following the spring equinox (March 2I). So Easter became a "movable" feast which can occur as early as
March 22 or as late as April 25.
Christian churches in the East which were closer to the birthplace of the new religion
and in which old traditions were strong, observe Easter according to
the date of the Passover festival.
Easter is at the end of the Lenten season, which covers a forty-six-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and
ends with Easter. The Lenten season itself comprises forty days, as the six Sundays in Lent are not actually a part
of Lent. Sundays are considered a commemoration of Easter Sunday and have always been excluded from the
Lenten fast. The Lenten season is a period of penitence in preparation for the highest festival of the church year, Easter.
Holy Week, the last week of Lent, begins its with the observance of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday takes its name
from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet. Holy Thursday commemorates
the Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion. Friday in Holy Week is the anniversary of
the Crufixion, the day that Christ was crucified and died on the cross.
Holy week and the Lenten season end with Easter Sunday,
the day of resurrection of Jesus Christ.
