Easter is the center of the church year and the most important celebration

Easter will be presented and described in the parish magazine this year based on short questions and answers.

What is the meaning of Easter?

Easter is the most important holiday of Christianity, which is celebrated for many days. At Easter, Christians celebrate Jesus who conquered death. Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.

What happened at Easter?

Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. The women who came to Jesus’ tomb noticed that the tomb was empty. Jesus atoned for people’s sins with his death, defeated death and ascended to heaven. This is how salvation came to all Christians.

What does Good Friday mean?

Good Friday is a Christian holiday, during which we remember and mourn the death of Jesus. On Good Friday 2,000 years ago, religious and political leaders arrested Jesus because he was said to be the son of God and king of the Jews. Word Good means here also God and holy.

What is celebrated on Maundy Thursday?

Maundy Thursday is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the Eucharist: that’s when Jesus instituted the Eucharist, ate a memorial meal with his disciples and washed their feet. The day has also been an important day of repentance and forgiveness of sins. On Maundy Thursday, a mass is always celebrated in the Lutheran church, and then in Finland we attend communion. Maundy Thursday is the third most popular church-going day for Finns. At the end of the Maundy Thursday service, the altar is stripped of liturgical objects and clothes.

Why is Easter celebrated?

Easter is the oldest and most important church holiday of the year, which is celebrated every spring in honor of Jesus’ resurrection. Before Easter there is a quiet week that begins on Palm Sunday: the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The silent week ends with Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Why are there two days of Easter?

On the second day of Easter, in the tradition of the Christian church, the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to the disciples and certain women is remembered. The revelations convinced the disciples and women that Jesus had risen from the dead. On the second day of Easter, the story of the road to Emmaus, known from the Bible, took place.

Why do we eat lamb at Easter?

During Easter, many traditional dishes are prepared and enjoyed. For example, lamb has been eaten in Europe as Easter food since the 6th century. Lamb was also chosen as Easter food because it reminds of Jesus’ last meal. The parable of the Lamb of God has also influenced the birth of the tradition.

How are chicks, chocolate and eggs connected to Easter?

The Easter egg is a metaphor for resurrection. It reminds of the tomb of Jesus, which looks dead on the outside, but inside which is the beginning of a new life. As a chick breaks out of an eggshell, Christ broke out of the grave. Chocolate eggs also have the same meaning. The tradition of Easter eggs has spread to Western Europe with Christianity. The tradition also has older roots. The egg symbolizes fertility, rebirth and new life. That’s why it also serves as a metaphor for Jesus’ rising from the dead.