Holiday Almanac: Easter celebrates resurrection

Christians celebrate today as Easter, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter, the greatest holiday of the Christian year, ratifies for believers the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God.

Resurrection window at St. Justin the Martyr Church, Key Largo, Florida. (Photo by James D. Davis)

The event is retold in all four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The disciples were huddled in a room in Jerusalem, grieving over the death of their leader on a cross. Their hopes for a new world were sealed with Jesus’ body in a rocky tomb.

Three days after his death, women came to embalm the corpse, but found it missing. They were confused at the message of a young man: “He is not here; he has risen, as he said.”

On hearing the news, two disciples, John and Peter, raced to the tomb and found it open and empty. Thereafter, Jesus began appearing to various groups of his followers, announcing: “Because I live, you will live also.”

Sunrise services are common Easter Sunday celebrations, especially in public parks and beaches. The events are often sponsored by two or more churches, or even by whole ministerial associations.

But Easter still lies ahead for the world’s quarter-billion Eastern Orthodox Christians, who reckon the day by the ancient Julian calendar instead of the contemporary Gregorian calendar. Easter for the Orthodox will fall on April 24 this year.

— James D. Davis

Holiday Almanac: Why it’s Good Friday

Crucifixion mural at St. John the Apostle Church, Hialeah, Florida. (Photo by James D. Davis)

Christians today mourn the death of Jesus Christ as Good Friday. Despite his agonizing death on a cross, the holiday is called “Good” because Christians believe the death was a sacrifice for all humanity’s sins. “The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” the New Testament calls him.

Catholic observances often include the Stations of the Cross, a series of meditations based on the 14 traditional events between Jesus’ condemnation in a Roman court and his burial. The Stations typically are represented with plaques or bas-reliefs, although some sites use stained-glass windows or even full-size statues.

Catholics also hold a Veneration of the Cross ceremony, during which churchgoers approach the altar to show respect before a cross, often with a bow and a kiss.

Sometimes observed by ecumenical Protestants is Tre Ore, a three-hour service examining each of the “Seven Last Words” Jesus uttered from the cross. The service is useful for having seven or more ministers take part.

Another type of service is Tenebrae, in which a church is slowly darkened to illustrate Jesus’ death, then relighted to show his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

— JAMES D. DAVIS

Holiday Almanac: Why it’s called Passover

Passover window at Chabad of Weston, Florida. (Photo by James D. Davis)

Passover, called the oldest festival of freedom, starts at sundown today for the world’s Jews. The eight-day holiday dates back some 34 centuries, recounting the deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

As the story is told in the biblical book of Exodus, the pharaoh rejected the prophet Moses’ demand to release the people, bringing a wave of 10 supernatural plagues on the land. The Nile River turned to blood, disease struck humans and livestock, vermin multiplied, the sky rained hail mixed with fire, and darkness struck the land for three days.

The last plague was the Angel of Death, who struck down the firstborn of every Egyptian household in one night. The Israelites escaped death by dashing lambs’ blood on their doorposts — a sign of faith that made the angel “pass over” those homes.

In modern Jewish homes, Passover starts with a ceremonial meal called a Seder on the first two nights, with foods symbolizing the Exodus story. They include a lamb shank, for the sacrificial animal; a piece of bitter herbs such as horseradish, for the bitterness of slavery; a bowl of saltwater, for the tears of oppression; and a mix of apples, cinnamon and wine, for the mortar used in the Egyptian bricks.

Also on the Seder plate are a roasted egg and leafy vegetables, for the springtime occasion of Passover; and the hard, unleavened bread called matzoh, for the Israelites’ haste in evacuating Egypt.

— James D. Davis