Easter

Easter or Resurrection of Christ is an ancient holiday for the entire Orthodox world. It is considered the most important religious holiday of the year. On this day, festive worships are held, talking after the Great Post.

This is a holiday coming by date. It is calculated on the lunar calendar. Easter is celebrated after the Jewish Easter, on the first Sunday after the full moon, which in turn first came after the spring equinox. The holiday falls on the time interval from March 22 to April 25 for the Julian calendar.

Easter is timed to the wonderful resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel states that on the passion week on Friday, the Lord was crucified on the cross and buried. At night, on Saturday, women came to the coffin of the Lord. One of them was the sinner of Maria Magdaline. They found that the coffin is empty. Then the two husbands went down to them and asked why they were looking for a living among the dead. In addition, the holiday is associated with the pagan beliefs about the revival of nature after winter, life and update.

You can find out the history of the holiday from the original source - the Bible, in the Book "Exodus". The name "Easter" originated from the Jewish word "Pesach", which meant "jump through something." So the Lord "rearranged" the houses of the Jews when he sent troubles and struggled by Egypt's firstborn, for the fact that the Egyptian pharaoh did not want to liberate the Jewish people from slavery. This day began to call Easter. The new meaning was acquired by the Word after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ on the eve of the Jewish Easter.

Services in the temple pass at night from Saturday to Sunday. The service consists of several parts:

"Clear". Is devoted to the prayer of Christ in the Gethsemane Garden. Midnight Blagovest - the bell ringing announces the resurrection. Candles and lamps are lit. Priests in white Sana sing "Angels in the sky ...". Then the procession is carried out. Eggs, Easter cakes, cottage cheese Easter and all that is cooked for a festive table is consecrated.
"Sautreya" begins after returning to the temple and the opening of the "paradise gates". Performed prayers, announced the resurrection and victory of Christ. After chanting, the Easter greeting is pronounced - "Christ is Risen!", Reply - "Truly Risen!". Kissing three times, exchange painted eggs.
Festive liturgy begins by the "utmost". It is completed with the lighting of the kvass bread - arthos.

After the church, people are going for a family table for a festive talk. By tradition, you need to start a meal with a consecrated Easter egg and a crumb or Easter. Traditionally, the festive table should be generous, consist of 48 dishes - for every day of the post. Typically prepare family traditional dishes. Festive shoulders need to put on the table. In the center there are consecrated products in the church. The dish with greens is laid out around 12 painted eggs, and the center is one white, the symbol of Jesus and the Apostles.

The main symbol of the Easter holiday was painted eggs. The roots of tradition lie in the legend about how Maria Magdalene came with the news of the resurrection of Christ to the Emperor Tiberius and presented a white egg as a gift. The emperor replied that the resurrection is impossible as well as it is impossible to change the color of the eggs with white on red. But the egg has acquired a red color - the symbol of the blood of Jesus. Egg symbolizes life, update, prosperity. Staining eggs turned into a whole artistically - applied direction. Coloring natural eggs, wooden, porcelain, paper, precious metals. There are many directions and technician of the painting. The most common in Russia are painted - multicolored monophonic eggs and eggs - painted colored eggs painted patterns. Patterns are symbolic and continue the subject of revival.

Easter is a curd cake in the form of a pyramid. The form symbolizes the coffin of the Lord. There must be an abbreviation of the KH.

Easter cake - sweet bread on yeast dough with lots of eggs and oil. That is why the cakes do not worry for a long time. The richer is a festive bread, the prospective will be a year, a good crop. Festive cake is a symbol of refracted Bread Jesus at the evening with the apostles. Bake bread in pure Thursday. On a festive day, they change herbs with relatives and friends, serve the poor, distinguished.

An important symbol of Easter is a gracious fire. He is made from the coffin of the Lord in the temple of Jerusalem every year on Saturday before the holiday. Symbolizes the appearance of light from the coffin of the Lord, the resurrection of Jesus.

In different countries, there are a wide variety of traditions of Easter celebration. Dance, dance dance, sing folk festive songs, beat and ride the speed of eggs, make desires. Easter collects for the festive table of close and distant relatives, different ages and social levels, remains forgotten in the past resentment and misunderstanding. The holiday combines the souls, gives hope and love for people.