HOW IS CALCULATED THE DATE OF EASTER?
We all know that Easter is a holiday with a non-permanent date for celebration. The day does not change, but the date changes. It may be in April and May. The time distance from which Easter can fall is determined and it moves from April 4 to May 8, at the earliest: three days before the Blagovec, and at the latest: two days after St.George’s Day. Which means that Easter can fall to 35 different dates.
Easter is a Holiday over the holidays. With Easter are connected the most holidays in the year. Most concrete and indivisible associated with Easter are holidays 50 days before and 50 days after it for him. Always, fifty days before Easter is “Procka” and fifty days after Easter is Duhovden. And “Spasovden” is always 40 days after Easter, “Cvetnici” is the Sunday before Easter, and in Saturday is “Lazareva Saturday”.
Easter is the first holiday of Christians. But in the first centuries, there was no harmony and uniformity in celebration. Not all celebrated Easter at the same time. This was for three centuries.
Christians in the East Asia has celebrated Easter at the same time and on the same date, but others not. Easter has always celebrated the 14th day of the first month of spring, no matter what day of the week has fall that date. That was also the celebration of Easter with “Judejskata Pasha”
Christians in Europe, saying it was improper to celebrate our biggest holiday of Easter, with the biggest holiday of the Jews – Pasha. So, they decided to celebrate Easter Sunday always day after the first full moon of spring. This meant that Easter would always be in Sunday.
WHY IN SUNDAY?
Because on that day Christ resurrected. He Resurrected on Sunday and should be celebrated on Sunday.
On the First Ecumenical Council in 325, the decision was made: Easter should be celebrated everywhere on first Sunday after the Paschal full moon. Assembly determined: Day – Sunday; period – spring; daytime, sun sign – spring equinox ; night, moon sign – a full moon, the first full moon in spring, after the vernal equinox; comparative holiday – “Pasha-Judeyska” always on Sunday.
This rule of the Council is still valid today. There was unity in all Christianity – unity for the Feast over the holidays. But not for long. In fact, immediately there were differences in the question of time of the day. Western Christians – The Roman Church said that the resurrection of Christ was announced at midnight and Easter begins at the beginning of the day Sunday. The Christians of the East, started one hour after midnight, and some before dawn – at 4:00 in the European time. This diversity continued for three and a half centuries. The council decided: The Easter fasting stops at midnight on the Great Saturday and Easter begins at midnight, as soon as it enters Sunday. Since then, the simultaneity of the celebration has occurred. The Christian world had the same holiday, at the same time and hour.
WHY AT MIDNIGHT, NOT IN THE DAY?
St. Fathers wanted to be the holiday if it’s possible, closest to the time of Christ’s resurrection. But we don’t know the exact time and hour when Christ resurrection.
For the moment of Christ’s resurrection is not written, but for the arrival of the angel of God, who met women at the empty tomb, said: “It was a great earthquake: for an angel of the God descended from heaven … and the guards were afraid of him, trembled and were like dead. The event happened before, maybe at midnight, but certainly before midnight.
WHY HE RAISEN AT THE START ON THE THIRD DAY?
Resurrection at the beginning of the signified time means strength and power – that there was nothing to wait, but it was God’s power and might rise again; and, if that happened at the end of the day, would have meant weakness – as if waiting to gather strength as barely risen.
That’s because the term is taken immediately after midnight, when is strating Sunday. So then publishes resurrection and loudly said: – Christ is risen!
This means publishing of a great truth – he announces to the whole world that our God is not dead, that is alive and is in the grave, and he resurrection again. It is saying of all and for all over the world. That means once, massively and publicly professing the faith of the whole world that Christ is risen! It corresponds: – Truly Risen!
EASTER TABLES
Easter tables for calculating the date of Easter is called the Paschal tables. This calculation is not simple and has a long history. The first calculations made St. Theophilus of Alexandria in 385, and he provided the first Passover table for 40 years. It was reshaped from St. Cyril of Alexandria and he gived to all Christian world, nearly two centuries. In 526 AD, the Roman monk Dionysius Small made the final Easter tables. It is true till today, and forever.
It is formed Easter circle, Paschal circle or Pashalija that never ends and is called Big indiction. This Pashalija includes eternal cycle of 532 years. When completes this circle, it repeates in the same order.