Is it permissible to celebrate Orthodox Easter during Pesach? “If anyone is a bishop or a presbyter or a deacon, the holy day of Pascha before the spring equinox will be celebrated with the Jews, let him be deposed from the sacred order”

Holy Resurrection of Christ (Easter)

16 April 2017

Christ is Risen!

Truly Risen!

Oh, how miraculous these words are! When we say or hear them, fires of holy joy light up in our hearts. about the Lord Jesus Christ Risen. And wherever they are uttered, wherever these words are heard, wherever they are heard, everywhere they cause trembling in every heart and from them the flame of faith flares up brighter and brighter in the soul of every glorifier. Risen Lord.

"Christ is Risen!"- we speak with a sense of spiritual delight; I want to pronounce them endlessly, listening in response to the other two holy words: "Truly Risen!"

"Christ is Risen!"- and for the whole universe, a true spring began, a bright, joyful morning of a new life. Resurrection of the Lord Jesus- the first real victory of life over death.

The event of the Resurrection of Christ- the greatest Christian holiday. It is holidays Feast and Celebration of Celebrations, a sign of victory over sin and death and the beginning of the existence of the world, redeemed and sanctified Lord Jesus Christ. This holiday is also called, that is, the Day on which our transition from death to life and from earth to Heaven took place.

Here's how it was:

After the Sabbath, at night, on the third day after His suffering and death, Lord Jesus Christ by the power of His Divinity came to life, that is, rose from the dead. His human body was transformed. He emerged from the tomb without breaking the stone, without breaking the Sanhedrin seal, and invisible to the guards. From that moment on, the soldiers, without knowing it, guarded the empty coffin.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake; descended from heaven Angel of the Lord. He stepped forward and rolled the stone away from the door. sepulcher and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. The warriors who stood guard at the tomb trembled and became like the dead, and then, waking up from fear, fled.

On this day(the first day of the week), as soon as the Sabbath rest ended, very early, at dawn, Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacobleva, John, Salome and other women, taking the fragrant myrrh prepared, went to the tomb of Jesus Christ to anoint His body, as they did not have time to do this at the burial. (The Church calls these women myrrh-bearers). They did not yet know that guards were assigned to the tomb of Christ and the entrance to the cave was sealed. Therefore, they did not expect to meet anyone there and said among themselves: “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” The stone was very large.

Mary Magdalene, ahead of the rest of the myrrh-bearing women, the first came to the tomb. It was not yet dawn, it was dark. Mary, seeing that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, immediately ran to Peter and John and said: “They took the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they laid Him.” Hearing these words, Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb. Mary Magdalene followed them.

At this time, the rest of the women, walking with Mary Magdalene, approached the tomb. They saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. And when they stopped, they suddenly saw a luminous Angel sitting on a stone. The angel, addressing them, said: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus crucified. He is not here; He is risen, as He said while still with you. Come see the place where lay Lord. And then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead.”

They went inside the tomb (cave) and did not find the body Lord Jesus Christ. But looking up, they saw an angel dressed in white, sitting to the right of the place where Lord; they were terrified.

The angel says to them: “Do not be terrified; You are looking for Jesus, the crucified Nazarene. He has risen. He is not here. Here's the place where He was laid. But go tell His disciples and Peter (who by his renunciation fell away from the number of disciples) that He will meet you in Galilee, where you will see Him, as He told you.”

When the women stood in perplexity, suddenly two angels in shining clothes appeared before them again. The women bowed their faces to the ground in fear.

The angels said to them: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here: He is risen; remember how He told you when he was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful people, and be crucified, and rise again on the third day.

Easter service begins at midnight from Saturday to Sunday; all of it is filled with spiritual joy and exultation. All of it is a solemn hymn to the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the reconciliation of God and man, the victory of life over death.

Which precedes, every year takes place on different days of the month and the time of its celebration "passes" according to its date, but always falls on a Sunday. All holidays associated with the calendar Easter(and this is Easter, and ) also change their date and are called transitional or mobile. Other twelfth holidays(, , etc.) have a constant date and are called non-passing or motionless.

date may fall within the period from to Art. style. (In the XX-XXI centuries, this corresponds to the period from to the n. style). If it coincides with a holiday (, then the date of the full moon will be in March;
If the value Full moon(Y)>= 32 , then subtract 31 days, and you get the date in April.

Gauss formula for calculating Easter: - remainder of division;

a = [(19 ·[ Y /19 ] + 15 ) / 30 ] (For example, = 12, A= [(19 12 + 15)/30]= 3, Full moon(2007 )= 21 March+3 = March 24)

b = [(2 ·[ Y /4 ] + 4 ·[ Y /7 ] + 6 · a + 6 ) / 7 ] (For example,= 3,=5, so for 2007 b=1)

If (a + b) > 10 then Easter will be (a+b−9) April Art. style, otherwise (22 + a + b) March Art. style. We get 22 + 3 + 1 \u003d March 26 (O.S.) or March 26 + 13 = April 8 (N.S.)

The most common questions about the celebration of the main Christian holiday from AiF readers are answered by Sergiy Kubyshkin, cleric of the Holy Trinity Izmailovsky Cathedral, priest.

Why is the holiday called Easter and considered the main Christian celebration?

The word "Easter" originates from the name of the Old Testament holiday in honor of the "exodus" of the Jews from Egypt and liberation from Egyptian slavery. But in Christianity, Easter takes on a different meaning - it is the day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the day of the victory of light over darkness, life over death. The Hebrew meaning of "exodus" or "transition" for Christians is understood as the transition from death to life, from earth to heaven. Man gains hope for eternal life and victory over death.

If Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ on Earth, then the Resurrection of Christ is the realization of the meaning of the coming of God to people. This is the victory of Christ over the darkness and hopelessness of death, which he gives to all believers. It is no coincidence that therefore Easter is called the "Feast of Holidays" and "The Triumph of Celebrations." And we greet each other in Easter days exclamation: “Christ is risen! Truly Risen!"

Easter service in the Kazan Cathedral. Photo: Provided by the press service of the St. Petersburg diocese / Yuri Kostygov

Why is the egg a symbol of Easter?

According to legend, after the resurrection of Christ, Mary Magdalene came to the emperor Tiberius to tell him about it. Since it was not customary to come to the court of the emperor empty-handed, the woman brought Tiberius the only thing she had with her - a simple chicken egg, with the words: “Christ is Risen!” The emperor did not believe it and, angry, exclaimed: “The dead will not become alive, just as this egg does not turn red!” At that moment, to the amazement of everyone present, the egg suddenly turned red in his hands.

Since then, for Christians, the red egg has become a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ, hence the tradition to paint eggs for Easter every year and give to each other, thus affirming faith in the Miracle.

For Christians, the red egg has become a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ. Photo: pixabay.com

Is it possible to congratulate people of other faiths on Easter?

Congratulate people of other faiths with Orthodox holidays not worth it in order to avoid an awkward situation and not offend a person. Moreover, it is simply illogical from the point of view of religious beliefs. But you yourself can accept with gratitude my sincere congratulations from a person of a different faith. And when the time comes, it's your turn to congratulate him on his important day.

In Russia, for centuries it has been customary to treat with great respect and understanding the traditions and faith of other people. By the way, it is quite possible to congratulate a representative of another Christian denomination - a Catholic or a Lutheran - on Easter if, as this year, the dates of the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ by different Christian denominations coincide - this is April 16th.

The dates of the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ by different Christian denominations coincide - this is April 16th. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

Is it true that on Easter you have to go to the cemetery?

All week following the first Paschal day, memorial services are not served in the churches, the funeral of the newly deceased at this time takes place according to a special order, which includes many festive Easter hymns. The Resurrection of Christ marks the victory over death and is a type of the general resurrection.

A visit to the cemetery takes place on the 9th day after Easter - on Radonitsa (from the word joy - because the Easter holiday continues). This year it's April 25th. On this day, for the first time after Easter, a memorial service is performed in the temple, and believers visit the cemetery to pray for the departed so that Easter joy passed on to them.

Easter cakes and eggs are consecrated in churches as a special offering of believers, evidence of gratitude to the Lord for daily bread. Photo: pixabay.com

Is it necessary to consecrate Easter cakes?

Easter - big celebration, the day of greatest joy for all Christians, so there is no place for coercion in the customs associated with it. No one forces anyone to consecrate Easter cakes, this is nothing more than a pious tradition. Easter cakes and eggs are consecrated in churches as a special offering of believers, evidence of gratitude to the Lord for daily bread.

Unlike revolutionary holidays such as March 8 (the birthday of Clara Zetkin), Easter is calculated every year as follows: it is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon.

The spring full moon is the full moon after the spring equinox. In 2017, it will be April 16th. However, the final date of Easter in Orthodoxy is determined in accordance with the 7th Apostolic Canon:

« If anyone is a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, the holy day of Pascha, before the spring equinox, will be celebrated with the Jews, let him be expelled from the sacred order.

There is a similar rule in the decree of the Council of Nicaea (the First Ecumenical Council of 325 in the city of Nicaea),

and also there is the 1st canon of the Antioch Local Council.

According to these documents, if the first Sunday after the spring full moon falls on the day when the Jews celebrate Pesach, Easter is postponed by a week. It has always been so.

However, in 2017, such a transfer was not made, and therefore on April 16, Easter will be for Catholics, Jews will have Pesach, and Orthodox Easter should be on the 23rd of April according to the rules.

Nevertheless, as noted above, the main church hierarchs ordered to celebrate April 16,

than violated the fundamental tenets of the Christian Church.

In the first half of the last century in the Chelyabinsk region, many believers were familiar with Evdokia Chudinovskaya, popularly called Blessed Dunyushka and possessing an outstanding prophetic gift, confirmed by contemporaries many times.

Unlike numerous modern “elders”, whose prophecies are molded at best somewhere on Lubyanka Square and which never come true, Evdokia Chudinovskaya is a real person, they have been writing about her only on the Internet since 1996 at least, all texts are available. Once she was asked: when will the Apocalypse come? Her verbatim answer:

At the end of the world there will be two Easters.

Right and wrong.

The priesthood will correct the wrong one and the war will begin.

However, church grandmothers told about two Easters at the End of the World back in the 70s. They also said that the world at that time would be covered with cobwebs. Then they pointed to the power lines and prayed, because they saw that same web in the power line. But now we know that it was a little different about the web.

One of the most important holidays Christianity that defines this religion as such is Easter. Which, by the way, is already close - April 8th. That's just not for everyone. After all, Catholic and Orthodox Easter do not always coincide in time. And if last year they both fell on April 16, then this year there is a week difference between them. Catholics will celebrate on April 1, and Orthodox on April 8.

Why is Catholic and Orthodox Easter celebrated in different days

There were a lot of interesting things in the history of Christianity - the split of the church into Catholic and Orthodox, numerous European innovations, the birth of Protestantism, religious wars and many other interesting events, but Easter was still celebrated on the same day, and in almost the same way. .

However, around the 16th century, a calendar reform took place. The Orthodox continued to celebrate dates according to the old style, and the Catholics - according to the new one. More in line with climatic features, but lagging behind by 14 days, according to modern standards. Although initially the difference was only 8 days, but due to leap years and the fact that the calendar still only approximately corresponds to astronomical time, 7 more have come up to the present moment.

And all the calculations had to be changed, simply because now calendar Sunday fell on completely different days. This explains the difference in the celebration of Easter. But more than 5 weeks there can be no difference for purely technical reasons. But in 2019, Orthodox Easter will be a week ahead of the Catholic one.

Story

The events preceding the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead were timed to coincide with the ancient Jewish holiday Passover, which commemorates the departure of the Jews from Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses. And the festive dinner in honor of Pesach - this is the very Last Supper at which it all began.

Therefore, when the traditions of Christianity were already formed, it was officially decided to celebrate Easter on Sunday, but strictly after Passover. Which was attached not to the lunar, but to the solar calendar and always came at the same time - the 14th day of the spring month of Nisan. And then another holiday was superimposed there, only already pagan - the day of the Spring Equinox. And they began to tie them to it, and not to the Jewish holiday, from which they generally tried to disown as much as possible.

In total, it was established that Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the Spring Equinox. It was already in 325, at the First Ecumenical Council, where the main organizational issues were decided and the most serious differences in the interpretation of the actions and lives of Jesus and the apostles were revealed.

Since the Easter holiday is already close, this question worries many. Everyone wants to know how to correctly mark what should be cooked on , what can and cannot be done on this bright holiday.

Easter holiday on April 16, 2017 will be celebrated in every family. Of course, everyone celebrates Easter differently. For some, the main thing is to go to a festive service in the temple, others arrange rich feasts with family and friends. In this situation, it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer - what is right and what is not.

What is impossible and
There is a belief that on Easter can't work. In principle, the church does not impose a strict ban on work on this day. In addition, many are forced to work on this day due to circumstances beyond their control. For example, there are those who work in shifts and they have to go to work anyway. Therefore, such work on Easter April 16 will not be considered a sin.

People also say that do not do household chores, clean the house, wash, wash, sew. And on this occasion, the church does not give strict prohibitions. However, the ministers of the temples still advise, if possible, not to engage in these matters on the Easter holiday. It is better to do all the housework in advance, before the holiday. And if you didn’t have time, then postpone it and complete it after Easter. After all Easter April 16, 2017 is, therefore, it is better to rest on this day, communicate with relatives, with God.

Another well-known belief is that On Easter you don't have to go to the cemetery. There are two opinions on this matter. It is believed that Easter on April 16, 2017 is a bright and joyful holiday, there should not be room for sadness and sorrow in it. On this day, you should enjoy life. But from another point of view, Easter is considered "day of the dead", because it was on this day that Jesus Christ descended into hell, announcing the dead about their freedom and salvation. That's why there is no definite answer whether or not to visit the cemetery on Easter.

However, the church draws attention to the fact that there is a special day for going to the cemetery and commemorating the deceased relatives - Radonitsa. This is the ninth day after Easter.

What not to do on Easter April 16, 2017.
It is strictly forbidden to swear on this day. You can't be sad and discouraged. Easter is a day of joy.

What can you do for Easter April 16, 2017.
On this day, it is supposed to have fun, rejoice. Easter cakes are eaten Easter eggs, at the meeting you need "be christened" and share Easter treats.

Leftover food from the Easter table cannot be thrown away. Feed them to animals or birds.

What can you do for Easter April 16, 2017.
Definitely you can and should visit the church, cover Easter table, congratulate each other and forgive past grievances. Spend this day with a light heart and good thoughts.