EASTER AND HOLY WEEK - READING

Fuentes:  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday

                    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Holy-Week

1.- Definition

Easter, principal festival of the Christian church, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century, though the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection probably occurred earlier.

The English word Easter, which parallels the German word "Ostern", is of uncertain origin. There is now widespread consensus that the word derives from the Christian designation of Easter week as in "albis", a Latin phrase that was understood as the plural of alba (“dawn”) and became "eostarum" in Old High German, the precursor of the modern German and English term. The Latin and Greek "Pascha" (“Passover”) provides the root for "Pâques", the French word for Easter.

2.- The Date Of Easter

In Asia Minor, Christians observed the day of the Crucifixion on the same day that Jews celebrated the Passover offering—that is, on the 14th day of the first full moon of spring. The Resurrection, then, was observed two days later, regardless of the day of the week.

In the West the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week, Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead.

Increasingly, the churches opted for the Sunday celebration. The Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

3.- The Holy Week

Holy Week, in the Christian church, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, observed with special solemnity as a time of devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ. In the Greek and Roman liturgical books, it is called the Great Week because great deeds were done by God during this week. The name Holy Week was used in the 4th century by St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, and St. Epiphanius of Constantia. Originally, only Good Friday and Holy Saturday were observed as holy days. Later, Wednesday was added as the day on which Judas plotted to betray Jesus, and by the beginning of the 3rd century the other days of the week had been added.

By the later 4th century the practice had begun of separating the various events and commemorating them on the days of the week on which they occurred: Judas’s betrayal and the institution of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday; the Passion and death of Christ on Good Friday; his burial on Saturday; and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

4.- Easter Customs And Traditions

The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the appellation used for Jesus in Scripture (“behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world,” John 1:29) and the lamb’s role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel. In antiquity Christians placed lamb meat under the altar, had it blessed, and then ate it on Easter.

The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The egg itself became a symbol of the Resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the tomb, the egg symbolizes new life emerging from the eggshell.

The custom of associating a rabbit or bunny with Easter arose in Protestant areas in Europe in the 17th century but did not become common until the 19th century. The Easter rabbit is said to lay the eggs as well as decorate and hide them.

5.- Vocabulary

- Earliest = Primer

- Widespread = Extendido, general

- Provide = Proveer

- Passover = Pascua judía

- Regardless of = Sin tener en cuenta, sea cual sea

- Increasingly = Cada vez más

- Decree = Decretar

- Equinox = Equinoccio

- Palm Sunday = Domingo de Ramos

- Deed = Acción, hazaña

- Bishop = Obispo

- Plot = Conspirar

- Betray = Traicionar

- Betrayal = Traición

- Burial = Entierro

- Custom = Costumbre

- Lamb = Cordero

- Behold = Mirar, ver

- Sin = Pecado

- Ancient = Antiguo

- Antiquity = Antigüedad

- Rose = Rise = Levantar(se), alzar(se)

- Eggshell = Cáscara de huevo

- Arose = Arise = Surgir

- Lay = Poner

- Hide = Esconder