It seems clear that, as with Christmas, Easter has superseded an ancient pagan festival. Easter day is linked to the Spring Equinox, and is always held on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, the dates range from March 21st to April 25th. It is the principal and most ancient feast of the Christian calendar.

The order of the Christian calendar, from Septuagesima (the seventieth day before Easter), Pentecost, the Feast of the Ascension, Corpus Christi and all other moveable feasts depend upon the date for Easter. Almost from the beginning there have been what is refered to as Easter or Paschal Controversies; varying thoughts on how to set the date for Easter, which depend on many things, not the least of which being which calendar one follows (Jewish, Julian, Egyptian and Syro-Macedonian were just a few of the choices that would result in a different date).

Easter was celebrated in Rome and Alexandria on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, and the Roman Church claimed for this observance the authority of Ss. Peter and Paul. The spring equinox in Rome fell on March 25th and in Alexandria on March 21st. The First Council of Nicaea (325) decreed that the Roman practice should be observed throughout the Church. But even at Rome the Easter term was changed repeatedly. Those who continued to keep Easter with the Jews were called Quartodecimans (14 Nisan) and were excluded from the Church. While many different groups of Christians argued about the true dating of Easter, another consideration surfaced, which was that every Sunday of the year was a commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ, the Resurrection having occurred on a Sunday.

The Easter Feast connects the Old and New Testaments. The Jewish Passover and the Christian Paschal Feast are profoundly connected, Christ died, not only because he was crucified at the time of the Jewish Passover, but also because of the connection between the Passover lamb for the Jews, and Christ as Passover lamb for the whole of humankind. Early in the Christian tradition, Easter and baptism were often celebrated together.

At midnight on Holy Saturday, the clergy in silence entered the dark church and removed the cross from the sepulcher to the high altar. Then the candles were lit, the doors opened, and a solemn procession was held with the cross through the church, the cloister, or cemetery. When the procession returned to the door of the church, and entered, it was symbolic of the victorious entry of Christ into limbo and hell.

The Greek and Russian churches have a solemn procession at midnight, during which they sing Psalm 67 at the door of the church, repeating after each verse the Easter antiphon. When the procession leaves, the church is dark; when it returns, hundreds of candles and coloured lamps are lit to represent the splendour of Christ's Resurrection.

The Easter Fire that Christians light has pagan origins; it was lit on the top of mountains, kindled from new fire ignited through friction, signifying the victory of spring over winter. The Church readily adopted the observance into the Easter ceremonies, connecting the fire to the fiery column in the desert, as well as to the Resurrection of Christ - the new fire on Holy Saturday having its ignition source from flint, symbolizing the tombs stone rolling away to reveal the light of the world.

The Paschal candle is also an ancient (before 380ad) and prominent feature of Holy Saturday and Easter services. It also symbolizes the light of Christ, and is symbolic of baptismal illumination. The virgin wax it is made of came to symbolize both the virgin from whose womb Christ came as well as the purity of Christ's body. In many churches five grains of incense are set into the candle cross-wise symbolic of Christ's mortal wounds – the lighting of the candle being symbolic of death conquered. During the Easter Season all the vestments and church hangings are white, the symbol of light, and it signifies innocence, purity, joy and glory.

There are also a number of peculiar Easter customs which the Church has picked up along the way…

Easter Eggs: The use of eggs was forbidden during Lent – Easter day was the first day they were allow back into the diet, and do they and so they were often painted red to symbolize the Easter joy. This custom is pagan in origin, and the celebration of the return of Spring usually occurred around the Easter season of the year. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring.

The Easter Rabbit: The Easter Rabbit lays the eggs (I am not sure how), and hides them in a nest or in a garden. The rabbit is a pagan symbol (as well as a delightful creature with long ears and cotton tail) and has always been an emblem of fertility. If you look around Trinity Church you will find both Easter bunnies and Easter Eggs.

Men and women: Apparently, although I do NOT encourage this, on Easter Monday the women have the right to strike their husbands, and on the Tuesday the men could strike their wives – I am assuming tit-for-tat. In northern England, the men parade the streets on Easter Day and claim the privilege of lifting every woman three times from the ground. The same is done by the women to the men on the next day (I am not sure how successful the women would be at lifting the men.) In Germany on Easter Day the men whip the ladies with switches; on Monday the roles are reversed. This whipping is somehow symbolic of fertility. They could avoid being struck, kissed or whipped by giving Easter eggs. These traditions stem from pagan rituals, but seem to have come down through the ages and are practiced regularly by Christians during Easter in Europe.

Michelle E. Childs