Easter Day celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is the most important and oldest festival of Christians. Easter Day is also known as Easter Sunday or the Resurrection Day. Being the central feast in the Christian liturgical year, Easter is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy by Christians of throughout the world. Since on this very day Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into the heaven, Easter marks the transition from death to life and night to day, and prominently known and recognized as the festival of rejuvenation of living and life. Moreover, Easter symbolizes the beginning of new optimistic and promising things, and joys of the spring season.

Easter Day or Easter Sunday is a movable festival, and is not celebrated on the same date every year. Easter Day celebration varies in between March 22 and April 25. Western Churches following the Gregorian calendar, celebrate Easter Sunday on observance of full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. While the Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar to calculate the Easter date, celebrate this festival generally after one week or two.

復(fù)活節(jié)是現(xiàn)今基督教徒的重要節(jié)日之一，定在每年春分月圓之后第一個(gè)星期日。基督徒認(rèn)為，復(fù)活節(jié)象征重生與希望，乃紀(jì)念耶穌基督于公元33年被釘死后第三天復(fù)活的事跡。不過(guò)在現(xiàn)今，許多與復(fù)活節(jié)相關(guān)的民間風(fēng)俗，都不是起源于基督教的。

History Of Easter Day 復(fù)活節(jié)歷史

According to the history, Easter Day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion and death. Easter Day is followed by the Eastertide, a fifty-day long period comprising of Mardi Gras and Lent. Lent is a forty-day period of fasting, prayers, reflection, and penance, and ends with the Easter Sunday. The last week of Lent is the Holy Week, and contains the Good Friday. Lent represents the 40-days Jesus spent in the wilderness wandering, surviving various evil and beguiling temptations by the devil. Good Friday commemorates the day of crucifixion and death of Jesus. The Holy Saturday represents the transition period between the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Mardi Gras is the last feast of food and fun before the start of Lent, and Maundy Thursday marks the last supper of Jesus with his disciples.

復(fù)活節(jié)來(lái)源于“浩然遇難節(jié)”一詞在英語(yǔ)和德語(yǔ)原指古代宗教的“春節(jié)”，即慶祝春回大地的節(jié)日。該節(jié)日源于古巴比倫的愛(ài)情、生育與戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)女神伊絲塔（Ishtar，美索不達(dá)米亞女神），后來(lái)伊絲塔成了西歐的黎明和春天女神“依絲翠”（Eastre）。證據(jù)之一是兩個(gè)名字有相似的讀音；另一證據(jù)是“Eastre”的涵義為東方（East），因?yàn)樘?yáng)是從東方升起的。希斯錄著的《兩個(gè)巴比倫》說(shuō)“Easter”（即復(fù)活節(jié)的英文）是個(gè)名字，源自迦勒底，跟基督教沒(méi)有關(guān)系。[1]其實(shí)就是“阿斯塔特”（Ashtart），即天后“貝爾斯特”的頭銜之一。考古學(xué)家萊亞德在亞述找到的碑銘上發(fā)現(xiàn)，“貝爾特斯”就是古巴比倫女神伊絲塔。

根據(jù)《牛津詞典》和其他一些文章，（比如Francis X. Weiser的“Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs”），英文Easter這個(gè)字與猶太人的逾越節(jié)這個(gè)字有關(guān)，這不僅因?yàn)橐d就是逾越節(jié)的羔羊，而且在時(shí)間上耶穌基督的復(fù)活和逾越節(jié)也吻合。在很多歐洲的語(yǔ)言里，不僅逾越節(jié)的宴席曾稱為Easter，而且早期英文圣經(jīng)譯本中用Easter來(lái)翻譯逾越節(jié)。

Easter Celebrations Around The World 全球復(fù)活節(jié)慶典

Christians of all around the world make comprehensive and elaborate preparations to celebrate Easter Sunday with great fervor, optimism, and joy. Though Easter customs slightly vary across the Christian world, decorating beautiful Easter eggs and gift-giving have been the common motifs everywhere.

There are a number of symbols inherently associated with Easter celebrations such as decorated eggs, chicks, white lilies, rabbits, sunrise service, and new outfits. Easter eggs are believed to represent the bright beginning of optimism and life, while the rabbits (a symbol of fertility) and chicks are considered to represent rebirth of the earth. Also, the white Lily, sometimes also known as the Easter lily, is said to be the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

However, the concept about Easter Gifts has changed more or less over the years, in all around the world. In the past years, Easter gifts generally used to be candies and chocolates in the form of Easter eggs, bells, fish, and bunnies. But today, most of the people want and prefer to give and take gifts which can be of some use, and therefore, Easter baskets, Easter fresh fruit cakes, and easy Easter crafts have become very popular, for Easter celebrations all around the world.

在西方，與復(fù)活節(jié)相關(guān)的物品有復(fù)活節(jié)兔和復(fù)活節(jié)彩蛋。傳說(shuō)復(fù)活節(jié)彩蛋都是兔子的蛋（但事實(shí)上，兔子其實(shí)是不下蛋的，所以復(fù)活節(jié)彩蛋其實(shí)都是雞蛋），有些人喜歡在蛋上畫(huà)各種各樣的鬼臉或花紋。而這些民間風(fēng)俗都不是起源于基督教的。

《天主教百科全書(shū)》指出“復(fù)活節(jié)吸納了許多慶祝春回大地的異教習(xí)俗?！钡跋笳鞒醮阂磺谢謴?fù)生機(jī)，兔子象征多產(chǎn)和生命力。如今依然流行的復(fù)活節(jié)慶?；顒?dòng)，充分證明了復(fù)活節(jié)含有濃厚的巴比倫色彩。今天人們?cè)谝d受難日吃十字包和在復(fù)活節(jié)吃彩蛋，這些宗教習(xí)俗可見(jiàn)于迦勒底的宗教儀式中。

Easter 2012 Dates 2012年復(fù)活節(jié)

As Easter is a moveable festival, it does not occur on the same date every year; however, it does fall on any Sunday every year. In the year 2012, Easter Day falls on 8th April, for all people following Gregorian calendar.

The occurrence of Easter on any certain date in any year depends on the sight of the Paschal Full Moon, falling on or after the vernal equinox (on March 21) in the specified year. Easter Day is celebrated on the Sunday coming after this paschal moon, according to the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325). The observance of paschal full moon (used for deciding a universal date for Easter in any year) is inherently affected by different time zones all across the world, and the consequent variations in the lunar month, and by the very occurrence of the vernal (spring) equinox.

Again, Easter Day is celebrated on different dates by Western Christians and Eastern Orthodox Christians. Western Christians following the Gregorian calendar celebrate Easter Sunday following the paschal full moon falling on or after the vernal equinox (March 21). While the Eastern Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar, celebrate Easter Day generally after one week or two. Currently, the date March 21 of the Julian calendar corresponds to the date of 3rd April of the Gregorian calendar. This very fact causes difference in the Easter celebration dates, in the Eastern and Western Christian worlds.

復(fù)活節(jié)（主復(fù)活日）是一個(gè)西方的重要節(jié)日，在每年春分月圓之后第一個(gè)星期日。復(fù)活節(jié)象征著重生與希望，為紀(jì)念耶穌基督于公元30到33年之間被釘死在十字架之后第三天復(fù)活的日子。2012年的復(fù)活節(jié)為4月8日。