{"id":235092,"date":"2025-04-11T09:29:34","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T09:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/pasqua\/"},"modified":"2025-04-12T17:30:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T17:30:05","slug":"easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/easter\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter between spirituality and popular customs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Easter between spirituality and popular customs<\/span><\/h1>\n

The Christian celebration that embraces the mystery of salvation and renews humanity’s hope<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Birth,Crucifixion,and<\/a>
Birth, Crucifixion,and Resurrection of Christ Image by Follower of Hans Memling, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Christian holiday of Easter has origins dating back more than 2,000 years, but some of the symbols of modern traditions derive from ancient pagan beliefs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Easter is the most important religious holiday for Christians<\/strong>, as it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a fundamental and central event in the Christian faith. Although every Christian denomination celebrates the resurrection, the ways in which it is celebrated can vary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also known as \u2018Resurrection Sunday<\/em><\/strong>\u2019, Easter is the main solemnity of Christianity. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which occurred – according to the Gospels – on the third day after his crucifixion on Mount Calvary, around 30 AD. This event is at the heart of the Christian faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

Easter marks the culmination of the Passion of Christ, which is preceded by forty days of Lent, a period of prayer, penance and fasting. The week leading up to Easter is known as Holy Week,<\/strong> during which crucial liturgical moments such as Maundy Thursday<\/strong> (commemorating the Last Supper and the washing of the feet) and Good Friday<\/strong> (commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus) are celebrated. The Easter cycle continues for fifty days, until Pentecost, which symbolises the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n

A movable feast with deep theological significance<\/span><\/h2>\n

The date of Easter changes every year: it falls on the Sunday following the first full moon of spring, as established by the Council of Nicaea in 325. This is based on a lunisolar calendar, similar to the Jewish calendar, and is also the basis for other liturgical feasts such as Lent and Pentecost.<\/span><\/p>\n

From a theological perspective, Easter is the heart of the Christian mystery: Christ’s death and resurrection are not just a historical event, but represent the ultimate victory over sin and death, with the promise of new life for humanity. Jesus is the \u2018Passover Lamb\u2019, who sacrifices himself for the salvation of mankind, fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament. This passage is clearly emphasised by St Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2018\u2018Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures.\u2019.<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Jewish roots and new Christian interpretation<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Christian Passover was born in continuity with the Jewish Passover (Pesach)<\/strong>, but differs profoundly from it in meaning: while Jews commemorate the liberation from slavery in Egypt, Christians celebrate the liberation from sin through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Early Christians reinterpreted the feast in a messianic key, seeing in Jesus the fulfilment of prophecies and the beginning of a \u2018new creation<\/strong>\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gospels’ account<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Christian Easter Resurrection is the central event in the narrative of the Gospels and the other New Testament texts: on the third day after his death on the cross, Jesus rises, leaving the tomb empty and initially appearing to some of the disciples, and then showing himself also to the apostles and other disciples.<\/span><\/p>\n

All the evangelists recount the episode of the empty tomb:<\/span><\/p>\n