Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter's Date


Ever wonder why Easter is a different date each year? This is what I discovered...Easter shall fall on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the spring equinox decreed in 325 AD by the Council of Nicea. (The spring equinox is one of the two times in the year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and the length of day and night are approximately equal.) Source

According to Bruce R. McConkie in his book Mormon Doctrine... Easter is the church festival celebrated by Christians in commemoration of the resurrection of our Lord. The name Easter comes from the Norse goddess Eastre whose festival was observed at the vernal equinox. Obviously, Easter as now celebrated has come into being as a compromise between pagan and Christian views, and does not pretend to be the anniversary of the actual resurrection of Christ.

As so many of our holy days Christmas and Easter are just times to remember the Savior-His life and sacrifice for us who believe in His holy name, how the Easter bunny and Santa Claus got involved is another story for another time...lol!

5 comments:

  1. but all that dating also applies to the Passover, right? Has to be.

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  2. The movable feast. I love when it's later and becomes a genuine spring holiday.

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  3. Well, I learned something today. Thanks for sharing, as I love to learn.

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