Holy Easter

Easter is the oldest Christian holiday. All Christian movable feasts as well as the entire liturgical year are centered around this Spring event that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. Easter not only refers to the day the resurrection is celebrated, but also to the entire season known as Easter Season, or Eastertide. This traditionally lasts from the forty days before Easter Sunday, until fifty days after on the day of Pentecost.

The forty days before Good Friday are known as Lent, or the Lenten season. This season begins with Ash Wednesday. Christians receive ashes on their foreheads in a special ceremony or mass. While this is not a holy day of obligation, it does mark the beginning of the penitential season.

Palm Sunday is observed on the Sunday before Easter. It is also the first day of Holy week. Most Christian ceremonies marking Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem prior to the crucification involve a procession with palm fronds that have been blessed. These palms will be collected and burned for use in the next season's Ash Wednesday service.

Good Friday is celebrated forty days after Ash Wednesday. It commemorates the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. For Christians this is a day of fasting, prayer, and repentance. The day after Good Friday is Holy Saturday. It marks the end of Holy Week, in which Christians prepare for the Easter celebration.

Easter Sunday is the most important of all Christian holidays. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from his tomb. The Eastern season does not end with this celebration but continues another fifty days until Pentecost. To learn more about the Easter Season visit the links below:

History of Easter

History of Easter

History Channel

Religious Facts

Ash Wedesday History

Nazareth Resource Library

American Catholic Online

Sermons For Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Sermons

Resources on Lent

Catholic Lenten Resources

How Easter Works