History of Easter

Easter is the oldest and most important holiday in the Christian world, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. In our country, which is home to many religions and cultures, our Christian friends celebrate this holiday with various events. As the Tarifi Kolay family, we wanted to write about the history of this holiday and also extend our wishes to our Christian friends on Easter.


According to Christian belief, Easter is the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It is celebrated every year on the first Sunday after the full moon, between late March and late April. The word "Paskalya" (Easter in Turkish) entered the Turkish language from the Greek word "Pashalia." Its roots trace back to the Hebrew word "Pesah," which passed into Latin and Greek from Hebrew and means "to pass over without touching." In some Western languages, the word "Easter" is used instead. The origin of this word comes from "Eostur" (April) in the Germanic calendar, which in turn takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon pagan goddess Eastre.

There are differences in the date of Easter between Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter 12 days after Catholics.

Both during the Ottoman period and the Republican era, it was a tradition — especially in Istanbul — for Christian families to bring Easter eggs and the famous Easter bread to their Muslim neighbors during Easter and other religious holidays. That famous bread, which has been widely made in Ottoman-Turkish cuisine from those times to the present day, is the Easter Bread (Paskalya Çöreği).


Easter Traditions

Beyond church services, traditions vary by country. However, the most well-known ones are as follows:

* People give each other chocolate Easter bunnies or Easter eggs as gifts.

* Easter encompasses a 5-week preparation period of fasting (Great Lent) followed by the final week (Holy Week), ending on Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday).


* Candles are lit and prayers are said at home on that day.

* In Catholic churches, a new fire is blessed especially for that night. The Easter candle is lit, passages from the Bible are read, and baptism ceremonies are held.

* In Orthodox churches, a procession is held outside the church before the evening service. As the procession leaves the church, no lights are lit. Upon returning, hundreds of candles are lit all at once to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We extend our warmest wishes to all of our Christian friends on Easter…