Show Easter The victory of life laCe over death i that is the meaning of Easter the most important and th the most joyous holiday celebrated celebrate d b by Christians For Easter commemorates the resurrection of J Je e s u s Christ Who redeemed mankind through His death and then rose from from the tomb on the third day In His own victory over death is the of life liCe everlasting ever ever- lasting for all men then The Easter season also carries overtones of ancient spring festivals als celebrating theof the awakening nin b of the earth after otter th the e dead of winter Mrs Francine Francin religion editor o of f World Book Encyclopedia oj tell t us that the name may have e come from a Teutonic goddess of or spring In many languages the name of the holiday is derived from the Jewish Pesah hr 01 or Passo Passover rr the thc festival festi that celebrates the exodus of or the Jews from Egypt The crucifixion and the resurrection resurrection occurred during the Passover Passo Week reek and three of the Gospels say that the Last Supper Sup Sup- Supper per was a Passover Passo meal Thus the Italians call the thc Christ Christian holiday Pasqua the Cite Spaniards Pascua and the French Paques In the first two centuries after the crucifixion a controversy contro contro- versy arose over when the festi festi- festival festival val vat was to be celebrated The custom in Asia Minor was to observe Easter with the Lords Lord's Supper on the evening ening of at the of the Jewish month of oC Nisan which was Passover regardless regardless re re- of the da day clay of the week The Romans however preferred prefer red to hold told the Easter Easter- feast feas t always on Sunda Sunday The Nicene Council of re te- resolved solved the dispute It set the date for Easter as the first I Sunda Sunday otter after the first fu to I 11 moon after March 21 21 which is about aboul the time of oC the vernal equinox It cannot carnal come before March 22 or after April 25 Members of Eastern Orthodox Orthodox Ortho Ortho- dox churches sometimes climes celebrate cele cele- brate brace the holiday later than the theother theother other churches But But- no matter what the date dale the r the festival festi of festivals and the most royal roval day of days is marked bY by great rejoicing |