The Many Days of Easter

Most of us think of Easter as one day – a day when we eat lots of candy, visit relatives, and maybe even have an Easter egg hunt.  But, just like the Lenten Season lasts for 40+ days, the Church wants us to celebrate the Easter Season for 50 days!  

The Church reminds us that the whole Easter Season is like one glorious Sunday, during which we celebrate the thrill of knowing that Jesus’ resurrection has made it possible for us to share his life forever.  We celebrate the resurrection not by eating chocolate eggs every day, but by remembering that Christ died on the cross for us and rose again.  We must live our lives with that fact in the forefront of our minds.

The Resurrection teaches us that our death, like Jesus’ death, will not be the end.  Instead, it will be the step into a new life that will go on forever.  That’s the Easter message, and it’s such good news for all of us that it deserves a lifetime of celebration.

Let’s think about some of the days of Easter.

The first day of the Easter Season is, of course, Easter Sunday.  For us Christians, Easter is the high point of the Church’s calendar.  The date fluctuates from year to year:  last year Easter was celebrated on April 20th, and next year it falls almost a whole month earlier on March 27th.  Have you ever wondered why this most important feast moves from year to year?

Easter is always celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the first day of Spring or the “Vernal Equinox” on March 21st.  What does the cycle of the Moon have to do with Easter?  Our celebration of Easter is based on the celebration of the Passover, which is when Jesus was crucified.   Our Jewish fore-bearers kept track of time on a Lunar calendar:  Passover begins the day of the first full moon after the first day of Spring.  So, planning the Holy Day based on the cycle of the moon is part of who we are in our Judeo-Christian heritage.

The first eight days following Easter are called the “Octave of Easter.”  The octave begins with Easter Sunday and concludes with the end of the Second Sunday of Easter.  These eight days are all considered “solemnities” – the highest of feast days.

The fortieth day of the Easter Season celebrates Jesus’ ascension.  He told the crowds and His disciples that He would return to the one who sent Him, and so He does.  But Jesus also tells His followers that even though He is leaving them, He will not leave them alone.  He promises to send the Holy Spirit, which He does on the 50th and last day of Easter - Pentecost.

There are many days of Easter and the Church is here to celebrate them all.  We invite you to take an active part in celebrating this Easter Season.  Just as we take time to solemnly reflect on the Passion of Christ during Lent, we are called to celebrate Christ’s resurrection throughout the Easter Season by keeping it in the forefront of our minds and attending Mass every week.