Easter 2023: Date, History, Significance of the Christian festival

The religious holiday of Easter will fall on Sunday, April 9 this year. It is celebrated around the globe with fervour and marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter concludes the 'Passion of Christ'. The Easter story is mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible. It narrates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The resurrection of Jesus is seen as a symbol of hope and new beginnings for Christians.

Easter 2023: Significance of the festival

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, timed to be exactly 3 days after he was crucified. It marks the end of the Passion of Christ. Passion of Christ refers to a series of religious events, often holidays as well, which begins with Lent, which is a 40-day period of prayer and fasting, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding at sundown on Holy Thursday. The observation of Lent is a devoted commemoration of the 40-day-long fast Jesus Christ observed in the desert while keeping temptations from Satan at bay. 

Easter 2023: History of festival as per The New Testament

The significance of Easter finds its foundation in the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is also the crux of Christianity. As per the New Testament, he was held captive for proclaiming he was the 'Son of God'. This continues to be the religious context though historians provide an alternative view that states that Jesus Christ was seen as a threat to the Roman empire. Jesus Christ's crucifixion is marked as Good Friday.

Perspectives from The Old Testament

Easter and the Jewish holiday of Passover, identified in the Old Testament which describes The Last Supper as a Passover feast. The New Testament however, describes The Last Supper as a foretelling of his death for the greater good, with the bread signifying his body and the wine signifying his blood. The timeline for Jesus Christ's arrest and execution coincides with the period of Passover.

Easter falls on a different date each year and is a movable feast. As per Western Christianity, the religious day falls between March 22 and April 25. As per Eastern Christianity, Orthodox Easter falls between April 4 and May 8.