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== Date of Resurrection Sunday ==

== Date of Resurrection Sunday ==

In 325, the [[Nicaean Council]] declared that the Resurrection Sunday holiday would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the [[full moon]] of the vernal equinox.

In 325, the Council of [[Nicaea]] declared that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the [[full moon]] of the vernal equinox.

Resurrection Sunday doesn't fall on a fixed date in the calendar. Instead, it is based on a lunar calendar like that used by the Jews. At the [[Nicaean Council]] in 325 AD it was decided that Resurrection Sunday would be celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox. The date of the [[full moon]] was to be determined by using the [[Metonic Cycle]]. Eastern Orthodox Churches still use the Julian calendar when determining the date of Resurrection Sunday and thus have a different date for the celebration.

Resurrection Sunday doesn't fall on a fixed date in the calendar. Instead, it is based on a lunar calendar like that used by the Jews. At the [[Nicaean Council]] in 325 AD it was decided that Resurrection Sunday would be celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox. The date of the [[full moon]] was to be determined by using the [[Metonic Cycle]]. Eastern Orthodox Churches still use the Julian calendar when determining the date of Resurrection Sunday and thus have a different date for the celebration.

The days before Resurrection Sunday also are special in the Christian tradition: the Sunday before is [[Palm Sunday]], and the last three days before Resurrection Sunday are [[Holy Thursday]], [[Good Friday]] and [[Silent Saturday]]. These days commemorate Jesus' entry into [[Jerusalem]], the [[Last Supper]] and the [[Crucifixion]].

The days before Resurrection Sunday also are special in the Christian tradition: the Sunday before is [[Palm Sunday]], and the last three days before Resurrection Sunday are [[Holy Thursday]], [[Good Friday]] and [[Silent Saturday]]. These days commemorate Jesus' entry into [[Jerusalem]], the [[Last Supper]] and the [[Crucifixion]].

== Origin of the name 'Easter' ==

== Origin of the name "Easter" ==

The term "Easter" is likely derived from ''Eastre'' or ''Isthar'', who was the pagan goddess of fertility for whom the Festival of Ishtar was celebrated each spring.  [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5695/#easter Others suggest] that the word comes from the anglo-saxon word for "passover". In biblical times the Jewish [[Passover]], which commemorates the sparing of the [[Hebrew]] firstborns, was celebrated at roughly the same time as the [[vernal equinox]] or this “Eastre” festival. The theory of pagan origin surmises that while the Gospel was being spread to the pagans, the celebration of Eastre and the celebration of the resurrection became combined and the Christians adopted the name that the pagans had used for their festival.

The term "Easter" is likely derived from ''Eastre'' or ''Isthar'', who was the pagan goddess of fertility for whom the Festival of Ishtar was celebrated each spring.  [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5695/#easter Others suggest] that the word comes from the anglo-saxon word for "passover". In biblical times the Jewish [[Passover]], which commemorates the sparing of the [[Hebrew]] firstborns, was celebrated at roughly the same time as the [[vernal equinox]] or this “Eastre” festival. The theory of pagan origin surmises that while the Gospel was being spread to the pagans, the celebration of Eastre and the celebration of the resurrection became combined and the Christians adopted the name that the pagans had used for their festival.

==The Name Resurrection Sunday==

==The name "Resurrection Sunday"==

This name is used in [[Mexico]]: "Domingo de Resurrección," which translates as Resurrection Sunday. It is also used in the [[United States]], in response to the possibly pagan origins of the name "Easter."<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html</ref>

 

This name is used in [[Mexico]]: "Domingo de Resurrección," which translates as Resurrection Sunday. In the [[United States]], most Christian churches continue to prefer the word ''Easter,'' although ''Resurrection Sunday'' has gained favor in some Protestant churches in recent years, most often as a response to the possibly pagan origins of the name "Easter."<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html</ref>

== Feast of Mercy  ==

== Feast of Mercy  ==

According to Christ’s wish, the Feast of Mercy is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. ''The mercy of Christ to and for us—and our demonstration of that mercy to those within and outside the Body of Christ is the key to the future of the Church, to mission and stewardship, to living our Christian lives together in love and forgiveness, to moving boldly and confidently into the future with courage in the Gospel.'' Matthew Harrison. <ref> [http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?part_no=124313 Christ Have Mercy: How to Put Your Faith in Action.]</ref>

Some Christians celebrate the Feast of Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter. ''The mercy of Christ to and for us—and our demonstration of that mercy to those within and outside the Body of Christ is the key to the future of the Church, to mission and stewardship, to living our Christian lives together in love and forgiveness, to moving boldly and confidently into the future with courage in the Gospel.'' Matthew Harrison. <ref> [http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?part_no=124313 Christ Have Mercy: How to Put Your Faith in Action.]</ref>

== Pentecost ==

== Pentecost ==