Easter Day - 23rd March 2008
Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. It is the commemoration of Jesus's death and his rising from the dead, also known as the resurrection. It comes at the end of Lent. The week leading up to it is called Holy Week.
Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Crowds of people came out of the city to greet him, throwing down palm branches on the road. Many churches give out small crosses made from palm leaves, as a reminder of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and his death on the cross.
On Maunday Thursday Christians remember when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine, which is now known as the Last Supper. Since then this meal has been symbolically re-enacted by many Christians as a way of drawing closer to God. This is called the Eucharist, which means 'thanksgiving'. It is a reminder that Jesus sacrificed his life for mankind.
The Bible tells us that, later that night, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. After his arrest, Jesus was brought before the Jewish high priests who found him guilty of blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God. They handed him over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
As was the custom at the time of the Feast of Passover, Pilate gave the crowds the choice as to which of the two prisoners should be freed: Jesus, or Barrabas, a notorious criminal. Ironically, the the same crowd who had welcomed Jesus with palm branches a few days earlier now chose Barrabas to be released, and Pilate condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion.
On Good Friday, many churches hold 3 hour services meditating on the events leading up to Christ's death: his interrogation, flogging, the mocking by the Roman soldiers, and his journey with the cross to Golgotha, the place of his death. Finally he was stripped naked and nailed to the cross, where he hung in agony for three hours, jeered at by the crowds, before he died. This is the day when people traditionally eat hot cross buns, because the cross on the bun is a reminder of the cross Jesus died on, and a reminder of the Christian belief that Jesus died to save us all.
Easter Sunday marks Jesus' resurrection. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, followed later by some of Jesus' disciples. They discovered Jesus' body had gone and that the tomb was empty. Jesus then appeared to Mary and many of his disciples, speaking with them on separate occasions during the following forty days. As he left them for the last time, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit so the disciples would know God would never leave them. He then ascended into heaven. The Church celebrates this on Ascension day.
Easter - Questions answered
Why do we eat easter eggs at Easter?For Christians, Easter eggs symbolise new life. They believe that, through his resurrection, Jesus defeated death and sin and offers people the promise of eternal life if they follow his teachings. This is why there is a tradition for Christians to be baptised at Easter, which celebrates new life in God.
However, the festival of Easter stretches back to pre-Christian times, too. It gets its name and some symbols, including the Easter Bunny, from the Pagan Spring Equinox festival, which is a celebration of Spring and also of new life.
Where are the accounts of Easter in the Bible?The account of the Easter story can be read in Mark, Chapters 14 to 16, or Luke, Chapters 22 to 24, and elements of it can be found in the other gospels too. Many of the events in the Easter story are foretold in the Old Testament in Isaiah chapter 53.
Why does the date of Easter change from year to year?The date of Easter Sunday varies from year to year because it is based on the lunar calendar. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, on or after March 21st.
Suggested Classroom Activities
Suggested activities (based on the QCA Scheme of Work)
RE at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Year 2) Unit 2C: Celebrations (Generic) Section 3: How is Easter celebrated in different parts of the world? Talk to the children about Easter bonnet parades and make Easter bonnets with them. Alternatively you could make Easter greetings cards or decorations. The Easter activity sheets may help with this activity.
RE at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Year 4) Unit 4C: Why is Easter important for Christians? Section 1: What is Palm Sunday? Tell the story of Palm Sunday, drawing out the fact that the crowd were excited because they believed Jesus to be the Messiah. Make palm crosses with the children, and talk about their symbolism.
Unit 8B: What does the Resurrection of Jesus mean for Christians today? Section 1: What happened at the first Easter? Show two film/video versions of the Easter story. Ask pupils to compare them and answer a range of questions, eg Which version did they prefer and why? How were the versions different and similar? The Easter sequencing activity may help students to prepare for this activity.
Encourage pupils to investigate two of the Gospel accounts of the Easter story, eg Mark 16 and Luke 24, comparing and contrasting their details, and answering a range of questions, eg produce a storyboard telling one version of the Easter story; create a table to list the similarities and differences between the two Gospel accounts.
Full details of all QCA schemes of work can be found online at:http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/subjects/
BBC Weblinks
BBC Religion and Ethics - Christianity Background information on Easter, the most important day in the Christian calendar.
CBBC Newsround - Guides: Religious FestivalsFind out more about Easter.
BBC Northern Ireland - EasterHave a go at some of these games, or print out and colour some Easter cards.
BBC Food - Easter TraditionsA variety of recipes for children such as chocolate nests and Easter biscuits.
CBBC Art - Make an Easter BonnetA good activity to try out with KS2 children.
CBeebies - Balamory's Easter Egg MakesHow to make and decorate Easter eggs with small children.
What is Easter?
Easter is the time for holidays, festivals and a time for giving chocolate Easter eggs. But Easter means much more....
Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian Festival, the celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ. For Christians, the dawn of Easter Sunday with its message of new life is the high point of the Christian year.
What is the Easter story ?
Easter is the story of Jesus' last days in Jerusalem before his death. The Easter story includes Maundy Thursday (the Last supper leading to the Eucharist), Good Friday (the day on which Jesus was crucified) and Easter Day (the day on which Jesus came back to life).
It is a sad story because Jesus was killed. But the story has a very happy ending, because Jesus came back to life and visited his friends and followers once more. He did not die at all, but went back up to Heaven to be with God, his father.
Where does the name 'Easter' come from?
Pagan traditions give us the English word "Easter" which comes from the word "Eostre". The Anglo-Saxon word for April was "Eostre-monath" (the month of openings). However, it should be remembered that Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ long before the word "Easter" was used, and the word they used for the celebration was "Pascha", which is derived from and linked to the Jewish festival of Passover.
According to Bede, the English monastic historian, the English word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April, which was known as "Eostremonath" in the AngloSaxon tongue and since Pascha was most often celebrated in Eostremonath, the English Christians began calling it "Easter". Bede also notes that the month was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Esostre.
Rituals related to the goddess Eostre focus on new beginnings, symbolized by the Easter egg, and fertility, which is symbolized by the hare (or Easter bunny).
When is Easter?
Easter usually comes in the month of April. However, Easter can fall as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.
Easter Day in 2008 falls on Sunday 23 March. It is the earliest it will be until at least 2030!
2006 April 16
2012 April 8
2018 April 1
2007 April 8
2013 March 31
2019 April 21
2008 March 23
2014 April 20
2020 April 12
2009 April 12
2015 April 5
2021 April 4
2010 April 4
2016 March 27
2022 April 17
2011 April 24
2017 April 16
2023 April 9
Why does the date of Easter move?
Easter is called a moveable feast because the date of Easter changes every year. Easter Sunday can fall on any date from March 22 to April 25.
The reason for this variation in the date of Easter is based on the lunar calendar (moon) rather than our more well-known solar one.
Easter always falls on the first Sunday following the full Moon (the Paschal Full Moon) either on or after the Spring Equinox (March 20 or 21). If the Full Moon falls on a Sunday then Easter is the next Sunday.
When is the Easter Season?
The Easter Season begins on Easter Day and lasts 50 days, ending on Pentecost.
What happened on Easter Sunday?
It was on Easter Sunday that Jesus rose from death. Jesus had told his disciples before he was arrested that he would be crucified and on the third day he would rise from the dead. Sunday was the third day from Good Friday (Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Day). The second day after Good Friday.
What has Passover got to do with Easter?
Easter and Passover always fall close to each other but they are not always at exactly the same time.
For many centuries before Jesus' birth, the Jewish people had their own special spring festival, called Passover (Pesach).
Passover commemorates the time when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery and Moses led them out of Egypt. It is the Israelite's liberation from Egypt that led to the beginning of Judaism.
Jesus, a Jew, was crucified during Passover time and it is said that the Last Supper was a Passover seder (a ritual meal that commemorates the Biblical accounting of the Jews escape from Egyptian slavery). It is Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection that led to the start of Christianity.
Both Easter and Passover revolve around the idea of rebirth. Jesus is resurrected, or born again, and the slaves are reborn into freedom. Both festivals draw in the idea of birth or rebirth with Easter eggs and the hard-boiled eggs served on Passover.
What are the different names for Easter?
In many European languages the name Easter comes from the word Passover.
Pascha in Greek and Latin, Pasqua in Italian, Pacques in French, Pascua in Spanish
Why do we have eggs at Easter?
The first eggs given at Easter were birds eggs. These eggs were painted in bright colours to give them further meaning as a gift.
An Anglo-Saxon legend tells how the Saxon goddess Eostre found a wounded bird and transformed it into a hare, so that it could survive the Winter. The hare found it could lay eggs, so it decorated these each Spring and left them as offering to the goddess.
Eggs are a forbidden food during Lent, making them a welcome return to the menu on Easter Day. For Christians, Easter eggs symbolise new life. They believe that, through his resurrection, Jesus defeated death and sin and offers people the promise of eternal life if they follow his teachings. Eggs have been a symbol of continuing life and resurrection since pre-Christian Spring celebrations.
To the Pagans the egg's oval shape represents the eternal cycle of seasons. In their tradition, the egg's yolk symbolizes the sun-god, and the egg-white and pale shell represents the maiden goddess: their sacred marriage is said to have occurred at the Spring Equinox.
Eggs have had a religious significance in many ancient civilizations; Egyptians buried eggs in their tombs as did the Greeks; A Roman proverb states, "All life comes from an egg". It’s probably no surprise that Christianity should also adopt the egg to symbolise the resurrection of Christ.
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