The folklore-rich celebration of Christmas usually overshadows the fact that Easter, not Christmas, is the main holiday of the Roman Catholic Church. The bright holiday of Easter is always a day of joy and celebration. Nothing should interfere with this joy. And the pre-Easter confession best prepares a person for this great holiday, frees him from the burden of sin.
The Eve of Easter, celebrated on Saturday evening, begins the celebration of the bright Resurrection of Christ. It recalls that Passover night when the Israelites were rescued from Egyptian captivity, and the great night when the Savior of the world was resurrected. All the rituals of Easter Eve are performed at night: it is strictly forbidden to perform them before nightfall, and must be completed before sunrise on Sunday.
Since the early centuries, Christians have gathered for the night vigil on Great Saturday. And if in the first centuries the divine service lasted all night long until the very early morning, then in the 5th century it already happened that the believers returned home around midnight.
The Easter Eve begins with the liturgy of Light and the blessing of fire. The ancient Roman Paschal Liturgy did not know such an order. He only later entered the Roman liturgy from the pagan spring rites of the Celtic North (Gaul, Ireland).
All the lights are extinguished in the church. On the street at the entrance to the temple, the priest blesses the coals, from which a large candle will be lit - Easter, symbolizing the Risen Christ. The priest draws a cross on Easter, the Greek letters "alpha" and "omega", and also writes the year of the celebration of this Easter, saying: “Christ yesterday and today, Beginning and End, Alpha and Omega. He owns times and ages, His glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen". Then, thrusting grains of incense into the Passover, he says: “With His saints and glorious wounds, Christ protects and preserves us. Amen". After that, Easter is lit from the consecrated coals.
Entering the church with the procession, the priest three times proclaims: "The Light of Christ!" Those gathered in the church answer: "Thanks be to God." The faithful light their candles for Easter, the light flashes in the temple, and the deacon begins the majestic ancient hymn "Exultet" ("May the heavenly angelic host rejoice now").
It is customary to perform a baptismal ceremony on Easter night. In the first centuries of Christianity, the sacrament of baptism was generally performed only once a year - on Easter night. After Easter Eve, a solemn procession begins - a procession of the cross, the so-called "resurection" (from the Latin "resurectio" - resurrection), but in some countries it is postponed to early Sunday morning before the first mass. During this procession with the Holy Gifts, the faithful walk around the church three times, glorifying the Bright Resurrection of Christ.
Each country has its own traditions of celebrating Easter. In most European countries, this holiday is held with the family, the house is decorated with flowers and Easter attributes, and the children are given sweets and gifts. In the morning, returning home, they break their fast first of all with eggs. Meat dishes are also prepared - pork, lamb, as well as butter bread. One of the main Easter attributes is the Easter lamb on a bed of grass.
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On Easter Sunday, children and youth go around the house with songs and congratulations. In the Middle Ages, on this day, on the streets and squares of cities, it was customary to stage theatrical performances depicting the triumph of Christ over the devil during his descent into hell.
Easter in Germany is about gifts, making wishes, outdoor games. The protagonist of German Easter celebrations is the Easter Bunny. It is he, according to legend, who brings colored eggs to the homes of the inhabitants of Germany. For the first time, the scythe was "noticed" for such an occupation in 1682.
The Easter Bunny also fulfills any wishes. Every year on the eve of Easter, thousands of children write him letters asking for gifts. And some even go to the bird market to get their own little wizard. Especially for such a shelter for homeless animals in Berlin organized an action - "I am an Easter bunny, take me out of here." True, for this, rabbits had to be renamed into hares.
On the Saturday evening before Easter, children arrange nests for the Easter bunny. Wheat is sown in special boxes in advance, a week or ten days in advance. If it happens that someone missed the moment when you need to plant wheat, you have to be content with what comes to hand - for example, a hat turned outward or a beautiful deep plate. But the hat and the plate also need to be decorated somehow, at least just with colored paper - after all, they will become a nest for an Easter bunny!
Everyone puts the "nest" by their bed. Going to bed, many cherish the idea of finally seeing this mysterious wizard: "Today I definitely will not fall asleep and will definitely wait for the Easter bunny!" But the dream takes its toll, and waking up the next morning, the baby is happy and surprised to find colorful Easter eggs in the "nest"! Of course, it was not a hare who tried it, but loving parents.
The Easter Bunny also leaves colored eggs for guests that every German family is glad to see on this day. Relatives and friends exchange painted eggs, girls give them to their lovers. Games with eggs are traditionally held. The simplest and most famous one is to beat with Easter eggs: if you break a neighbor's egg, you take it for yourself, or he is yours. There are mischievous people who go out to "fight" armed with a wooden egg.
From the book: "100 Great Holidays" Elena Olegovna Chekulaeva