Description of Easter briefly. Easter. History and traditions of the celebration of Easter. Easter: what is this holiday, when did it appear and what are its features

The history of Easter for children

Orthodox Christians call Easter "the feast of feasts and the triumph of celebrations." On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This holiday symbolizes the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, keeps in itself historical memory about the expiatory voluntary sacrifice in the name of humanity of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection.

Christian Easter It is celebrated not according to the solar, but according to the lunar calendar and therefore does not have a permanent date.

How did the Resurrection of Christ from the dead happen? One of the testimonies of this greatest miracle belongs to the historian Hermidius, the official historiographer of Judea. On Sunday night, Hermidius personally went to the tomb to make sure that the deceased could not be resurrected. In the faint light of dawn, he saw the guards at the door of the coffin. Suddenly it became very light and a man appeared above the ground, as if woven from light. There was a thunderclap, but not in the sky, but on the ground. The frightened guard jumped up and immediately fell to the ground. The stone that closed the entrance to the cave rolled away. Soon the light over the coffin disappeared. But when Hermidius approached the coffin, the body of the Buried One was not there. The doctor did not believe that the dead could be resurrected, but Christ, according to his memoirs, "really resurrected, and we all saw it with our own eyes."

Easter traditions

Easter is preceded by a strict seven-week great post when believers abstain from certain types of food. The week before Easter is called Holy Week. Every day of the week is associated with events last days from the earthly life of Christ.

On the day before Easter - Great Saturday - old and young believers gather in churches for prayer. Special Easter food is brought to the temple to consecrate it. On the day of the Resurrection of Christ, special dishes are put on the table that are prepared only once a year - Easter cake, cottage cheese Easter, Easter colored eggs. Midnight comes, the procession begins in the churches. Great Saturday is replaced by Bright Sunday.

But the Easter holiday is not only about prayers. This holiday has always had another side - worldly. While the Easter service was going on, no one dared indulge in festive entertainment. But when the “icons passed”, the Easter festivities began.

What kind of entertainment is accepted for Easter? First, a feast. After a seven-week fast, you could again afford any food - whatever your heart desires. In addition to Easter dishes, there are many traditional Russian delicacies on the table. All sorts of games with Easter eggs, round dances, and swings were arranged (and are still being arranged).

At Easter it was customary to celebrate Christ. Everyone exchanged colored eggs and kissed each other three times. To christenize is to congratulate each other on the holiday, and colored eggs are a symbol of life.

Long before the advent of Christ, the ancient peoples considered the egg a prototype of the Universe - the world was born from it, surrounding a person. At Slavic peoples who converted to Christianity, the egg was associated with the fertility of the earth, with the spring revival of nature. It is a symbol of the Sun and Life. And to express respect for him, our ancestors dyed eggs.

Festive Easter signs

The Orthodox believed that miracles could be seen at Easter. At this time, it is allowed to ask God for the fulfillment of their desires.

Since pagan times, the custom has remained to pour water on Easter with well or river water.

On Easter, old people combed their hair with the wish that they have as many grandchildren as there are hairs on their heads; old women washed themselves with gold, silver and red eggs in the hope of getting rich.

On Easter, young people climbed onto the roofs to meet the sun (there was a belief that “the sun plays” on Easter, and many tried to watch for this moment).

EASTER TREATS

Easter boiled

Ingredients

➢ 2 kg of cottage cheese,

➢ 1.5 kg of sour cream,

➢ 1.5 kg of butter,

➢ 12 eggs (yolks),

➢ 1.5 kg of sugar, vanillin.

Cooking

Easter is prepared from Thursday (best) or from Friday.

Rub cottage cheese through a sieve. You should not pass the cottage cheese through a meat grinder, otherwise it will become denser, but it is necessary that it be saturated with oxygen. Sour cream, butter, raw yolks grind with half a glass of sugar. Mix everything together in a saucepan, put on fire and stir.

When the mass is melted, add the rest of the sugar, stirring, heat, but do not bring to a boil.

Add vanillin at the tip of a knife, mix, cool. Put the mass in a gauze bag and hang to glass the liquid. Leave for 10-12 hours. After that, transfer the mass to the pasochnik and press down with a press.

Easter nut

Ingredients:

➢ 1.2 kg of cottage cheese,

➢ 1 glass of sugar,

➢ 200 g butter,

➢ 200 g pistachios or peanuts,

➢ 4 cups heavy cream, vanilla sugar.

Cooking

Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve, put sugar and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs butter, crushed nuts. Mix everything thoroughly and pour cream into the curd. Mix the mass again, put it in a mold covered with damp gauze, place a press on top.

Put in a cold place for a day.

Believers associate spring not only with blossoming buds, weather changes and rarely peeking out from behind the clouds, but with such a long-awaited sun. People all over the world celebrate at this time of the year one of the greatest church holidays. Everywhere you hear: “Christ is Risen!” and “Truly Risen” - in response. Happy and carefree people begin to prepare for the celebrations in advance. Clean their homes, paint eggs or in a modern way with a church theme. Easter, where did the holiday come from?

Unfortunately, the history of Easter is an unknown mystery for many, and that is why people make a lot of mistakes. As a result, instead of union with God, they commit sin. In order to bring knowledge to the masses and help correct the most common mistakes in the celebration, we will tell you about the history of the origin of the Easter holiday. You will learn where it came from, why it is called that and what attributes are required, as well as a lot of other interesting and useful information.

history of the holiday

Slavery of the Israeli people

In order to find out about the origin of the holiday, you will need to open the Bible into parts with the name "Exodus". To put it briefly and in an understandable language, the Jews for many centuries were in slavery to the Egyptians and humbly endured humiliation, suffering, pain and other torments. They believed that this was how it should be, and therefore did not grumble at fate, but silently, having submitted, endured all the trials and hardships. At the center of the events described in the Bible is the prophet Moses and his brother Aaron. It is believed that God, through these people, performed miracles and troubles on Egyptian soil.

Fact or fiction, not for us to decide

The pharaoh of Egypt did not want to free the Jewish people from centuries of slavery and became more and more cruel and demanding. Then God, taking pity on the Jews, decided to help the slaves get out to freedom. Each family was ordered to slaughter one lamb in the evening male. At night, it had to be eaten without breaking bones, but smeared with blood front door to the family home. It was a kind of label.

That night, according to legend, an angel of God descended to earth and killed all the firstborn of Egypt, but the houses of the Jews remained untouched. The pharaoh was frightened when he saw that his nation was in danger, and drove the Jews out of his country. However, after some time, he decided to catch up with them. And God's work happened again. The sea, which was in the path of the slaves, opened up, and the fugitives were able to safely leave by land, and when the pharaoh stepped on this place, the water closed, and he and his retinue drowned. The people of Israel were liberated, and so Jews around the world began to celebrate Pesach, a holiday in honor of their deliverance from centuries of slavery.

A Brief History of Easter Passed Down from Generation to Generation

The history of the holiday does not end here, but only begins. After the events described, Jesus Christ is born in the Holy Land. At the age of 30, he begins to preach God's commandments to the people, and three years later he was crucified on the cross for the sins of mankind. And it happened right after Pesach. It was while celebrating it at the Last Supper that he presented wine and bread as his own blood and body. He, like the lamb, was killed for the sins of other people and his bones were not broken either. Therefore, the believing people believe that the soul is immortal and rejoice in this, as well as in the resurrection of Christ.

We remove mismatches

For those who read the article carefully, a question arises quite logically. What about Passover and Easter? Yes, the names are similar, but after all, the execution of Christ took place after Pesach, and Easter is considered exactly the day when his resurrection happened ... Let's explain. The fact is that Pesach is a holiday that is not even years old, but centuries older than Easter itself, and in principle, the interpretation that is inherent in the holiday today has nothing to do with the day of the liberation of the Jews. However, it was Pesach that was celebrated from year to year in full accordance with the lunar calendar, according to which people then lived, and Easter could be at least every Sunday. It was not until the fourth century that a decision was made to mark the day on which Jesus was resurrected and make it a public holiday. It was then that the concepts of "", denoting "God's day", and directly appeared.

Easter traditions

In Russia, Easter was the most important holiday of the year. The people rejoiced at the resurrection of Christ, the temples were decorated with attributes corresponding to the holiday, and people carried with them all day long in order to exclaim when they met another person: “Christ is risen!” and give him dyed egg. To this he was answered "Truly Risen!". The people who met kissed, exchanged joyful speeches and dispersed. In the houses they baked Easter cakes, ate eggs and other Tasty food prepared especially for the celebration. The hostesses began to clean their house and yard in a week in order to meet the joyful holiday in cleanliness and comfort. Round dances were played on the streets, games were played, fairs and fun were organized.

Required attribute

Dyeing eggs was a must. Boiled painted eggs were lit in the church, carried with them, exchanged them, ate them and beat each other when they met. All this tradition has passed through the centuries to the present day. There is a whole story connected with eggs for Easter, but we will tell about it next time.

Great Lent is coming to an end and Easter is approaching. And this means that across the country will be held festive festivities, believers will bake, cook Easter, paint eggs and just enjoy the Holiday. But very few of those who celebrate Easter actually know what this holiday means, when it appeared and what all the Easter attributes symbolize. And to help figure it out, we will talk about the history and essence of the Easter holiday and its significance for believers.

Easter in ancient times

Initially, the tradition of celebrating Easter came from Jewish people and was associated with the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery by the prophet Moses. Then the name of this holiday sounded like P e sah - "to pass", in the meaning of "to deliver", "to spare". The Jews celebrated Easter for 7 days, which every orthodox Jew had to spend in Jerusalem. In memory of the Exodus from Egypt, on the day of Passover, the Jews practiced a ritual slaughter in the Temple of a one-year-old male lamb, without blemish, which was then baked on fire, and eaten completely, without breaking the bones, with unleavened bread (unleavened bread - matzah) and bitter herbs in the family circle on Easter evening. This lamb was called that - Easter - and served as a prototype of the Savior and a reminder of his coming coming. Bitter herbs symbolized the bitterness of Egyptian slavery. Also on Easter evening, the family ate gruel from fruits and nuts and four glasses of wine, and the father of the family spoke for festive table the story of the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. Bread, as already mentioned, was used only unleavened - in memory of the fact that the Jews with great haste left Egypt and did not have time to leaven the bread.

Easter in early Christianity

After the coming of Jesus Christ Easter was rethought and acquired a completely different meaning. Now Easter was a type of death and Resurrection of Christ. In Scripture, these changes were described as follows: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). “Our Passover, Christ, was slain for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).

Now it is already impossible to determine exactly what date (in our chronology) the event of the Resurrection took place. For example, in 2011 Easter falls on April 24th. The word "drops out" is not chosen by chance. As you know, the date of the celebration of Easter is not fixed, like most holidays. And the calculation of this date is quite complicated.

The fact is that the Jews lived according to the lunar calendar, and not according to the solar calendar, as we are now. These calendars differ from each other by 11 days: in solar year, as you know, 365 days, and in the lunar - 354 days. In addition, in lunar calendar errors accumulate very quickly, which cannot be corrected. That is why it is now difficult to calculate the day on which the Easter holiday will fall.

The Gospel records that Christ was crucified on Friday the 14th day, and on Sunday the 16th day of the month of Nisan, “on the first day of the week” (after Saturday). In early Christianity, this day was called the Lord's, later, among the Slavs, it began to be called Sunday. The month of Nisan itself corresponded to the modern March-April.

The acute question of the choice of the day and the solemn celebration of Easter once a year arose only by the 2nd-3rd centuries AD, because it happened that Christians living in different territories had different calendars - and therefore the date of the celebration of Easter varied more and more stronger. In addition, the Jewish Passover and the Passover of the Christians of Asia Minor continued to exist as separate holidays. Based on the current situation, in the IV century. The Church has decided that Easter will be celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. The period for which this day can fall was determined as April 4 - May 8. The obligation to notify the chosen day of Pascha each year lay with the Bishop of Alexandria, who, guided by special astronomical calculations, by special Paschal epistles informed all churches of the day of Pascha in the current year.

How did the external paraphernalia of the holiday change during the period of early Christianity? In the writings about Easter by various Christian writers (Apollinaris of Hierapolis, St. Hippolytus of Rome, etc.), it is said that Great Lent before Easter symbolized the suffering and death of Christ, and Easter was now called "The Cross". Fasting continued until Sunday night, after which the Resurrection of Christ was celebrated as Pascha of Joy, or "Sunday Easter". Until now, many of the festive elements of Easter, which were formed in early Christian times, have been preserved in the services of Maundy Thursday, Friday and Saturday, in the special structure of the night service in the week of Easter, in the celebration of Sunday Easter until the Ascension.

Easter in the Middle Ages and Modern Times

Since the 8th century, when Rome adopted the eastern Paschalia, and for 500 years, Easter has been celebrated by agreement between the Churches of the East and West.

But in 1582 The Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar (named after the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Gregory XIII). Since 1583 Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new Paschal, called the Gregorian, resulting in a transition to more accurate astronomical dates - and Catholic Easter, depending on the year, began to be celebrated earlier than the Jewish one or coincide with it and ahead of the average by a month.

Easter in the modern world

In the first third of the X century. attempts were made to create a new Julian calendar, even more accurate than the Gregorian one, but these aspirations were not crowned with success, and at the Moscow meeting it was decided that Easter and all the transitional holidays are celebrated by all Orthodox Churches according to the Julian calendar, and non-transitional ones - according to the calendar that this Church lives.

Today julian calendar only the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox Churches, as well as Athos, are fully used. Finnish Orthodox Church switched completely to Gregorian calendar. The rest of the Churches celebrate Easter and other movable holidays in the old style, and Christmas and other non-moving holidays in the new style.

Easter celebration and Easter traditions in the modern world

IN modern world Easter is preceded by a seven-week fast - as a time of repentance and spiritual cleansing. After Lent, on festive Sunday, the Easter service begins, which differs from the usual church services and structure, and the words that are pronounced on it.

All believers during the Easter service make sure to take communion, and after the end of the service, the believers “Christen,” that is, they kiss when they meet and exchange the words: “Christ is Risen!” and "Truly Risen!"

The celebration of Easter lasts forty days - according to the number of days that Christ appeared to His disciples, after which he ascended to God the Father. During this time, and especially in the first week, the most solemn, people go to visit each other, exchange Easter cakes and.

What do the Easter attributes used in the celebration of Easter mean? Why do we bake Easter cakes, paint eggs, “Christify” and wait for the blessed fire? Now we will look at the most basic Easter attributes and try to answer all these questions.

kulich

It is a symbol of church artos, that is, a large bread, on which a wreath of thorns and a cross or the image of the Resurrection are depicted. Since ancient times, this bread has been considered a symbol of Christ's victory over death; during the meal, the apostles always left an empty place at the table in the middle and put the bread intended for Christ on it. Even the church Easter rite is associated with the artos, expressed in the fact that the artos is surrounded with procession around the temple and left on a special table following the example of the apostles, and at the end of the Easter week, on Saturday, having blessed, they are distributed to believers.

colored eggs

First of all, it is worth saying why the egg. According to legend, Mary Magdalene, having arrived in Rome to preach the Gospel, presented an egg to Emperor Tiberius as a gift, since she simply did not have enough money for more. During the offering, the preacher told the emperor that Christ had risen from the dead, like a chicken that would hatch from this egg.

Why is it dyed? The fact is that the emperor, in response to such words of Magdalene, asked: “How can a person rise from the dead? It's like an egg now turning from white to red." And then a miracle happened - the egg turned from white to red, symbolizing the shed blood of Christ.

In Russia, it is also customary to roll Easter eggs on the ground to make it fertile.

Easter fire

The Easter fire, symbolizing the Light of God, enlightening all nations after Christ's resurrection, plays big role in Easter worship. There is an Easter tradition, according to which on Great Saturday, on the eve of Easter, in the Holy Sepulcher appears blessed fire, which is subsequently distributed to Orthodox churches so that believers can light their candles from it. After the service, many take the lamp with the fire with them and try to keep this fire going all year round.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, there was, and in the West there is still a tradition of kindling a large fire on the temple grounds. This fire is a symbol of Light and Renewal, and is also sometimes understood as a symbol of the burning of Judas. In addition, the Easter bonfire has another meaning - those who left the church or did not reach it can warm themselves near it, so it can be understood as the bonfire near which Peter warmed himself.

Easter greeting ("christening")

Starting from Easter night and for the next forty days, it is customary for believers to "Christify", greeting each other with the words: "Christ is Risen!" - “Truly Risen!”, And kiss three times. This Easter tradition comes from apostolic times: "Greet one another with a holy kiss."

And finally, I would like to say that Easter is another great occasion to spend the weekend in a special way. If you live near a forest or a park, you can make a small feeder, collect crumbs from the holiday cake and go to the forest to feed the birds. It will give the kid an unforgettable experience! If there are children's centers near your house or just street parties, it would be a very good idea to participate in this together with your little one. And, of course, if you live in the capital, you should not forget the annual Easter festivities in the center of Moscow - on Red Square, Vasilyevsky Spusk, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The main thing on this day is not to sit at home, but to take advantage of additional opportunity arrange a holiday for yourself and your child!

In Christianity, when believers celebrate the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Easter

According to the Bible, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, martyrdom on the cross for the atonement of the sins of mankind. He was crucified on a cross erected on a mountain called Golgotha ​​on Friday, which in the Christian calendar is called Passion. After Jesus Christ, along with the others sentenced to death on the cross, died in terrible agony, he was transferred to a cave, where they left his body.

On the night from Saturday to Sunday, the repentant Mary Magdalene and her minions, who, like her, accepted the Christian faith, came to this cave to say goodbye to Jesus and pay him the last tribute of love and respect. However, when they entered there, they found out that the tomb where his body was located was empty, and two angels announced to them that Jesus Christ had risen.

The name of this holiday comes from the Hebrew word "Pesach", which means "deliverance", "exodus", "mercy". It is connected with the events described in the Torah and Old Testament- from the tenth, the most terrible of the Egyptian plagues that God brought down on the Egyptian people. According to legend, this time the punishment was that all the first-born, born to both humans and animals, died a sudden death.

The only exception was the houses of those people who were marked with a special sign inflicted with the blood of a lamb - an innocent lamb. Researchers argue that the borrowing of this name to designate the feast of the resurrection of Christ was due to the Christian belief that he was innocent like this lamb.

Easter celebration

IN Christian tradition Easter is celebrated according to the lunisolar calendar, so the date of its celebration varies from year to year. This date is calculated so that it falls on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. At the same time, emphasizing the essence of this holiday, Easter is always celebrated only.

Easter is associated with big amount traditions. So, it is preceded by Great Lent - the longest and strict period abstaining from many types of food and entertainment throughout the year. It is customary to celebrate the onset of Easter by putting painted Easter cakes on the table and, in fact, that's what they call curd dish in the form of a pyramid with a truncated top.

In addition, painted boiled eggs are a symbol of the holiday: they are considered a reflection of the legend about how Mary Magdalene presented the emperor Tiberius with an egg as a sign that Jesus Christ was resurrected. He said that it was impossible, just as an egg cannot suddenly turn red from white, and the egg turned red in an instant. Since then, believers have been painting eggs red at Easter. It is customary to greet each other on this day with the phrase “Christ is risen!”, To which the answer is usually “Truly risen!”.

How to tell children about Easter? Give the kids this interesting story about the holiday with poems.

Today the sun shines brighter

Stronger wind beats in the window,

And the cry rushes to heaven:

"Christ is truly Risen!"

RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

Alyonka and Sasha are very busy today. Mom let them paint pysanky for Easter. Children work hard. There will be sun, trees, and waves on the eggs! Mom and grandma are in the kitchen Easter cakes bake. Grandmother promised that while the dough was resting, she would tell the story of this holiday.

Hear you too...

Easter - Light Christ's Resurrection . This main event in the spiritual life of Christians was called the Feast of Feasts, the king of days. Prepared for it 7 weeks - 49 days. And the week before Easter was called Great, or Passionate. Maundy Thursday is the day of spiritual cleansing, the acceptance of the sacrament of communion. Good Friday is a reminder of the suffering of Jesus Christ, a day of sorrow. Great Saturday is the day of expectation, the Gospel of the Resurrection is already being read in the church. Easter is the Sunday when we celebrate the Resurrection of the Savior.

The Son of God came into this world to save people. He preached Love and the Kingdom of Heaven, created many miracles, healed and resurrected people. Do you remember the Christmas story? Many rejoiced at the appearance of Christ. But there were those who did not believe in his holiness. They tried to stop Jesus from talking about God's Kingdom. Among the leaders of that time there were many who hated Christ and desired to get rid of Him. Judas, one of the disciples of the Lord, decided to convey Christ by this evil people. He approached his Master and kissed Him. It was a sign. Jesus was immediately taken into custody. And Judas got 30 for it silver coins. Thus, he sold his Master.

Jesus was interrogated before the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court. The elders and judges looked for evidence to convict Jesus. They bullied him, but he endured.

Finally, he was condemned death penalty. It was a terrible event. Jesus was crucified on the cross on Mount Golgotha. When he died, the earth trembled, the rocks began to disintegrate. It happened on Friday. Now we call this day Good Friday. On this sad day, you need to pray.

When Saturday passed, at night, on the third day after his suffering, the Lord Jesus Christ came to life, rose from the dead. On Sunday morning, women came with incense to anoint the body of the Savior. But instead of Him they saw an Angel. He announced the Resurrection of the Lord: “Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for the crucified Jesus. But one should not look for the Living among the dead. He is risen as He promised you. Go and tell the disciples of Jesus that He has risen from the dead and is waiting for them.”

Joy swept over the people. Since then we have been celebrating Easter, the holiday of the Resurrection. The Lord conquered death and showed that for those who believe in Him and live according to His commandments, there is neither death nor hell.

Preparing for Easter, people are filled with joy and faith. From Maundy Thursday, a favorite action begins - coloring and painting eggs. IN simple patterns put a lot of meaning into it. Wavy lines are seas-oceans. The circle is a bright sun. According to tradition, ready-made krashanki and pysanky were put on fresh sprouted greens of oats, wheat, and sometimes on soft green lettuce leaves, which were specially grown for the holiday. juicy greens and bright colours Easter eggs create a festive mood.

And when mom bakes Easter cakes, the whole house is filled with the sweet aroma of vanilla, raisins - a real holiday!

On the night of the Resurrection of Christ, a festive divine service (Paschal Service of God) takes place. In beautiful baskets, various dishes are brought to the church - Easter cakes, cheese, butter, which symbolize well-being, Easter eggs and krashanka. Salt is placed in the basket - a symbol of wisdom. A solemn procession with a chorister and a priest blesses the people.

After returning home, people break their fast - they eat delicious food after Lent. The rich Easter table is a symbol of heavenly joy and the Lord's Supper. The closest relatives gather for Easter breakfast. The owner approaches the guests with wishes and the words “Christ is risen!”, And then kisses everyone. The answer should be like this: “Truly risen!” The sacred egg is cut into as many pieces as there are people present. A candle burns on the table as a reminder of the lordship of this day. Easter breakfast must start with Easter cake. Even the crumbs of this bread that fell on the floor should never be thrown away.

The holiday lasts all Bright Week. There was a custom in the villages: in the evening, violinists walked around the villages and played under the windows in honor of Christ.

Easter Poems for Kids

Verbochki

Boys yes girls

Candles and willows

They carried it home.

The flames are warming

Passers-by are baptized

And it smells like spring.

The wind is distant

Rain, little rain

Don't blow out the fire.

Palm Sunday

I'll be the first to get up tomorrow

For a holy day.

Easter Annunciation

Blows rushed

To blue skies

Silent Valley

Drives away sleep

Somewhere across the road