About Easter & Christmas

HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS AND EASTER     
By M.S. Vincent 

( These 40 Questions and Answers are taken from my book " The Gregorian Calendar made easy in 100 Q & A " 

About Easter.

1) Why is  the Resurrection day  called Easter day ?

 Ven. Bede (672 -735 AD ) who was an English scholar and historian believed that the word  Easter probably derived from " Estre "  or  "Eostre"  the name of Scandivian goddess of spring whose festival is celebrated in the spring season. When Christianity Spread, the old Festival names were shifted to Christian feasts.

Citation :The English term, according to the Ven. Bede relates to Estre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring, which deity, however, is otherwise unknown, even in the Edda (Simrock, Mythol., 362) ( Catholic Encyclopedia )

2) Like Christmas , why Easter is not celebrated on a fixed date ?

Christian Churches celebrate immovable ( dates fixed ) feasts like Christmas  and movable feasts (dates  unfixed ) like Easter. Easter is associated with Pascha or  Passover of  Jews.  Easter is fixed as follows.

After March 21st of every year, the Full Moon day is noted, the Sunday following the Full moon is the  Easter day.

21st March is Astronomically called Vernal Equinox. 

( This booklet was written  in the year 2010)

In the year 2011, the Full moon falls on 17th April .   The following Sunday, the 24th April is the Easter

In the year 2012, the Full Moon falls on 6th  April.      The following Sunday, the  8th April  is the Easter.

In the year 2013, the Full Moon falls on 27th March.  The following Sunday, the 31st March is the Easter. 

In the year 2014, the Full Moon falls on 15th April.     The following Sunday ,the 20th April is the Easter.

In the year 2015, the Full Moon falls on 4th April.       The following Sunday, the 5th April is the Easter. 

3) Why the beginning of lent days is called Ash Wednesday ?

 In total , Lent days  are 46 days. If Sundays are excluded, it is 40 days.These forty days represent the forty day and night Jesus spent in the desert ( where he was tempted by  the devil ) . 

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry” (Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4, verses 1-2). 

Because of the practice of placing ash on the forehead , it is called Ash Wednesday. The ash reminds,  " you are dust, to dust you shall go".

 Old Saxon word " Lent " means  " Spring ", because these days  are always observed  in Spring , it is called Lent days.

Also it is said that the word Lent is an old English word meaning "Lengthen" , because in Spring the days begin to get longer ( lengthen ).

( In the spring, day time will be longer than night time.) 

4) Why the previous day of Ash Wednesday is called " Fat Tuesday ? "

 In some countries , it is called Mardi Gras, it is a French word used to mean ' Fat Tuesday '. The lent days are  the days of " fasting and Praying". People in the western countries, like to enjoy the day before the fasting period. They eat fatty foods, drink and celebrate with carnivals.The joyful celebration would suddenly end at Tuesday  mid night 12 o'clock,  when  Ash Wednesday starts. Because of fatty foods consumed , it is called Fatty Tuesday.

Carnival = Carnival  celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations,    ( Wikipedia)

5) Why the  Thursday before Good Friday  is called " Maundy Thursday ?"  

Maundy means command ( Mandatum)  in Latin. This refers to the commandment of Christ  given  to his disciples  during the Last Supper. He gave command   " love one another" . Christ washed the feet of the disciples as an act of humility, which is done symbolically by catholic priests on Maundy Thursday.  On this day, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane is remembered.

John 13:34 ,  " A new command I give,  love one another as I have loved you "  

this is the commandment ( Mandatum or Mandate ) given by Christ to His disciples.  (The  word  Maundy derived from  the word Mandatum ).

 In Latin " Mandatum Novum " means " New Commandment " ( commonly Maundy Thursday is called  the Holy Thursday )

On this day four events are commemorated 1)  Foot washing by Christ  2) The institution of Holy Eucharist at Last Supper  3)  Agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane  4)  Betrayal of Christ by Judas.

6) Why the day of Crucifixion is called Good Friday ?

In English, "God be with you " has gradually became  "good bye". 

Similarly it is said  " God Friday "   has become  " Good Friday ".

But some argue that " Good Friday " is correct because,  it brought the greatest good which is "  Salvation "  to  the humanity.

7) Why, " Palm Sunday " is observed ?

Palm Sunday is observed one week before Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus riding on  a donkey into Jerusalem to celebrate passover . The crowd greeted him waving palm branches.

During Passover feast,  Israelites used to share brittle flat bread called unleavened  bread ( Matza ) which is made from flour mixed  with water, (without fermentation.) Christ shared Matza with His disciples during the Last Supper.

When Jews left Egypt in a hurry, they took unleavened dough ( without yeast ) and prepared the  brittle flat  bread which is known as MATZA
Ref :

Exodus 12 :39

They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. 

( In western countries , Matza is sold during the Holy Week in  bakeries )

8  What is Passover festival ?

The Jews were liberated  from slavery by Moses in 1300 BC.( Approximately ). The Jews celebrate their liberation  in the name of Pascha . 

 Jesus being a Jew,  went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover ( Pascha ) and had the " Last Supper "  with His disciples. It is mandate for every Jew to celebrate the Passover festival. ( the meaning of Pascha is passing over or pass over )

This Passover festival starts in Spring  on the Full Moon day after 21st of March (Vernal Equinox)  , Jesus was Crucified during  this  Passover celebration and subsequently resurrected on the third day, hence the Easter is fixed after 21st  March after the Full Moon. 

 .

9) Which  are  the earliest  and  latest  possible dates of Easter ?

Earliest is 22nd March. Latest is 25th April.

In 1818 AD,  the Easter fell on  22nd March.  Next,  it will fall in the year  2285 on 22nd March. 

The 22nd March is the earliest date for Easter. There can not be Easter before it.  

25th  April is the latest date. There can not be Easter after it. In the year 1943 Easter fell on 25th April, again it will fall in 2038.

The Easter  will fall on any Sunday starting from 22nd March to 25 April.

10) Can you give future Easter dates ?

2010 Ash Wed Feb  17             Easter  April   4

2011                  Mar    9                           April   24

2012                   Feb 22                           April   8

2013                   Feb  13                          March  31

2014                   Mar    5                          April    20 

2015                   Feb  18                          April   5

2016                   Feb  10                          March 27

2017                   Mar    1                          April   16

2018                   Feb  14                          April  1

2019                   Mar   6                           April  21

2020                   Feb  26                          April 12  

2025                  Mar   5                            April  20

2030                  Mar   6                            April  21 

2050                  Feb 23                            April 10           

2100                  Feb 11                            March 28                                                           

 Note : from  Ash Wednesday to Easter count 46  days.                 

 11 ) When does  a formula to fix the Easter  Sunday  was  derived  ?

 In the beginning, the festival of resurrection was celebrated on different dates by the worldwide Christian community.

 In 325 AD about 300 Bishops of  worldwide christian community assembled at Nicaea ( now in Turkey ) to formulate uniform Christian  doctrine. This council was convened by Roman emperor Constantine. In this council of Nicaea, it was decided to celebrate Easter on a common day by all the churches.

Gradually a formula was derived.

It is an easy formula, after the 21st of March, the day of full moon is noted, the following Sunday is Easter.

Earliest possible date of Easter is 22 March, the latest 25 April. 

12)  If the Full Moon falls on 21st  March  and it happens to be a Sunday, when will be  Easter ?

 Easter will never be on 21st March, it will  be  only after 21st , in the above case,  the Easter will be celebrated on the following Sunday the 28th March. In the  Council of Nicaea , it is clearly declared that the feast of Resurrection should be celebrated only after the 21st  March.

 Note: In astronomy,  the full Moon days are calculated by using " Metonic Cycle ", hence fixing future Easter dates are very easy.

For coming 5000 years, the Easter dates  are fixed.

( I studied Astronomy as one of my subjects in  my Mathematics degree in late fifties, which  had helped me to " check and counter check " some of the calendarical  and astronomical calculations connected with Easter.)

13) Why not,  the Easter be made an immovable feast like Christmas ? There was a proposal for it. In 1963 , the Second Vatican Council agreed to make Easter an immovable festival provided a consensus is reached among the Christians Churches. The second Sunday in April has been suggested. It remains a proposal till to-day ( 2010)

Some of the immovable feasts are :

• Christmas – December 25
• Octave of the Nativity – January 1
• Presentation of Christ in the Temple – February 2
• Transfiguration – August 6
• The feast of the Assumption - August 15
• The birthday of virgin Mary - September 8
• Exaltation of the Cross – September 14

( Ascension = Jesus rising  to Heaven.  Assumption = Mother Mary taken up into the  Heaven.)

14) Why does the  Easter said to be a very important festival ?

Because,  it brought Salvation to the humanity, in Catholic Ecclesiastical Calendar ( Church events Calendar ) many feasts are fixed keeping Easter as the centre.

        

          9th Sunday before  Easter is Septuagesima

          46 days before Easter is " Ash Wednesday "

          39 days after Easter, on  the 40th day is " The feast of Ascension "

          49 days after Easter, on the 50th day is " Pentecost "

          60 days after Easter is " Corpus Christi "   Etc.  

15) When  do  Jews  celebrate Easter ?

Jews are not Christians. They do not celebrate Easter, they Celebrate Passover or Pascha or Paska ever since they fled from Egypt under the guidance and leadership of Moses ( Approximately in 1300 BC ). all the religions of the west found their roots in Judaism.

For Jews, Christ is not the expected Messiah.

They  are  still expecting the Messiah to come. Their religion is Judaism. Founder of Judaism is unknown, some believe Abraham founded it.
 It was the first ancient religion that believed in one God ( monotheism) 

17) What is  the name  given  for belief in many gods ?

Polytheism  believes in many gods. (  Hinduism is said to be Polytheistic )
Atheism believes in no creator or God ( Jainism ),
Agnosticism doubts the existence of  God ( Buddhism ).

Christianity ( except Jehovah Witness) believes in the " doctrine of holy trinity " which advocates that God exists in three forms. ( the  Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ).

Note: 1) Theos = God ( Greek ), Theism = belief in the existence of God. ( Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism , Sikhism , etc )
.2) Atheos = without God ( Greek ), Atheism = no belief in the existence of creator God ) ( Jainism ) 3) Agnostic = One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is God or not. ( Buddhism )

18) Why does the  Easter  associated with eggs ?

Originally spring festival  was celebrated as a festival of fertility. Eggs are symbol of fertility. Later on Spring festival was named "Easter ". 

Church considers egg as the symbol of resurrection. In the year 1610 AD, Pope Paul V proclaimed the following payer.

" Bless, O Lord! we beseech thee, this thy creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome sustenance to thy faithful servants, 

eating it in thankfulness to thee on account of the resurrection of the Lord." 

In US , children go for egg hunt during Easter season, the artificial eggs made of sugar candy are hidden in a specified area.

When the hunt is over, prizes are given for the largest egg collector.

( In 2009 , I had an opportunity to observe an egg hunting by children in California, The forest itself was  artificially created in a very big hall. Trees, small caves, heaps of soil , plant bushes  were  made of synthetic materials. While hunting the eggs, the joy of the children was boundless, cannot be explained in words .)

19) Why  Easter  is associated with rabbit ?

According to the legend, bunny or rabbit brings coloured artificial  candy eggs , sometimes toys to the children. It is  something similar to Chritmas Santa. A rabbit is a Pagan emblem  associated with fertility. Spring is the period of fertility. Egg and rabbits are symbol of fertility. Easter is  celebrated in Spring. Spring usually starts from  20th or 21st of March and end on 19 th or 20th of June.

Easter will fall on any day from  22nd March to 25 April  on any Sunday during  the spring. 

20) What is Easter fire ? 

During the Easter Vigil held after the sunset on the Holy Saturday, the Easter fire is lit. It is used to light Pascal candle.

In many Catholic families as a tradition, this fire from the church is taken home to light the Easter candle and  cooking fire wood as a symbol of " new life".

Miracle in Jerusalem.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre also called as Basilica of the holy Sepulchre or the Church of resurrection by Eastern Christians.

In this  Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem ( believed to be built at the site of Jesus burial ) experiences a miracle on every Holy Saturday. The candles kept in the church miraculously lit in presence of the Church patriarch.The pilgrims claim that the holy fire does not hurt their body for first 30 minutes of its miraculous ignition. ( Sepulchre or Sepulcher means, ' place of burial ' )

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Fire

About Christmas.

21) When was Jesus  Christ born ? 

In fact there is no authentic record for it. During the first 300 years, Christ's birthday was celebrated in different dates.

In the year 349 AD Pope Jullius I made 25th Dec as Christ's birthday. Christ's birth year was made 1 AD.( Anno Domini = in the year of Lord ) .

Logically between 1 AD and 1 BC, there should be Zero year,  Zero year was left out unknowingly causing confusion in astronomical calculations

Eg :   +3, +2,+1, 0, -1,-2,-3
( In  astronomical calculations ,   zero year can not be ignored, it is taken into account by using a formula. )

According to Catholic Encyclopedia the birth year of Jesus is 6 BC or 5 BC or 4 BC

22) Is the terms, " BC and AD " are used in all the countries ?

It was used in English language by all. But in modern days, some of the academicians are using the abbreviations BCE ( Before Common Era ) and CE (  Common Era or Christ Era or Current Era ). BC is referred as BCE, AD is referred as CE

23) Is 25th Dec an accepted date of Christ's birthday to all the denominations ?

 Eastern and Russian Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on 7th January. They follow Julian Calendar. ( We follow Gregorian Calender )

Most of the Orthodox Churches adopt Julian calendar created during the reign of Julius Caesar in 45 BC.

Gregorian Calendar which is  commonly  used now was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in the year in 1582 AD.

( Julius Caesar introduced a calendar in 45 BC, It is called Julian Calendar. It has some errors. In 1582  AD Pope Gregory introduced  new calendar eradicating the errors present in the Julian calendar, it is called Julian Calendar.Orthodox Churches follow the Julian Calendar despite of the errors.

To-day,  the world counties official Calendar is Gregorian calendar.) 

24) What do the historians say about Christ's birth year ?

They fix it at 4 BC or before it. According to the  Bible, after king Herod the great died, an angel appeared in the dream of Joseph in Egypt and said , " Get up, take the child and mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead ."  (Mathew 2-19)

According to historians , King Herod the great died in 4 BC. So  historians say that Christ should have been   born in 4 BC or before .( Catholic Church determines  the birth of Jesus between 6 BC and 4 BC ) .

25) Who had made 25th December as the  birthday of Christ (Christmas day) ?

 In the early days, the festival of  Jesus's birthday was celebrated in different dates. In the year 349 AD, it was fixed as 25th Dec by  Pope Julius I.

In 1582 AD Pope Gregory introduced the modern Calendar and made Christmas to continue on 25th Dec.

26) Have all the countries agreed 25th Dec. as Christ's birthday ?

Countries like Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Meldovia etc celebrate Christmas on 7th Jan.

Countries like Armenia ( not America ) celebrate on 6th Jan.

27) At what age was Jesus crucified ?

According to the  Bible , Jesus was born during the tenure of king Herod  the great who  ruled from  37 BC to 4 BC .

Jesus was born during the  'Census of Rome'  which is believed to be taken place in 6 BC. 

According to historians, Jesus was born between 6 BC and 4 BC.

Jesus  was sentenced to crucifixion by Roman Prefect  Pontius  Pilate, who was in power between  26 AD  and 36 AD.
Considering all these factors, the historians conclude -

Life of Jesus: 33 to 36 years.
Ministry : 1 to 3 years

( all are approximate calculations only.)

28) On which day did Jesus die ?

He died  when the Sabbath was about to begin. Hence it should be a Friday.

According Catholic Encyclopedia : 

" Jesus died on Friday, the fifteenth day of Nisan." 

Nissan = A month in Jewish calendar

29 ) What is Advent period ?

Latin word Advenio or Adventus means coming, it is the period of preparation for the coming of Christmas.

The period is four weeks. The Advent Sunday falls from 27th November to 3rd December.

It is the period of expectation to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.

The theme of Advent is to prepare for the second coming of Christ ( for the final judgement ), 

30) What is Christmas Eve ?

The evening preceding the Christmas day is called  the Christmas Eve ( Eve=Evening )

The 24th December evening is the busiest evening of the year in the Christian families.

Traditionally, the Christmas mass is celebrated at mid night to remember  Jesus's birth at night ( Luke 2: 6-8)

Hectic preparation will go on in the evening to welcome  Christmas.

In the western countries, gifts are exchanged during the Christmas  Eve. 

In many families, just  before they go to  the church.  the gifts are opened in the Christmas Eve night, 

31 ) Why  do the next day of the Christmas is called Boxing day ?

In many common wealth  countries, 26th December is called Boxing day. It is St Stephen's feast day.

It is a Public holiday in these countries. There are many theories for the origin of the name ' Boxing day '.

For the Christmas  mass, parishioners used to bring gift boxes for the poor and place in the Church. 

These boxes are opened  next day for distribution.

Those employed in farms used  to get gift  boxes from the employers on the next day of Christmas. 

Servants employed in houses of  rich people  used to receive gift boxes on  the next day. 

Rich people avoided giving gifts before the Christmas to ensure the servants service on the Christmas day.

In  rich people's houses, the servants used to pack in the boxes the extra materials used for Christmas

This boxing day has nothing to do with St.Stephen's  feast day.( 26th December )

32) Who is Santa Claus ?

A legendary character known as Saint Nicholas. He is generally depicted as a white bearded man wearing red coat. Western tradition informs the children that Santa would bring Christmas gifts to them on the Christmas Eve night. In fact, the gifts are bought and kept hidden by parents. 

33) What is the Significance of Christmas tree ?

There are number of speculative theories on its origin.It acquired popularity from the 18th century. In the beginning the Christmas trees were decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts, candies,etc.

From the beginning of the 20th century , it has become common in the houses, departmental stores, public places ,etc.

( Every year, the world's largest decorated Christmas Tree is put in  National Enquirer, Lantana, Florida, US.) 

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34) What is the history of Christmas Cake ?

Taken from Website :

Christmas cake is an English tradition that began as plum porridge. People ate the porridge on Christmas Eve, using it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. Soon dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually it turned into Christmas pudding.

In the 16th century, oatmeal was removed from the original recipe and butter, wheat flour and eggs were added. These ingredients helped to hold the mixture together and in what resulted in a boiled plum cake. Richer families who had ovens began making fruit cakes with marzipan, an almond sugar paste, for Easter. For Christmas, they made a similar cake using seasonal dried fruist and spices. The spices represented the exotic eastern spices brought by the Wise Men. This cake became known as "Christmas cake."

( The world's longest Christmas cake was made in 2011 in China. 1068 m long. 80 cooks worked day and night and prepared it. The cake was sliced and sold for public and the return was donated to the Children's Cancer Hospital.)

35) When did the tradition of  keeping cribs come into existence?

In 1220 AD, St.Francis of Assisi visited Bethlehem, he was impressed by the way, the Christmas was celebrated .

He obtained the permission from Pope to recreate the scene in his native town in Italy.

He created the first nativity scene in 1223 AD.

He died in 1226 AD, after his death, the custom of keeping crib  spread world wide.

A crib is created keeping in mind,  the  information revealed in  the Gospels.

The humble site of baby Jesus  birth, shepherds visit , the baby lying in a trough used to place  cattle  feeds,

Joseph and Mary  guarding the baby, star guiding the three wise men,  etc

( I have seen in US, a Nativity Scene created by using  ice blocks in Nashville, in the  state of Tannessee.

Each statue was of life size.The Special  room was so chill, everyone was compelled to wear a special protective dress. 

Inspite  of that, no one could remain inside for more than five minutes.)

36) What is Epiphany ?

Epiphany or Feast of Manifestation was traditionally  celebrated on the 6th of  January.

Now shifted to  Sunday following the  New year.

It is the feast of  manifestation ( revelation ) of God to mankind  in human form.

On this day,

Western Christians commemorate  the visitation of three wise men ( Bibilical Magi ) to baby Jesus,.

Also  commemorate  the  Baptism of Jesus in river Jordan and the  miracle  at Cana.

Eastern countries which follow Julian Calendar celebrate Epiphany on 19th January.

37) What does the catholic tradition say about  Epiphany?  

 Epiphany is predominantly the feast of three kings  for the common people.

Tamil catholic  tradition celebrates Epiphany like " Pongal ". 

Pongal is the traditional harvest festival of the Tamil community. 

Among   the Tamil community, a special sweet pongal  is prepared by using 

rice, milk, sugar and ghee and  placed on the altar during the prayer and shared.

With Epiphany, the Christmas festive mood  of the Catholics come to an end.

38?  Who are these threes kings ?

They are the  three wise men who came from the east  to see the  baby Jesus born in the stable.

King James  version. Mathew 2 :1
" Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, 

behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem," 

Number of wise men or kings came from east is not mentioned. 

The word men is used which is plural, so more than one would have come. It is believed to be three.

Except Mathew, all others , Luke, Mark and John are  silent on this event.

Wise men  brought gifts like gold, frankincense and myrrh.

These three wise men or kings are referred as Magi. 

Their names are said to be Gaspar, Melchior, Balthasar, however there is no Bibilical evidence for this.

Bible says that they had come from east, more than that,  whatsoever said about them is without Biblical root.

39) What is Julian Calendar ?

It is a calendar introduced by emperor Julius Caesar in 46 BC (  Roman Calendar 708 AUC ) .

According to this calendar, the earth takes 365.25 days to orbit the sun.

Once in 4 years,  one day becomes excess ( 0.25 X 4 =1 day )

This one day excess  is added in the month of February once in 4 years  and called a Leap year.

Most of the Orthodox Churches adopt Julian calendar for the festivals  fixations.

40) What is Gregorian Calendar ?

It is a calendar introduced by Pope Gregory in 1582 AD. 

The errors in the Julian Calendar is rectified  in this Calendar

According to this  calendar,  the earth takes 365.2425 days to orbit the Sun.

This period is less than the Julian calendar period  of one year,  which is 365.25 days

The difference is 365.25 - 365.2425=0.0075 days.

This difference of 0.0075 days becomes 3 days excess in 400 years. 0.0075X 400 =3 days

In Gregorian calendar, these  3 days are removed in every 400 years.

To be a leap year, any year should be exactly divisible by 4.

In case of century years ( years ending with two zero), the  years  should be exactly divisible by 400 not by 4.

Years 2100, 2200, 2300 are not exactly divisible by 400, so these are not leap years.

Year 2400 is exactly divisible by 400, so it is a leap year.

( To know more about this, please read my book, "The Gregorian Calendar.")