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Easter is one of the most well known festivals celebrated by the Christians. According to the Christianity, Easter is the day when Jesus Christ was resurrected from dead after three days of his crucifixion. The Easter is mainly celebrated two days after the Good Friday and therefore always happens to fall on a Sunday. This is one of the reasons that it is also known as Easter Sunday. A grand religious feast takes palace on Easter Sunday. The Sunday service in the Churches on the day of Easter is done very elaborately and is attended by a huge crowd everywhere.
The Easter marks an entire season comprising of various traditions and religious practices and constitutes a Church season known as Eastertide or Easter Season starting with the Easter Sunday. At earlier times, the Easter season used to continue for 40 days, that is till Ascension, the day when, Jesus, the Savior formally departed from earth on the 40th day after his resurrection.. At present the Easter Season officially continues for 50 days till the Pentacost, the day commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and all his followers. Pentacost always comes ten days after Ascension and is celebrated on the 50th day of the resurrection with an extensive feast.
There is no specified date for the Easter Sunday in the civil Calendar. It can fall on any date in between late March and Late April which is generally calculated according to the lunar cycle. For a long time there had been much confusion about the proper date of the Easter Sunday but later on an agreement of all the church took place on the matter that the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon should be taken as an Easter Sunday. The Paschal Full Moon is the first full moon after the vernal or the spring Equinox. Therefore Easter Sunday always happens to be after March 21.
Easter happens to be a very auspicious event to every Christians and is celebrated with observance of several traditions. A period of 40 days, known as the Lent continues before Easter marking the preparation of Easter. It comprise of the observance of fasting and several spiritual practices, disciplines and moderations. The session begins with Ash Wednesday. Mardi gras, a celebration or carnival also takes place during this 40 days period. The celebrations and the traditions guarding Easter may vary from place to place but the principal basis always remain the same. Some of the traditions practiced in celebration of Easter Sunday, are the Easter egg, the Easter bunny, the exchange of gifts or making Easter baskets are the elements that make the festivities far more colorful.
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