Eastertide

Definition and Meaning

Eastertide is a season of about fifty days extending from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. In the church year, whereas Lent is a season of self-denial and repentance, Eastertide is understood as a season of rejoicing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Churches that follow the church year number the Sundays of this period in sequence, such as the "Second Sunday of Easter" and the "Third Sunday of Easter," and use white (or gold), signifying joy and glory, as the liturgical color of the season.

Biblical and Historical Background

Acts 1:3 records that Jesus appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days after his resurrection. This was followed by the Ascension and then by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Pentecost corresponds to the Old Testament Feast of Weeks, and Eastertide, following this sequence, unites the resurrection, the Ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit in a single season.

The early church is said to have kept the fifty days from Easter as a single festal period, during which believers did not fast and prayed standing. The principles for determining the date of Easter are understood to have been settled around the time of the Council of Nicaea in the fourth century. The Thursday that falls on the fortieth day after Easter is observed as Ascension Day.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korea, the extent to which Eastertide is observed varies by denomination.

• The Anglican Church of Korea, which follows a liturgy ordered by the church year, observes the whole of Eastertide as a single season and uses white for vestments and altar decorations during this period.
• In denominations whose service books introduce the church year, such as the Korean Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), some congregations follow the liturgical color and the lectionary (a table of Scripture readings appointed according to the church year) during Eastertide. Where the lectionary is used, readings from Acts often replace Old Testament readings during this season.
• Churches that place relatively less emphasis on the church year as a whole often center their observance on Easter Day and Pentecost, without treating the intervening period as a distinct season.

Across denominations, united interdenominational Easter services are held at Easter, and many churches administer baptism on Easter Sunday.