different aspects of the celebration of Easter in different Christian communities. But I repeat once again that both of these traditions were correct. But historically, it was Roman and Alexandrian that became generally accepted. According to these traditions, Christian Easter should always be celebrated on Sunday.
03/10/2017 17:28:00 Mikhail
1. "In the Gospel there is no exact date of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ." I dare to note that in the Gospel there is no exact date for both Christmas and Transfiguration. Let me remind you once again: "St. Polycarp recognized it right for Eastern Christians to celebrate Easter on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan and to dedicate it to the remembrance of the last supper of the Lord with the disciples and the sacrament of the Eucharist established on it."
2. "The fact that the Savior died on Friday and rose again, respectively, on Sunday, the inhabitants of the planet are accustomed to believe from childhood. However, only two Romanian astronomers thought about what is still unknown exact date death of Jesus. They came to grips with these issues.
For a long time, the scientists of the National Observatory of Romania Liviu Mircea and Tiberiu Oproyu studied the Bible. It was she who was the source of the basic premises. The New Testament states that Jesus died on the day after the first night of the full moon, after the vernal equinox. The Bible also says that there was a solar eclipse during the crucifixion of Christ.
Based on this information, the help of settlement astrological programs... From the motion of the planets between 26 and 35 AD, it can be seen that in these years the full moon fell on the day after the vernal equinox only twice. The first time was on Friday April 7th in AD 30, and the second time on April 3, 33AD. It is easy to choose from these two dates, since the solar eclipse happened in 33 AD.
The resulting result may well be called a sensational discovery. If you believe the New Testament and the calculations of astronomers, then Jesus Christ died on Friday, April 3 at about three o'clock in the afternoon, and resurrected on April 5 at four o'clock in the afternoon. "
3. Rome, of course, is the city of the apostles Peter and Paul. But this did not help him not to become what he represents now.
4. How can two such different traditions be correct? And yet it is not clear why Christmas, Transfiguration, Epiphany are definite constant days, as it should be according to logic. And the crucifixion and the Resurrection - transferable, although these were also certain and specific days?
10.03.2017 18:54:38 Priest Vasily Kutsenko
Mikhail, I again recommend that you familiarize yourself with the work of V.V. Bolotov. He explains in great detail why exactly the difference arose in the traditions of Roman and Asian Christians, and what meaning was put by both church communities in the Easter holiday.
I will answer in more detail only to your question about how two different traditions can be simultaneously correct: it should be taken into account that in the early Christian period such a variety could well have existed, now it may seem strange to us, but in those centuries it was the norm. For example, now the Orthodox Church celebrates only three liturgies - St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Now this is the norm. But in ancient times, the church community completed its Eucharistic succession. And that was also the norm.
Regarding the transitional and non-transitional holidays - the dates of the holidays did not arise in the apostolic period, and throughout history we can observe how the dates of certain holidays could vary, both in the East and in the West. For example, quite long time Christmas and Epiphany constituted one holiday, the continuation of which was the Presentation. Some Christian communities celebrated the Annunciation on the eve of the Nativity of Christ. The history of the holiday of the Transfiguration is also quite complex and interesting.
Ancient Christians emphasized the symbolic side of the event rather than insisting on historical accuracy. Indeed, even the tradition of the Asian Christians to celebrate Easter on the 14th of Nisan (Aviva) is not historically accurate. Nisan 14 is the first day of the Jewish Passover, and judging by the Gospels, Christ did not die and rose again on the Easter day itself. But the ancient Christians saw here an important symbolism - the Old Testament Passover is replaced by the New Testament, God, who liberated Israel from slavery, now frees the entire human race. I repeat once again that all this is described in great detail by V.V. Bolotov.
03/11/2017 13:05:05 Mikhail
Yes, I understand why there was a difference in traditions, in calendars, in full moons and equinoxes. It is not clear to me why they began to become attached to these full moons, equinoxes, when an event occurred that they could not fail to notice: a three-hour eclipse of the sun? After all, Dionysius the Areopagite noticed and it is known when he noticed and when he lived. It was a specific day. And three o'clock solar eclipse never happened again. And it could not have been all over the earth. Why was this day not taken as a basis? That's what I don't understand.
03/30/2018 7:29:26 AM Mikhail
I wish you good health. Reading the "Lives of the Saints", I saw in some places the designation of the date with the words "Such a year from the creation of the world." How could the time from the creation of the world be counted when it is not known what time is meant by the word "day" of creation and Adam was created on the sixth day?
04/06/2018 17:02:02 Dmitry
And the meyan had another question why every year they recalculate this date, why, after the first recalculation of this date, they did not stop and take this day as a basis? Why do this every year.
Catholic Easter - religious holiday dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 2013 Catholic Easter falls on March 31... For all Christian denominations, this is the most important holiday of the liturgical year, which is based on the gospel story of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross.
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In European languages, the word "Easter" is one of the variants of the Latin Pascha, which, in turn, goes back to the Hebrew pesach (transition, exodus from Egypt). The Jewish Passover, dedicated to the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery, was in the eyes of Christians the prototype of the redemption of mankind from sin, the remembrance of which is dedicated to Christian Passover. The Germans call Easter Ostern, just as the English call Easter, that is, after the name of the ancient German goddess of spring Eostro (Ostara). Thus, Christians also timed their main holiday to celebrate the rebirth of life after winter.
In addition to the differences in the naming of the holiday, there were many disagreements about the time of its holding.
The early Christians, following the practice of celebrating the Jewish Passover, believed that Passover falls on the 14th day of the moon phase after the vernal equinox. At the Council of Nicea in 325, it was decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. The question was still not finally resolved, since there were several astronomical cycles, according to which solar and lunar months... Then disagreements arose between the Greek and Latin Churches (as well as within the Latin Church). In 387, Easter was celebrated: in Gaul on March 21, in Italy on April 18, in Egypt on April 25. For Orthodox and Catholics, Easter did not coincide at all.
Another "calendar split" took place in the 16th century. Since the year according to the church Julian calendar lagged behind astronomical, to late XVI century, 10 "unaccounted" days have already accumulated. Thus, the need for calendar reform is ripe. Then Pope Gregory XII, according to the instructions and with the participation of the German mathematician Christoph Clavius, introduced a new, Gregorian calendar, or new style... In February 1582, according to the papal bull Inter gravissimas ("Among the most important things ..."), after October 4, 1582, it was ordered to consider the next day not the fifth, but the 15th day of the month.
Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland switched to the Gregorian calendar in the same 1582. Protestant and Orthodox Churches decided not to be guided by the calendar "proposals" of the pope, while other Catholic countries introduced the Gregorian calendar for several centuries.
Currently, the Gregorian calendar is adhered to in Western Christendom, and Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Difference between catholic and Orthodox Easter is either one, four or five weeks, or the dates are the same. These dates are calculated using a special algorithm, according to which there is no difference between them in two or three weeks.
The coincidence of Easter (the system for calculating the date of Easter) for different Christian denominations occurs once every few years. In 2011, Orthodox Christians and Catholics celebrated it on April 24th. Prior to this, Christian Easter coincided in 2010, 2007, 2004, 2001. Then Easter will coincide in 2014 and 2017.
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It happens that Easter and the Annunciation coincide in terms of the dates of the celebration, such Easter was called Kiriopasha, which in translation is the Lord's Easter.
Like Orthodox Christians, Catholics are preceded by a 40-day Great post and the next Passion Week, which begins Palm Sunday.
The festive service in the West was moved first to the evening of Holy Saturday, and later (in the 14th century) to Easter morning. Fire and water are blessed in churches early on Saturday morning. After lighting a new fire with the help of a kresal (possibly an echo of northern pagan rituals), the consecration of the Passover candle and the singing of the Exultet hymn ("May she rejoice") follow, followed by the reading of 12 prophecies and the consecration of baptismal water. The fire is carried to the houses and Easter candles are lit. Easter candle wax is considered miraculous, protecting against evil forces. Supernatural properties They are also credited with Easter holy water, they add it to food, sprinkle it at home, wash their face.
Easter holiday symbol - colored eggs... The custom of dyeing eggs is widespread everywhere. Western European Catholics prefer red eggs without ornaments, in Central Europe (Poles, Slovaks) they paint them with a variety of techniques.
Priests bless eggs in parishioners' homes on Saturday along with the rest of the ritual food. On the evening of Holy Saturday, Vigil is served in all churches. In the morning, returning home, everyone breaks their fast, primarily with eggs. Hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets are the most important ritual Easter food. Meat dishes are also prepared, as well as butter bread.
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In italy for Easter they bake a "dove" in Eastern Poland on Easter morning they eat okroshka, which is poured with water and vinegar, as a symbol of the Friday Passion of Christ, in Ecuador- fanseku - a soup of 12 types of cereals (they symbolize the 12 apostles), cod, peanuts and milk. A in England Easter buns hot cross buns must be cut with a cross before baking. In Portugal on Sunday, the priest walks through the sparkling clean houses of the parishioners, delivering Easter blessings, and he is treated to blue and pink dragees, chocolate eggs, cookies and a glass of real port. A in Poland there is a custom oblewany ponedzialek - on Monday after Easter, boys and girls pour water over each other. Throughout Europe, housewives put colorful eggs, toy chickens, chocolate bunnies in wicker baskets on young grass. These baskets sit on the table by the door throughout the entire Easter week.
On Easter Sunday morning, after the service, children and youth go around the house with songs and congratulations similar to Christmas carols. Among Easter entertainment, the most popular games are with colored eggs: they are thrown at each other, rolled on an inclined plane, broken, scattering shells. Relatives and friends exchange dyed eggs, godparents give them to their children-godchildren, girls - to their beloved, in exchange for palm branches.
The custom of giving colored eggs for Easter dates back to the time of the emperor Tibelius. Mary Magdalene, having come to Rome to preach the Gospel, brought him the first Easter egg with the words "Christ is Risen", legend says. The unbelieving emperor exclaimed, "It is as incredible as if the egg turned red." After his words, the egg turned red. There is another legend: drops of blood of the crucified Christ fell to the ground, turned to stone, took the form chicken eggs... And the hot tears of the Mother of God left traces on them in the form of patterns. Symbolically, Easter eggs represent the resurrection, since a new creature is born from the egg.
But in the West, they increasingly prefer not real, but chocolate eggs or souvenirs in the form easter eggs... Congratulating on Easter, Catholics usually give each other Easter baskets filled with eggs, sweets and other sweets, which are consecrated in the church the day before.
The symbol of Catholic Easter is also Easter Bunny, who, according to popular beliefs, delivers Easter gift baskets and hides the eggs painted the day before. In Catholic countries, on the eve of Easter, the hare is very popular - it is printed on postcards, chocolate hares are made.
The explanation for this goes deep into paganism. According to legend, the pagan goddess of spring Estra turned the bird into a hare, but he continued to lay eggs. Another explanation for this phenomenon is more simple - when on Easter morning the children went to collect eggs from the chicken coop, they often found rabbits nearby.
Therefore, Catholics give each other a rabbit that comes only to the kind and good people who did not offend children and animals. In Belgium, babies are sent on a quest to a garden, where they find eggs under a chocolate Easter chicken. In France, there is also a belief that church bells fly to Rome on Holy Week, and when they return, they leave sugar and chocolate eggs, chickens, chickens and chocolate rabbits in the gardens for the joy of the children.
Throughout Easter week, church services are attended, street performances on religious themes continue, and Catholic churches concerts of organ music are held.
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Please explain the difference between Orthodox and Roman Catholic Easter.
Hegumen Ambrose (Ermakov) answers:
According to the prevailing church tradition, according to the rule of the I Ecumenical Council of 325, Christian Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Due to the disparity between solar and lunar cycles, to which it is matched, the date of the holiday over the years is shifted along the timeline from March 22 to April 25 according to the Julian calendar. For almost every year, it is determined by calculation.
The Julian calendar used by the Orthodox Church is based on the solar-lunar reporting system, as a result of which the year is 11 minutes 14 seconds longer in the astronomical year. Because of this, the day of the solar equinox, which in 325 was March 21, by the end of the sixteenth century shifted ten days ago, that is, to the eleventh of March.
Dissatisfied with this shift and the fact that Easter may have "fluctuations" in the day of the celebration every year, the Roman Catholic Church in 1582 carried out a reform and introduced the so-called Gregorian calendar named after Pope Gregory XIII, the meaning of which was reduced to the transition exclusively to the solar reporting system. Specifically, the reform was expressed in the fact that the chronology in 1582 was mechanically moved ten days ahead, that is, the day of the vernal equinox again became March 21.
This desire for accuracy proved to be unjustified in light of the evangelical events, since in the Gregorian calendar, the Christian Passover sometimes occurs together with the Jewish Passover or even before it. In particular, from 1851 to 1951, Catholic Easter happened 15 times before Jewish. According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, this is considered unacceptable: Easter must always be celebrated after the Jewish Passover, for the Lord was resurrected on the first Sunday after it.
In practice, Catholic Easter occurs, as a rule, a week or two earlier than Orthodox, and coincides with it three times in 19 years. We recommend you the book "Calendar Question" published by Sretensky monastery for more details on this issue.
There are people in Belarus who profess different religions... But the majority of Belarusians are either Orthodox or Catholics. Therefore, Easter in our country, one might say, is celebrated twice - according to the Catholic calendar and according to the Orthodox. And sometimes Easter coincides, and then Catholics and Orthodox celebrate the holiday together. However, they do it in different ways.
If we talk about the differences between Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter, we should start with a description of the fast.
Lent is longer and stricter among the Orthodox. The ban on meat is in effect throughout the fast. During the fast, the Orthodox cannot eat not only meat, but also fish and dairy products. Catholics, on the other hand, allow themselves to eat all products except meat.
The Catholic Church only requires strict fasting on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. On these days, you cannot eat meat and dairy products. And on other days of fasting, it is forbidden to eat meat, but dairy products and eggs are allowed. This "softening" of the Catholics' fasts came into force after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).
But fasting is not only about abstinence in food. This is sorrow, remorse. Refusal of all pleasures. And this is much more than just not eating your fill. Any clergyman, whether Catholic or Orthodox, will tell you so.
The difference is in dates.
At the dawn of Christianity, Easter for Christians and Easter for Jews were celebrated on the same day. But, starting from the 2nd century AD, Christians began to celebrate this holiday on another day. The reason for this was that “the Jews rejected Jesus as their savior” (historians quote the Roman bishop Sixtus as such). It was on his initiative that the date of Christian Easter was postponed to a day that did not coincide with the Passover of the Jews.
Sixtus was a Roman bishop from AD 116 to 126. And all this time he and the Roman emperor Hadrian opposed Jewish customs and holidays. And they did not just perform, but literally waged war.
But despite Sixtus' suggestion, new date Christian Easter was not accepted in all areas of the empire. Disagreements over a single date emerged within the Christian church.
And so the question of the day of the celebration was resolved in 325. Then the First took place Ecumenical Council... And it was decided to celebrate Christian Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which comes after the vernal equinox.
In the year 325, the vernal equinox fell on March 21 according to the Julian calendar. By the end of the 16th century, the vernal equinox had shifted 10 days ago. This happened due to the fact that the Julian calendar is based on the solar-lunar system of the report, so the calendar year is 11 minutes 14 seconds longer than the astronomical one.
Julian calendar still uses Orthodox Church.
The Catholic Church introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. Pope Gregory XIII was the author of this innovation.
What is the meaning of the reform? With the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the date of Easter could be calculated exclusively by solar system report. And as a result of the reform in 1582, the equinox fell again on March 21.
Since then, the date of Orthodox Easter began to differ from the Catholic date.
Why didn't the Orthodox Church also switch to the Gregorian calendar?
According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, Easter should be celebrated without fail after Jewish Easter. Since the Lord was resurrected on the first Sunday after the Jewish Passover. And if you follow the Gregorian calendar, then Christian Passover sometimes coincides with the Jewish one, and sometimes it happens before it. For example, from 1851 to 1951, the date of Catholic Easter fell 15 times earlier than the Jewish one!
Before the revolution, Russia lived according to the Julian calendar. And then, like the European Catholic countries, they adopted the Gregorian chronology system. And the Orthodox Church did not deviate from the old style.
Today, when we talk about the difference between "new style" and "old style", we mean a gap of 13 days.
And Catholic Easter usually takes place a week or two earlier than Orthodox. Three times in 19 years Easter coincide.
The difference is in worship.
Of course, here we should not talk about differences, but about coincidences. Or how "the coincidences are different."
For example, easter fire... It is burnt during a festive service in both Catholic and Orthodox churches. In Greece and in some Russian cities, people are waiting Holy fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. When the fire arrives, the priests spread it throughout the city's temples. Believers light their candles from this fire, preserve the fire throughout the service and then carry it home, trying to preserve it all year until next Easter.
In a Catholic church, before the beginning of the service, they light a special Easter candle - Easter. From this candle, the fire is distributed to all parishioners. During the whole Easter week, Easter is lit in Catholic churches.
Procession are arranged for Easter by both Catholics and Orthodox. Only for the Orthodox does the procession begin before the divine service. All believers gather in the temple and from there begin the procession. Matins takes place after the procession.
Catholics also perform a religious procession. But not before the beginning of the service, but after.
Of course, these are not all the differences between Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter. There are many more to be found. At least in how the Easter meal is held by Catholics and Orthodox. But then it would take a whole treatise on the topic of differences. And in this article, we have listed only the key points.
Dates of Orthodox and Catholic EASTER
from 1918 to 2049
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