Description
The most important and greatest Christian holiday – the day of eternal joy, the Resurrection of Christ, is celebrated in memory of the day when Christ, the Son of God, defeated death.
Easter is a moving holiday, it is always celebrated on a Sunday, and the date is calculated based on the date of the full moon that preceded Christ´s Resurrection in 30 BC and can fall between 4 April and 8 May according to the Gregorian calendar, or between 22 March and 25 April according to the old Julian calendar. The decision to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ was made at the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325. The Orthodox Church celebrates Easter according to the Julian calendar.
Easter is preceded by a seven-week fast, and the last week before Easter is called the Great Week. Many folk customs are associated with this week, the most famous of which is the painting of eggs, which are painted on Great Friday. The first egg is painted red, and in many parts of our country this egg is called the “housekeeper” and is kept all year round, to guard the home until the next Easter. Painting and decorating eggs, which are actually a symbol of resurrection, is a custom that children certainly love the most. The Day of Christ’s Resurrection is marked by solemn liturgy in churches, and believers greet each other with the words: “Christ is risen!”, “Truly, He is risen!”
Children especially enjoy the most joyful Christian holiday, because the celebration of Easter is also a day of children’s joy, fun and games. In the past, children would get up early on Easter morning, wash themselves with water in which eggs had been soaked overnight and rub their cheeks with the “housekeeper” so that, according to belief, they would be healthy and rosy. Children spend Easter playing, looking for Easter eggs, gifts, chocolates and sweets hidden around the yard and house and giving each other coloured Easter eggs. Joyful Easter customs and cheerful children’s games are accompanied by appropriate songs, of which the most famous today is the one sung to the verses of Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović – “Christ is risen, and brings the joy!”.
Artistic realization of the issue: MA Nadežda Skočajić, Academic Graphic Artist
