Post by sparklekaz on Apr 24, 2012 15:14:51 GMT
Lent, Easter and Christmas are the main religious festivals of the Christian Year. Most people in Britain celebrate Christmas and Easter. School children have two weeks off school during Christmas and Easter.
The Christian Year
The Christian year is divided up with events which remind us of the life of Jesus. It begins with the season of Advent, at the very end of November, which is a period of preparation for the coming of Christ, and then moves through the story of his life to the important focus of Holy Week and Easter. After celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, the story focuses on the founding of the Church itself, with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, before settling down for a period of teaching and consolidation of the faith during the weeks of Trinity.
Some festivals, like Christmas Day, happen on the same date every year, while others move around within a range of dates. Why are some of the Christian festivals not on the same date each year? The reason is because the Christian Calendar grew out of two other Calendars, the Jewish and the Roman.
In their distant past, the Jews were a nomadic ( wandering) people. As they often traveled at night, the moon was of great importance to them, and they based their calendar on its phases. The first great Christian festivals sprang from Jewish ones.
The Christian Church grew and expanded under the Roman Empire which followed a calendar controlled by the sun. When the church began to introduce festivals of its very own, not based on the Jews, they fixed them on dates already in the Roman Calendar. The Christian Calendar is thus a dual one, with 'fixed' feats based on the Roman 'solar' calendar, and 'movable' ones based on the Jewish 'lunar' calendar.
Advent - Christmas: Advent is a term from the Latin word 'adventus' which means "arrival". Advent is the new year of the Christian Church and the church season that leads to Christmas Day.
Advent is the time when Christians remember that Jesus came into the world in Palestine 2000 years ago and that Jesus also promised one day to return in all His glory.
Clergy typically wear royal purple or royal blue vestments during Advent. Many churches also include an advent wreath (sometimes called an Advent ring or crown) in their Advent services.
Advent begins on the Sunday nearest to 30th November (St. Andrew's Day) and lasts until midnight on Christmas Eve. Advent Sunday is the first of the four Sundays before the 25th December.
In the 5th Century, Advent began on 11 November (St Martin's Day) and took the form of a six week fast leading to Christmas. During the 6th century, Advent was reduced to its current length and later the fasting was dropped.
Christmas:Every year in December we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. That is why we call this time of year 'Christmas' - we celebrate the 'Mass', or church service, for Christ.
The word Christmas (or Christ's Mass) comes from the Old English name 'Cristes Maesse' - Christ's Mass - and is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The first recorded observance occurred in Rome in AD360, but it wasn't until AD440 that the Christian Church fixed a celebration date of 25 December. Many of our Christmas customs began long before Jesus was born. They came from earlier festivals which had nothing to do with the Christian church.
Long time ago people had mid-winter festivals when the days were shortest and the sunlight weakest. They believed that their ceremonies would give the sun back its power. The Romans, for example, held the festival of Saturnalia around 25 December. They decorated their homes with evergreens to remind them of Saturn, their harvest god, to return the following spring.
Shrove Tuesday: Shrove Tuesday, is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes.
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the commencement of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Sunday (Easter Day). Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March.
The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.
Lent:The forty days, not counting Sundays before Easter, is known as Lent. The weeks of Lent, were once the time when new Christians who were to be baptized on Easter Eve, were taught about the Christian faith and life. Those who had already been baptized thought again, about the promises they had once made, and promised to remain true to them.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the day after Shrove Tuesday. The last week of Lent begins with Palm Sunday, which celebrates the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and the people lay palms at his feet. Lent lasts for forty days and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
The reason why Lent lasts for forty days, is because it marks the forty years the Israelites were going through the desert, and the forty days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert.
Easter: Easter is the season in which Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the most important festival in the Christian year. Jesus' resurrection is at the centre of the Christian faith. Jesus died for the sins of humanity and by coming back to life promises eternal life for all those who believe in him.
Easter is the story of Jesus' last days in Jerusalem before the death of Jesus. Good Friday - It is called Good Friday because The name may be derived from 'God's Friday' in the same way that good-bye is derived from 'God be with ye'. It is 'good' because the barrier of sin was broken.
What happened on Good Friday?
Jesus was arrested and was tried, in a mock trial. He was handed over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten and flogged with whips. A crown of long, sharp thorns was thrust upon his head.
Jesus was forced to carry his own cross outside the city to Skull Hill. He was so weak after the beating that a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was pulled from the crowd and forced to carry Jesus' cross the rest of the way.
Jesus was nailed to the cross. Two other criminals were crucified with him, their crosses were on either side of him. A sign above Jesus read "The King of the Jews."
Christians believe that Jesus stood in our place. His death paid the penalty not for his own wrong doings but for ours.
Easter Sunday:It was on Easter Sunday that Jesus rose from death. Jesus had told his disciples before he was arrested that he would be crucified and on the third day he would rise from the dead. Sunday was the third day from Good Friday (Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Day). The second day after Good Friday.
Christians gather together on Easter Sunday for a Sunrise Service. This service takes place on a hill side so everyone can see the sun rise. Some Christians take part in an Easter vigil, lighting a new fire outside the church early on Sunday morning.
The Paschal candle, decorated with studs to celebrate Christ's wounds, may be lit from the fire and carried into the church where it is used to light the candles of the worshipers. The Easter Eucharist is a particularly joyful service. It is a popular time for baptisms and renewal of baptism vows.
The Christian Year
The Christian year is divided up with events which remind us of the life of Jesus. It begins with the season of Advent, at the very end of November, which is a period of preparation for the coming of Christ, and then moves through the story of his life to the important focus of Holy Week and Easter. After celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, the story focuses on the founding of the Church itself, with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, before settling down for a period of teaching and consolidation of the faith during the weeks of Trinity.
Some festivals, like Christmas Day, happen on the same date every year, while others move around within a range of dates. Why are some of the Christian festivals not on the same date each year? The reason is because the Christian Calendar grew out of two other Calendars, the Jewish and the Roman.
In their distant past, the Jews were a nomadic ( wandering) people. As they often traveled at night, the moon was of great importance to them, and they based their calendar on its phases. The first great Christian festivals sprang from Jewish ones.
The Christian Church grew and expanded under the Roman Empire which followed a calendar controlled by the sun. When the church began to introduce festivals of its very own, not based on the Jews, they fixed them on dates already in the Roman Calendar. The Christian Calendar is thus a dual one, with 'fixed' feats based on the Roman 'solar' calendar, and 'movable' ones based on the Jewish 'lunar' calendar.
Advent - Christmas: Advent is a term from the Latin word 'adventus' which means "arrival". Advent is the new year of the Christian Church and the church season that leads to Christmas Day.
Advent is the time when Christians remember that Jesus came into the world in Palestine 2000 years ago and that Jesus also promised one day to return in all His glory.
Clergy typically wear royal purple or royal blue vestments during Advent. Many churches also include an advent wreath (sometimes called an Advent ring or crown) in their Advent services.
Advent begins on the Sunday nearest to 30th November (St. Andrew's Day) and lasts until midnight on Christmas Eve. Advent Sunday is the first of the four Sundays before the 25th December.
In the 5th Century, Advent began on 11 November (St Martin's Day) and took the form of a six week fast leading to Christmas. During the 6th century, Advent was reduced to its current length and later the fasting was dropped.
Christmas:Every year in December we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. That is why we call this time of year 'Christmas' - we celebrate the 'Mass', or church service, for Christ.
The word Christmas (or Christ's Mass) comes from the Old English name 'Cristes Maesse' - Christ's Mass - and is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The first recorded observance occurred in Rome in AD360, but it wasn't until AD440 that the Christian Church fixed a celebration date of 25 December. Many of our Christmas customs began long before Jesus was born. They came from earlier festivals which had nothing to do with the Christian church.
Long time ago people had mid-winter festivals when the days were shortest and the sunlight weakest. They believed that their ceremonies would give the sun back its power. The Romans, for example, held the festival of Saturnalia around 25 December. They decorated their homes with evergreens to remind them of Saturn, their harvest god, to return the following spring.
Shrove Tuesday: Shrove Tuesday, is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes.
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the commencement of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Sunday (Easter Day). Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March.
The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.
Lent:The forty days, not counting Sundays before Easter, is known as Lent. The weeks of Lent, were once the time when new Christians who were to be baptized on Easter Eve, were taught about the Christian faith and life. Those who had already been baptized thought again, about the promises they had once made, and promised to remain true to them.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the day after Shrove Tuesday. The last week of Lent begins with Palm Sunday, which celebrates the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and the people lay palms at his feet. Lent lasts for forty days and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
The reason why Lent lasts for forty days, is because it marks the forty years the Israelites were going through the desert, and the forty days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert.
Easter: Easter is the season in which Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the most important festival in the Christian year. Jesus' resurrection is at the centre of the Christian faith. Jesus died for the sins of humanity and by coming back to life promises eternal life for all those who believe in him.
Easter is the story of Jesus' last days in Jerusalem before the death of Jesus. Good Friday - It is called Good Friday because The name may be derived from 'God's Friday' in the same way that good-bye is derived from 'God be with ye'. It is 'good' because the barrier of sin was broken.
What happened on Good Friday?
Jesus was arrested and was tried, in a mock trial. He was handed over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten and flogged with whips. A crown of long, sharp thorns was thrust upon his head.
Jesus was forced to carry his own cross outside the city to Skull Hill. He was so weak after the beating that a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was pulled from the crowd and forced to carry Jesus' cross the rest of the way.
Jesus was nailed to the cross. Two other criminals were crucified with him, their crosses were on either side of him. A sign above Jesus read "The King of the Jews."
Christians believe that Jesus stood in our place. His death paid the penalty not for his own wrong doings but for ours.
Easter Sunday:It was on Easter Sunday that Jesus rose from death. Jesus had told his disciples before he was arrested that he would be crucified and on the third day he would rise from the dead. Sunday was the third day from Good Friday (Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Day). The second day after Good Friday.
Christians gather together on Easter Sunday for a Sunrise Service. This service takes place on a hill side so everyone can see the sun rise. Some Christians take part in an Easter vigil, lighting a new fire outside the church early on Sunday morning.
The Paschal candle, decorated with studs to celebrate Christ's wounds, may be lit from the fire and carried into the church where it is used to light the candles of the worshipers. The Easter Eucharist is a particularly joyful service. It is a popular time for baptisms and renewal of baptism vows.
