Easter

Definition and Meaning

Easter is the feast commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Protestants often call it Resurrection Sunday. The Christian practice of observing Sunday as the Lord's Day also derives from the Gospel accounts that Jesus rose on "the first day of the week." For this reason, Easter is regarded as a "great Lord's Day" that comes around once each year. In the liturgical year (the calendar that arranges the church's feasts and seasons over the course of a year), it is the climax reached through Lent and Holy Week. The fifty days from Easter to Pentecost are called the Easter season, or Eastertide.

Biblical and Historical Background

The accounts of Jesus' resurrection are found in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul presents the resurrection as the heart of the faith. Because Jesus' death and resurrection took place around the time of the Jewish Passover, the early church linked its commemoration of the resurrection to Passover. In the second century, a controversy arose over whether to keep the date set by the Jewish calendar or to observe the feast on a Sunday.

After the Council of Nicaea in 325, the observance of Easter on a Sunday is reported to have become established. Today the Western church celebrates Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Accordingly, Easter falls each year between March 22 and April 25. The Eastern Orthodox Church calculates the date according to the Julian calendar, so in many years its Easter falls on a different date.

Practice in Korean Churches

Easter is a symbolic day in the history of Korean Protestantism, because Horace Underwood and Henry Appenzeller arrived at Chemulpo on Easter Sunday (April 5) in 1885.

The following observances are widely practiced in Korean churches:

• Easter sunrise services held early in the morning
• Easter cantatas performed by the choir
• Baptism services and Holy Communion
• The sharing of eggs as a symbol of life

A tradition of joint Easter services held across denominational lines has also been maintained. The first is reported to have been held in 1947 on Namsan in Seoul. Since then, there has been debate year after year over which ecumenical organization should host the joint service.

The manner of observing Easter varies by denomination:

• Presbyterians, Baptists, and others have traditionally placed relatively less emphasis on the liturgical year. Nevertheless, most of them celebrate Easter with great festivity.
• Methodists tend to observe the Easter season in accordance with the liturgical year.
• Churches that emphasize liturgy (a prescribed order of worship and rites), such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, sometimes hold an Easter Vigil on Saturday night. During the Easter season, these churches use liturgical colors such as white.