Easter is the original holiday of the arrival of spring and the awakening of new life. About 3.5 thousand years ago, the Jews gave new meaning to the Canonian holiday of welcoming spring - on this day they also began to celebrate the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, described in the Old Testament. About 2 thousand years ago, Easter acquired another meaning; on this day Jesus Christ was resurrected.
On this day it is customary to say: “Christ is Risen!”, to which they answer “Truly He is Risen!”.
The name Passover comes from the Hebrew word "Pesach", which means "deliverance", "exodus", "mercy".
Easter date
In the Christian tradition, Easter is celebrated according to the lunisolar calendar, on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. Easter is always celebrated only on Sunday, but falls on different dates.
Lent precedes Easter
The celebration of Easter in Christianity is preceded by Lent - the longest and strictest period of abstinence from many types of food and entertainment.
Easter traditions
It is customary to celebrate the onset of Easter by placing on the table colored Easter cakes and Easter itself - this is the name given to a curd dish in the shape of a pyramid with a truncated top.
In addition, colored boiled eggs are a symbol of the holiday. According to ancient traditions, they were considered a symbol of life. The eggs are also associated with the legend of how Mary Magdalene presented an egg to Emperor Tiberius as a sign that Jesus Christ had risen. He said that this was impossible, just as an egg cannot suddenly turn from white to red, and the egg instantly turned red.
Since then, Christian believers have painted eggs red for Easter. Although recently the masses paint eggs in any color or put stickers on them.
Although Easter is celebrated by Christians (Catholics and Orthodox) and Jews. Details of the celebration vary.
On Easter, believers often visit churches, illuminate Easter cakes and colored eggs.
Easter history of the holiday briefly.
Easter. history of the holiday
Postcard of the Russian Empire (early 20th century) with a design typical of an Easter card
Easter(Greek . πάσχα , l at. Pascha, Hebrew. פסח [Pesa ḥ ] - “passing by”), also - Resurrection of Christ - the oldestChristian holiday ; the main holiday of the liturgical year. Installed in honorresurrection of jesus christ . Currently, its date in each specific year is calculated according to lunisolar calendar what makes Easter moving holiday (dates for each church year are different).
history of the holiday
Passover Jews celebrate it in honor of the Exodus from Egypt. In memory of these events in Jerusalem, it was prescribed to perform the ritual slaughter of a one-year-old male lamb, without blemish, which should be baked on fire and eaten completely, without breaking the bones, with unleavened bread (matzo) and bitter herbs in the family circle during the Passover night. After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, ritual slaughter became impossible, so Jews eat only unleavened bread on Passover. The holiday begins on the fourteenth day of the spring month Nissan(in the Jewish calendar, the first month of the biblical year, approximately corresponds to March - April of the Gregorian (modern) calendar and is celebrated for 7 days in Israel and 8 outside Israel.
During the period of early Christianity, Christians began to celebrate the first liturgies, similar in form to the Jewish Passover. The liturgies were celebrated as the Last Supper - the Passover of suffering associated with the Death on the Cross and the resurrection of Christ. Thus, Easter became the first and main Christian holiday, determining both the liturgical charter of the Church and the doctrinal side of Christianity.
Initially, the death and resurrection of Christ were celebrated weekly: Friday was the day of fasting and mourning in memory of suffering Christ, and Sunday is a day of joy. These celebrations became more solemn during the Jewish Passover - the anniversary of the death of Christ.
Already in the 2nd century, the holiday took on the character of an annual event in all Churches. In the writings of early Christian writers there is information about the celebration of the annual day of death on the cross and the Resurrection of Christ. From their writings it is clear that initially the suffering and death of Christ were celebrated with a special fast as “Easter of the Cross”; it coincided with the Jewish Passover, the fast continued until Sunday night. After it, the Resurrection of Christ itself was celebrated as Easter of joy or “Resurrection Easter.”
Myrrh-bearing women at the empty tomb. Ivory.
British museum. 420-430
Soon the differences in the traditions of the Local Churches became noticeable. An “Easter dispute” arose between Rome and the churches of Asia Minor. The Christians of Asia Minor strictly adhered to the custom of celebrating Easter on the 14th of Nisan. Among them, the name of the Jewish Passover changed to the name of the Christian Passover and subsequently spread. Whereas in the West, which was not influenced Judeo-Christianity, the practice has developed of celebrating Easter on the first Sunday after the Jewish Passover, while calculating the latter as the full moon of the last equinox.
The question of a single day for the celebration of Easter for the entire Christian cumene was raised by Emperor Constantine the Great at a council of bishops convened in Nicaea in 325, later called the First Ecumenical Council. At the council, it was decided to coordinate the day of Easter celebration between communities, and the practice of focusing on the Jewish date that fell before the equinox was condemned. All bishops not only accepted the Creed, but also signed up to celebrate Easter for everyone at the same time. The initial definition of the First Ecumenical Council regarding Easter, that fasts and holidays should be observed simultaneously by everyone in the Church, became the basis for the church charter.It was decided to celebrate Christian Easter as it was celebrated at that time in most churches: “in Rome and Africa, throughout Italy, Egypt, Spain, Gaul, Britain, Libya, in the whole of Hellas, in the eparchies of Asia, Pontus and Cilicia,” namely - strictly after the Jewish Passover - 14 Nisan (full moon) and always on Sunday. The day of Passover was chosen to be the nearest Sunday after the first spring full moon (that is, the first full moon after the vernal equinox).
Evidence from the 4th century says that Easter on the Cross and Easter on Sunday were already united at that time both in the West and in the East. The celebration of Easter on the Cross preceded the celebration of Easter Sunday, each lasting a week before and after Easter Sunday. Only in the 5th century did the name Easter become generally accepted to designate the actual holiday of the Resurrection of Christ. Subsequently, the day of Easter began to stand out more and more clearly in the liturgical plan, for which it received the name “king of days”, “holidays of the holiday”.
In the 6th century, the Roman Church adopted the Eastern Paschal. The Eastern or Alexandrian Paschal was used throughout the Christian world until the end of the 16th century, for more than 800 years. It is built on four restrictions:
Celebrate Easter after the spring equinox;
Not to be done on the same day as the Jews;
Not just after the equinox, but after the first full moon that occurs after the equinox;
And after the full moon, no other than on the first day of the week according to the Jewish reckoning.
Enamel miniature “Resurrection of Christ”
(scapular of Andrei Bogolyubsky, c. 1170-1180s), Louvre
In 1582, in the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new Paschal, called the Gregorian. Due to the change in Easter, the entire calendar also changed. As a result of the Paschal reform, Catholic Easter is often celebrated earlier than the Jewish one or on the same day and precedes the Orthodox Easter in some years by more than a month.
In 1923, the Patriarch of Constantinople Meletius IV (Metaxakis) held the so-called. " Pan-Orthodox congress" with the participation of representatives of the Greek, Romanian and Serbian Orthodox churches, at which the New Julian calendar was adopted, even more accurate than the Gregorian and coinciding with it until the year 2800.Gradually, the Constantinople, Hellas, and Romanian churches switched to the new style. Today, only the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox churches, as well as Athos, fully use the Julian calendar. The Finnish Orthodox Church has completely switched to the Gregorian calendar. The rest of the Churches celebrate Easter and other moving holidays in the old style, and Christmas and other non-moving holidays in the new style.
Gospel aboutevents taking place on Easter days
According to ancient Jewish tradition, Messiah- The King of Israel must appear on Passover in Jerusalem. The people, knowing about the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, solemnly greeted Jesus as the coming King.
Maundy Thursday - Christ establishes the Sacrament of the Eucharist in the Upper Room of Zion in Jerusalem. Nowadays, the Church remembers and again celebrates the Last Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ with His disciples and apostles. At the Last Supper, Christ established the main sacrament of the Christian faith - the Eucharist (which translated from Greek means “thanksgiving”), during which all the faithful partake of the Body and Blood of Christ Himself. Without Communion, the Church teaches, there is no true Christian life; According to the faith of the Church, in this sacrament the most complete union of man with God occurs, as far as possible on earth. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) describe this day as the day of unleavened bread, that is, the Jewish Passover. Thus, at the Last Supper, the Old Testament Passover - lamb, wine and unleavened bread - is mystically associated with the New Testament - Christ, His Body and Blood.
Good Friday - according to tradition, before Easter, Pontius Pilate wanted to release one prisoner, in the hope that the people would ask for Jesus. However, incited by the high priests, the people demand the release of Barabbas. John emphasizes that the crucifixion occurs on the day of Easter, since the slaughter of the Paschal sacrificial lamb on the Old Testament Passover is a prototype of the New Testament Passover - the slaughter of Christ as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. Just as the bones of the Passover lamb (firstborn and without blemish) should not be broken, so Christ’s legs are not broken, unlike others executed. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, having asked Pilate to bury the body of Jesus, wrap it in a shroud soaked in incense and place it in the nearest tomb - a cave until the Sabbath rest.
Holy Saturday - the high priests, remembering that Christ spoke about his resurrection on the third day, despite the current holiday and Saturday, turn to Pilate to set a guard for three days so that the disciples do not steal the body, thereby depicting the resurrection of the teacher from the dead.
Resurrection of Christ (the first day after Saturday) - after the Sabbath rest, the Myrrh-Bearing Women go to the tomb. In front of them, an Angel descends to the tomb and rolls away the stone, an earthquake occurs, and the guards are thrown into fear. The angel tells the wives that Christ has risen and will precede them to Galilee.
After 8 days (Anti-Easter, Fomina Week) Christ again appears to the disciples, among whom is Thomas, through a closed door. Jesus tells Thomas to put his fingers into the wounds to verify the reality of the resurrected body. Thomas exclaims “My Lord and my God!”
Over the next forty days Christ appears to the disciples on the Sea of Tiberias (in Galilee) while fishing, where he restores the apostleship of Peter, as well as to more than five hundred other people.
On the fortieth day after the resurrection Jesus ascends to heaven, blessing the apostles.
On the fiftieth day after the resurrection The apostles, according to the promise of the Lord, receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
These events formed the basis of the liturgical calendar.
Titian, London National Gallery
Mary Magdalene was the first to see the resurrected Jesus, at first she mistook him for a gardener, but when she recognized him, she rushed to touch him. Christ did not allow her to do this (“Do not touch Me”), but ordered her to announce his resurrection to the apostles
Easter date calculation
The general rule for calculating the date of Easter is: “Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon.” The spring full moon is the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox. Both Easter - Alexandria and Gregorian - are based on this principle.
The date of Easter is determined from the relationship between the lunar and solar calendars (lunisolar calendar).
The complexity of the calculation is due to the mixture of independent astronomical cycles and a number of requirements:
Circulation of the Earth around the Sun (date of vernal equinox);
The revolution of the Moon around the Earth (full moon);
The established day of celebration is Sunday.
If the full moon is earlier than March 21, then the next full moon (+ 30 days) is considered Easter. If the Easter full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday.
However, the Orthodox and Catholic Church use different Paschals, causing the same rule to result in different dates.
Orthodox Easter is calculated according to the Alexandrian Paschal; the date of the first day of Easter (Easter Week) can fall on any of the days in the period from March 22 until April 25 in the Julian calendar (which in the 20th-21st centuries corresponds to the period from April 4 to May 8 according to the New Style). In the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches, the date of Easter is calculated according to the Gregorian Easter. In the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church carried out a calendar reform, the purpose of which was to bring the calculated date of Easter into accordance with the observed phenomena in the sky (by this time the old Easter already gave dates for full moons and equinoxes that did not correspond to the real positions of the luminaries.
The discrepancy between the dates of Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter is caused by the difference in the date of church full moons, and the difference between solar calendars (13 days in the 21st century). Catholic Easter in 30% of cases coincides with Orthodox Easter, in 45% of cases it is ahead of it by a week, in 5% - by 4 weeks, and in 20% - by 5 weeks. There is no difference between 2 and 3 weeks.
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Regarding Easter, all-moving holidays are celebrated in the sequence of Gospel events:
Lazarev Saturday ;
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - a week before Easter;
Holy Week - the week before Easter;
Easter - Holy Resurrection of Christ ;
Easter week (Antipascha in Orthodoxy, Octave of Easter in Catholicism) - the appearance of the risen Christ to the disciples on the 8th day of Easter and the belief of Thomas;
Ascension of the Lord - the fortieth day after Easter;
Pentecost - the fiftieth day after Easter (in Orthodoxy it coincides with Holy Trinity Day ).
Believers associate spring not only with budding buds, weather changes and rarely peeking out from behind the clouds, but with the long-awaited sun. People all over the world celebrate one of the greatest religious holidays at this time of year. Everywhere you can hear: “Christ is Risen!” and “Truly He is Risen” - in response. Happy and carefree people begin to prepare for the celebrations in advance. They clean their homes, paint eggs or in a modern way with a church theme. In addition, Easter cake is an equally important attribute holiday. Easter, where did the holiday come from?
Unfortunately, the history of Easter is an unknown mystery for many, and that is why people make a lot of mistakes. As a result, instead of unity with God, they commit sin. To bring knowledge to the masses and help correct the most common mistakes in the celebration, we will tell you about the history of the origin of the Easter holiday. You will find out where it came from, why it is called that and what attributes are required, as well as a lot of other interesting and useful information.
history of the holiday
Slavery of the Israelite people
In order to find out about the origin of the holiday, you will need to open the Bible to the part called “Exodus”. To put it briefly and in understandable language, the Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians for many centuries and humbly endured humiliation, suffering, pain and other torments. They believed that this was how it should be, and therefore they did not complain about fate, but silently, submissively, endured all the trials and hardships. At the center of the events described in the Bible are the prophet Moses and his brother Aaron. It is believed that God, through these people, performed miracles and disasters on Egyptian soil.
Fact or fiction, it’s not up to us to decide
The Pharaoh of Egypt did not want to free the Jewish people from centuries of slavery and became more and more cruel and demanding. Then God, taking pity on the Jews, decided to help the slaves escape to freedom. Each family was ordered to slaughter one male lamb in the evening. At night it had to be eaten without breaking bones, and its blood had to be smeared on the front door of the family’s house. It was a kind of mark.
That night, according to legend, an angel of God descended to earth and killed all the firstborn of Egypt, but the houses of the Jews remained untouched. Pharaoh became frightened when he saw that his nation was in danger, and drove the Jews out of his country. However, after some time, he decided to catch up with them. And again God's providence happened. The sea, located on the way of the slaves, opened up, and the fugitives were able to calmly leave by land, and when the pharaoh stepped on this place, the water closed, and he and his retinue drowned. The people of Israel were liberated, and so Jews around the world began to celebrate Passover, a holiday in honor of their deliverance from centuries of slavery. 
A brief history of Easter, passed down from generation to generation
The history of the holiday does not end here, but only begins. After the events described, Jesus Christ is born in the Holy Land. At the age of 30, he begins to preach God’s commandments to the people, and three years later he was crucified on the cross for the sins of mankind. Moreover, this happened immediately after the Passover holiday. It was while celebrating it at the Last Supper that he presented the wine and bread as his own blood and body. He, like the lamb, was killed for the sins of other people and his bones were not broken either. Therefore, the believing people believe that the soul is immortal and rejoices in this, as well as in the resurrection of Christ.
Removing discrepancies
For those who read the article carefully, a question arises quite logically. What does Passover and Easter have to do with it? Yes, the names are similar, but the execution of Christ took place after Passover, and Easter is considered the very day when his resurrection took place... Let's explain. The fact is that Passover is a holiday that is much older, not even years, but centuries, than Easter itself, and in principle, the interpretation that is inherent in the holiday today has nothing to do with the day of liberation of the Jews. However, it was Passover that was celebrated from year to year in full accordance with the lunar calendar according to which people then lived, and Easter could be at least every Sunday. It was only in the fourth century that the decision was made to single out the day on which Jesus was resurrected and make it a universal holiday. It was then that the concepts of “”, meaning “God’s day”, and directly appeared.
Easter traditions
In Rus', Easter was the most important holiday of the year. The people rejoiced at the resurrection of Christ, churches were decorated with attributes corresponding to the holiday, and people carried with them all day long so that when meeting another person they could exclaim: “Christ is risen!” and give him a colored chicken egg. To this they answered him, “Truly he is risen!” The people who met kissed, exchanged joyful speeches and dispersed. In the houses they baked Easter cakes, ate eggs and other delicious food prepared especially for the celebration. Housewives began to clean their house and yard within a week in order to celebrate the joyful holiday in cleanliness and comfort. Round dances were held in the streets, games were played, fairs and fun were held.
Required attribute
Dyeing eggs was a must. Boiled colored eggs were illuminated in the church, carried with them, exchanged them, ate them and hit each other when they met. All these traditions have passed through the centuries to the present day. There is a whole story connected with eggs for Easter, but we will tell you about it next time.
Lent ends and Easter approaches. This means that holiday festivities will take place throughout the country, believers will bake, cook Easter, paint eggs and simply enjoy the holiday. But very few of those who celebrate Easter actually know what this holiday means, when it appeared and what all Easter attributes symbolize. And to help figure this out, we will talk about the history and essence of Easter and its meaning for believers.
Easter in Ancient Times
Initially, the tradition of celebrating Easter came from the Jewish people and was associated with the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery by the prophet Moses. Then the name of this holiday sounded like P e sah - “to pass”, in the meaning of “to deliver”, “to spare”. The Jewish celebration of Easter took place for 7 days, which every devout Jew had to spend in Jerusalem. In memory of the exodus from Egypt, on the day of Passover, the Jews practiced the ritual slaughter in the Temple of a one-year-old male lamb, without blemish, which was then baked on fire and eaten completely, without breaking the bones, with unleavened bread (unleavened bread - matzo) and bitter herbs in the family circle on Easter evening. This lamb was called Easter - and served as a prototype of the Savior and a reminder of his coming coming. Bitter herbs symbolized the bitterness of Egyptian slavery. Also on Easter evening, the family ate a paste of fruits and nuts and four glasses of wine, and the father of the family told the story of the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian slavery at the festive table. Bread, as already mentioned, was used only unleavened bread - in memory of the fact that the Jews left Egypt in great haste and did not have time to leaven the bread.
Easter in early Christianity
After the coming of Jesus Christ Easter was rethought and took on a completely different meaning. Now Easter was a prototype of the death and Resurrection of Christ. In Scripture these changes were described as follows: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “Our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).
Now it is no longer possible to determine exactly what date (in our chronology) the event of the Resurrection occurred. For example, in 2011 the date of Easter falls on April 24. The word “falls out” was not chosen by chance. As you know, the date of Easter is not fixed, like most holidays. And calculating this date is quite complicated.
The fact is that the Jews lived according to the lunar calendar, and not according to the solar calendar, as we do now. These calendars differ from each other by 11 days: the solar year, as is known, has 365 days, and the lunar year has 354 days. In addition, errors accumulate very quickly in the lunar calendar, which cannot be corrected. That is why it is now difficult to calculate the day on which Easter will fall.
The Gospel records that Christ was crucified on Friday the 14th day, and on the 16th day of the month of Nissan, “on the first day of the week” (after Saturday). In early Christianity, this day was called the Lord's day; later, among the Slavs, it began to be called Sunday. The month of Nissan itself corresponded to modern March-April.
The acute question of choosing a day and the solemn celebration of Easter once a year arose only by the 2nd-3rd centuries AD, because it happened that Christians living in different territories had different calendars - and therefore the date of Easter celebration varied more and more stronger. In addition, the Jewish Passover and the Passover of the Christians of Asia Minor continued to exist as separate holidays. Based on the current situation, in the 4th century. The Church decided that Easter will be celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. The period in which this day could fall was determined as April 4 – May 8. The responsibility of notifying each year about the chosen day of Easter lay with the Bishop of Alexandria, who, guided by special astronomical calculations, notified all churches about the day of Easter in the current year with special Easter messages.
How did the external attributes of the holiday change during the period of early Christianity? In the writings about Easter by various Christian writers (Apollinaris of Hierapolis, St. Hippolytus of Rome, etc.) it is said that Lent before Easter symbolized the suffering and death of Christ, and Easter was now called “Godfather”. The fast continued until Sunday night, after which the Resurrection of Christ was celebrated as the Easter of joy, or “Resurrection Easter.” Until now, many of the festive elements of Easter, formed in early Christian times, have been preserved in the services of Maundy Thursday, Friday and Saturday, in the special structure of the night service during the week of Easter, in the celebration of Sunday Easter until the Ascension.
Easter in the Middle Ages and Modern Times
Since the 8th century, when Rome adopted the Eastern Paschal, and for 500 years, Easter has been celebrated by agreement between the Churches of the East and West.
But in 1582 The previously used Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar (named after Pope Gregory XIII of the Roman Catholic Church). Since 1583 Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new Paschal, called Gregorian, as a result of which there was a transition to more precise astronomical dates - and Catholic Easter, depending on the year, began to be celebrated earlier than the Jewish one or coincide with it and be on average a month ahead.
Easter in the modern world
In the first third of the 10th century. attempts were made to create a New Julian calendar, even more accurate than the Gregorian, but these aspirations were not crowned with success, and at the Moscow meeting it was decided that Easter and all movable holidays are celebrated by all Orthodox Churches according to the Julian calendar, and non-movable ones - according to the calendar in which this Church lives.
Today, only the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox Churches, as well as Mount Athos, fully use the Julian calendar. The Finnish Orthodox Church has completely switched to the Gregorian calendar. The rest of the Churches celebrate Easter and other movable holidays according to the old style, and Christmas and other immutable holidays according to the new style.
Celebrating Easter and Easter traditions in the modern world
In the modern world, the Easter holiday is preceded by a seven-week fast - as a time of repentance and spiritual cleansing. After Lent, on Feast Sunday, the Easter service begins, which differs from ordinary church services both in structure and in the words spoken at it.
During the Easter service, all believers try to take communion without fail, and after the end of the service, believers “kiss Christ”, that is, kiss when they meet and exchange words: “Christ is Risen!” and “Truly He is Risen!”
The celebration of Easter lasts forty days - the number of days that Christ appeared to His disciples, after which he ascended to God the Father. During this time, and especially in the first week, the most solemn one, people visit each other, exchange Easter cakes, etc.
What do the Easter attributes used in the celebration of Easter mean? Why do we bake Easter cakes, paint eggs, “share Christ” and wait for the Holy Fire? Now we will look at the most basic Easter attributes and try to answer all these questions.
Kulich
It is a symbol of church artos, that is, large bread on which is depicted a crown of thorns and a cross or an image of the Resurrection. Since ancient times, this bread has been considered a symbol of Christ’s victory over death; during meals, the apostles always left an empty space at the table in the middle and placed the bread intended for Christ on it. Even the church Easter ritual is associated with the artos, which is expressed in the fact that the artos is carried in a religious procession around the temple and left on a special table, following the example of the apostles, and at the end of Easter week, on Saturday, after blessing, it is distributed to the believers.
Painted eggs
First of all, it’s worth saying why an egg. According to legend, Mary Magdalene, having arrived in Rome to preach the Gospel, presented an egg as a gift to Emperor Tiberius, since she simply did not have enough money for more. 
During the offering, the preacher told the emperor that Christ had risen from the dead, like a chicken that would hatch from this egg.
Why painted? The fact is that the emperor, in response to such words from Magdalene, asked: “How can a person rise from the dead? It’s the same as if an egg would now turn from white to red.” And then a miracle happened - the egg turned from white to red, symbolizing the shed blood of Christ.
In Russia it is also customary to roll Easter eggs on the ground to make it fertile.
Easter fire
The Easter fire, symbolizing the Light of God, enlightening all nations after Christ's resurrection, plays a large role in the Easter service. There is an Easter tradition according to which on Holy Saturday, on the eve of Easter, a blessed fire appears in the Holy Sepulcher, which is subsequently spread throughout Orthodox churches so that believers can light their candles from it. After the service, many take the lamp with fire with them and try to maintain this fire all year long.
In pre-revolutionary Russia there was, and in the West there is still a tradition of lighting a large bonfire in the temple area. This bonfire is a symbol of Light and Renewal, and is also sometimes understood as a symbol of the burning of Judas. In addition, the Easter fire has another meaning - those who left the temple or did not reach it can warm themselves near it, so it can be understood as the fire near which Peter warmed himself.
Easter greeting (“Christification”)
Starting from Easter night and the next forty days, it is customary for believers to “confess Christ”, greeting each other with the words: “Christ is Risen!” - “Truly he is risen!”, and kiss three times. This Easter tradition comes from apostolic times: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
And finally, I would like to say that Easter is another wonderful occasion to spend the weekend in a special way. If you live near a forest or park, you can make a small feeder, collect crumbs from the holiday cake and go into the forest to feed the birds. This will give your baby an unforgettable experience! If there are children's centers near your home or just street celebrations, it would be a very good idea to take part in this together with your baby. And, of course, if you live in the capital, you must not forget the annual Easter festivities in the center of Moscow - on Red Square, Vasilievsky Spusk, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The main thing on this day is not to sit at home, but to take advantage of the additional opportunity to organize a holiday for yourself and your child!
The moment of centralized shutdown of heat supply in Russia ( heating off) is not tied to any specific date, but depends solely on weather conditions in the current year. Specifically, it depends on the average daily temperature.This rule was introduced because in the vast expanses of Russia, the weather in different areas is significantly different. So, if in April in Moscow the average temperature is +7 degrees Celsius, then in Sochi (in the south) it is +12 degrees, and in the north it has negative values, for example: in Salekhard -9, in Verkhoyansk -12, in Khatanga -17, and in Chokurdakh even -18 degrees Celsius.
According to the law, heating installations must be turned off if the average daily temperature for five or more days is equal to or exceeds +8 degrees Celsius.
In the central regions of Russia, heating is usually turned off at the end of April. In general, throughout the Russian Federation, a cessation of heat supply occurs from the beginning of April to the end of May.
That is, a heating shutdown in Russia occurs:
* from the beginning of April to the end of May.
When will the heating be turned off in Moscow in 2019:
The number of heating shutdowns in the Russian capital is set annually by the Moscow City Government after the average daily temperature is more than eight degrees for five days in a row. In 2019, the estimated date for turning off the heating is end of April 2019.For reference:
* In 2018, heating shutdowns in capital buildings were completed on April 29, 2018.
* In 2017, the heating supply was completed on May 1, but due to a sharp cold snap it was resumed. As a result, the heating season in Moscow extended until May 18, 2017.
* In 2016, heat supply in Moscow was turned off on May 4, 2016.
The date of Palm Sunday varies annually and in 2019 it falls on April 21, 2019.
That is, among Orthodox believers in Russia:
* The date of Palm Sunday in 2019 is April 21, 2019.
In many countries, Palm Sunday is called Palm Sunday because it was the branches of palm trees that were laid on the road during Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. However, since palm trees do not grow in most of Russia, people replaced palm branches with willow branches, on which buds begin to swell just at this time. Accordingly, the name of the holiday also changed.
December 31, 2019 will be a working day or a day off in Russia:
The last day of 2019, December 31, falls on Tuesday.Since there are no official holidays on this date and there are no provisions for transferring days off that coincide with holidays, December 31, 2019 is a working day.
We answer other popular questions related to the last working day of 2019:
* Is December 31, 2019 a public holiday or not? - No, it's typical day(not festive).
* Is December 31, 2019 a pre-holiday? - Yes, in 2019 December 31st - pre-holiday working day, precedes an official non-working holiday.
* December 31, 2019 - reduced working hours or not? - Yes it abbreviated for 1 hour working day.
* What time can you leave work on this day? - Usually, on the last working day of the year, employers send employees home immediately after lunch.
* Is it paid double on 12/31/19? - No, payment calculation for this day is standard.
Sabantuy 2019 - what date will it be (in villages, capitals, cities, all-Russian, rural):
Sabantuy is a national summer holiday of a number of Turkic peoples living in Russia. Literally translated as “festival of the plow” and marks the end of spring field work. At first the festival was held exclusively in rural areas, but later it began to be celebrated in cities as well.Sabantuy does not have a single celebration date, and in different parts of Russia and the world in 2019 it will be celebrated at different times. The fun festivals will begin in early June (after the end of the Muslim fast of Ramadan 2019) and end in July.
Below we provide information on what date Sabantuy 2019 will be held: for the Republic of Tatarstan and the Republic of Bashkortostan (regions of the Russian Federation where the holiday has traditionally been celebrated since ancient times), for the capital of Russia, Moscow, for the second capital - St. Petersburg, for All-Russian, rural and all-European Sabantuy (which change annually not only the dates, but also the venues), as well as for some other points of the globe.
What date will Sabantuy be held in 2019 (the list is being supplemented and updated):
* In BashkortostanCelebration dates for each locality in the region (including the capital, Ufa) are approved annually by Decree of the Head of the Republic of Belarus approximately in mid-May. Bashkir Sabantuy will take placefrom the second half of May 2019 to mid-July 2019(the numbers are different for each locality). The Decree will be published on the legal information portal of the Republic of Belarus.
* June 8-9, 2019- in the Novosibirsk region will be held 19th Federal Sabantuy. The central site of the festival will be Mikhailovskaya Embankment in Novosibirsk.
* June 8, 2019 and June 9, 2019 - in cities, regional centers and villages of the Republic of Tatarstan, including: in Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk, Zelenodolsk, Bugulma, Elabuga, Leninogorsk, Chistopol, Zainsk, Nurlatakh, Aznakaeve, Bavlakh(with the exception of Kazan, Nab. Chelny and Nizhnekamsk, where the celebrations will take place later). The dates were approved by Decree of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan No. UP-178 dated March 21, 2019.
* June 15, 2019 - In Ekaterinburg. For the city, this event is an anniversary, the thirtieth in a row. The site of Sabantuy in the Capital of the Urals will be the cultural park named after V.V. Mayakovsky.
* June 16, 2019 - Pan-European Sabantuy, will be held in the city of Tallinn (Republic of Estonia). Venue: Tammsaare Park in the center of the capital of Estonia.
* June 16, 2019 - in the cities of Naberezhnye Chelny and Nizhnekamsk(Republic of Tatarstan).
* June 29, 2019- anniversary, 10th All-Russian rural Sabantuy. It will take place in the village of Kamyshla, Samara region.
* June 29, 2019 - in St. Petersburg. P It is traditionally carried out in the village of Enkolovo, Vsevolozhsk district, Leningrad region.
* July 6, 2019- Sabantuy in Moscow. M The Oskov celebration invariably attracts a huge number of visitors, about 150 thousand people. The venue of the festival in the capital of Russia is Kolomenskoye Park.
As for what time episode 1 of season 8 (episode 68) of “Game of Thrones” will be released for residents in Russia - due to the time difference, it will be already Monday April 15, 2019, 5:00 am (Moscow time).
The broadcast will be available first on online service "Amediateka", simultaneously with the world premiere, after signing up for a paid subscription (but in good quality). The premiere episode of the final season will be available for viewing at 5:00 Moscow time (on the night of April 14-15, 2019).
On television screens, episode 1 of season 8 will be shown by the following cable channel (included in some packages of the largest operators in Russia):
* Channel "FOX" - April 15, 2019 at 22:00 Moscow time., and also April 16, 2019 at 01:20.
