What is the history of Easter?

 What is the history of Easter?

 

Easter is the principal Christian feast day and commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, the central event of Christianity. According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:27-61) on the eve of the Jewish Passover (Mark 14:12-25). He rose from the dead on the following Sunday (Matthew 28:1-10) and appeared to his followers numerous times over a forty day period before He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:1-11).

Many Christian churches also observe the penitential season of Lent, beginning 46 days before Easter on Ash Wednesday. Palm Sunday, one week before Easter, commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before He was crucified, when cheering crowds greeted Him with Palm branches (John 12:12-18). Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, commemorates Jesus' crucifixion.

The English word "Easter" is believed to be derived from a spring festival for a pagan goddess, Eostre. The pagan and Christian celebrations occurred at about the same time of year, so the Christian celebration became known as "Easter" in the English-speaking world. In other languages, the name of the Easter celebration is frequently derived from the the Hebrew Pesach (meaning Passover) or the equivalent Greek Pascha. It is known as Pâques in French, Pascua in Spanish, Pasqua in Italian and Ostern in German.

Early Christians commemorated Jesus' resurrection on or near the date of the Jewish Passover, and there is no mention of a separate Easter celebration in the Bible. The word "Easter" appears once in the King James Version of the Bible (Acts 12:4), but that was a mistranslation of the Greek word Pascha. All other Bible versions translate it correctly as "Passover."

Due to the use of different calendar systems over the years, the dates of Passover and Easter have drifted apart. Western churches now celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon that comes on or after the vernal equinox marking the beginning of Spring. That date may be anywhere between March 22 and April 25.