Christian Religious Festivals
The central festival of Christianity is Easter, on which Christians celebrate their belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Even for Easter, however, there is no agreement among the various Christian traditions regarding the date or manner of the observance, less for Christmas, Pentecost, or various other holidays. In the Christian faith both Protestants and Catholics observe certain festivals commemorating events in the life of Christ. Of these, the two most important are Christmas, which is the Feast of Christ's nativity, and Easter, which marks the anniversary of Christ's resurrection. Easter was also an important Holiday to the ancient Pagans of Europe in celebration of the Vernal Equinox that marked the changing of the season from Winter to Spring. Originally Pagan, Ostara became Easter after the Christianization of Europe.
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Famous quotes containing the words christian, religious and/or festivals:
“Washington’s birthday is as close to a secular Christmas as any Christian country dare come this side of blasphemy.”
—Alistair Cooke (b. 1908)
“Good religious men, with the love of men in their hearts, and the means to pay their toll in their pockets.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Why wont they let a year die without bringing in a new one on the instant, cant they use birth control on time? I want an interregnum. The stupid years patter on with unrelenting feet, never stopping—rising to little monotonous peaks in our imaginations at festivals like New Year’s and Easter and Christmas—But, goodness, why need they do it?”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)