Lord may your resurrection,enrich us with your grace.Christ has risen from the dead,let us sing a hymn to the Lord our God,Alleluia,Alleluia.Easter or Paschal celebration is a very important and great feast in the life of every christains,though nowadays non christains also celebrate it.Easter marks our salvation and what makes christainity still in existence,because i wonder what would have become of christianity,if Christ did not die and rose on the third day as the scripture and christ himself foretold,and that is why every christian allover the world embrace this great feast with happiness and celebration.
This feast is greeted with gladness and thanksgiving.Christ resurrection foreshadows ours and we are celebrating our own victory over suffering and death,as well as his.Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season.Easter Season lasts for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. Easter also marks the end of Lent.
Easter is a moveable feast, because it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. Easter falls at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon.
Though ash wednesday,which is the beginning of lent and also preparation towards easter celebration,Roman Catholics,also get's into serious preparation towards easter, from Palm Sunday to holy saturday,which are termed "HOLY WEEK",then in the evening or in some country's night of holy saturday,there is a vigil,in this vigil 5 readings were read,two from old testament,and two from the new testament then the gospel.there is this interesting thing that day which is the singing of the "GLORY BE TO GOD ON HIGHEST",in Latin "GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO",then "OTITO DIRI CHINEKE N'ELU KACHA ELU" in my native language IGBO(one of the three main languages in Nigeria).As the priest tunes this all the church bells in the church are rung,some churches for 5 minutes while in some it continues till the end of the song.at the vigil also there is celebration of the light,which shows christ as the light of the world.on this same day, there is baptism and renewal of baptismal vows on those that are already baptised,then litany of the saint,but it is sung before the baptism.
PRAYER
ON THIS DAY, LORD GOD YOU OPENED FOR US THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH YOUR ONLY SON'S VICTORY OVER DEATH,GRANT THAT AS WE CELEBRATE,THE FEAST OF HIS RESURRECTION,WE MAY BE RENEWED BY YOUR HOLY SPIRIT AND RISE AGAIN IN THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
GOD OUR FATHER,SINCE IT IS FROM YOU THAT REDEMPTION COME TO US YOUR ADOPTED CHILDREN,LOOK WITH FAVOUR ON THE FAMILY YOU LOVE,GIVE TRUE FREEDOM US WHO BELIEVE IN CHRIST AND BRING US ALL ALIVE TO OUR ETERNAL HERITAGE,THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD.AMEN
