Why is Easter celebrated? A guide for int'l students

为什么庆祝复活节？国际学生指南

The upcoming Easter Holidays will serve as a respite from the long and arduous weeks spent working and schooling. Some international students may be unfamiliar with the meaning of Easter or why it is celebrated. This article serves as a guide to all-things Easter for students.

即将到来的复活节假期将是漫长而艰苦的工作和上学周的喘息之机。一些国际学生可能不熟悉复活节的含义或为什么庆祝复活节。这篇文章为学生们提供了一个全方位的复活节指南。

Origins and meaning of Easter

复活节的起源和意义

According to the Christian-based website Christianity.com, Easter is a holiday that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. After being crucified and buried, he rose from his grave three days later which marked his ability to conquer death and redeem Christian followers of their sin.

据基督教网站Christianity.com报道，复活节是庆祝耶稣基督复活的节日。他被钉在十字架上埋葬后，三天后从坟墓里复活，这标志着他有能力征服死亡，救赎基督徒的罪。

According to St.Bede the Venerable, the 6th century author of ”Ecclesiastical History of the English People”, the English word for Easter comes from the words “Eostre” or “Eostrae”, which denotes the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility.

根据6世纪《英国人民教会史》的作者圣比德尊者的说法，复活节的英文单词来自“eostre”或“eostrae”，意为盎格鲁-撒克逊女神，掌管春天和生育。

Eggs are a popular item that symbolises Easter, as chickens continued to lay eggs during the Holy Week while Eastern Orthodox and Western churches despite the religious institutions prohibiting the eating of eggs during that period. Eggs that were coloured and decorated during the Holy Week were identified as Holy Week eggs.

鸡蛋是象征复活节的一种流行物品，因为鸡在圣周期间继续下蛋，而东正教和西方教会在此期间禁止吃鸡蛋。在圣周期间被上色和装饰的鸡蛋被认定为圣周鸡蛋。

The egg symbolises the Resurrection of Jesus, as the egg symbolises a new life that has emerged from the eggshell just as Jesus rose from the tomb. Easter eggs are painted red to symbolise the blood that Jesus shed on the cross.

鸡蛋象征着耶稣的复活，就像耶稣从坟墓中复活一样，鸡蛋象征着从蛋壳中诞生的新生命。复活节彩蛋被涂成红色，以象征耶稣在十字架上流的血。

Easter Day is a “movable feast” that varies from year to year, depending on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or just after the ecclesiastical spring equinox which falls on March 21 each year. Therefore, Easter may be celebrated as early as March 22nd, but no later than April 25th.

复活节是一个“可移动的节日”，每年都不一样，它取决于每年3月21日教会的春分前后满月后的第一个星期日。因此，复活节最早可以在3月22日庆祝，但不晚于4月25日。

Easter in 2022 falls just one day after the full moon will appear on April 16, 2022, hence this year, it will fall on April 17, 2022.

2022年的复活节刚好在2022年4月16日月圆日出现后的一天，因此今年的复活节将在2022年4月17日。

Christians worldwide celebrate Easter differently, from attending church services to going on egg hunts.

世界各地的基督徒庆祝复活节的方式不同，从参加教堂仪式到寻找鸡蛋。

The timeline of Easter

复活节的时间线

To grasp the meaning of Easter, it helps to understand some of the run-up events leading up to the holiday.

为了理解复活节的意义，它有助于理解一些即将到来的节日助跑活动。

Lent

四旬斋

Lent takes place in the six weeks leading to Easter. During this period, Christians prepare themselves for Easter by participating in prayers and abstain from a pleasurable activity. Lent is 40 days long, which is how long Jesus spent in the wilderness.

四旬斋在复活节前的六周内举行。在这期间，基督徒通过参加祈祷来为复活节做准备，并避免任何愉快的活动。四旬斋有40天，这是耶稣在荒野中度过的时间。

Once the forty days are up, Easter begins with Good Friday.

一旦这四十天过去了，复活节就从耶稣受难日开始。

Good Friday

受难日

For Christians, Good Friday is the most important day of Easter which commemorates when Jesus was crucified.

对基督徒来说，耶稣受难日是复活节中最重要的一天，用来纪念耶稣被钉死在十字架上。

Good Friday is celebrated on the first Friday upon the culmination of Lent and the Friday before Easter Sunday. In 2022, Good Friday will be celebrated on April 15, 2022.

受难节是在四旬斋结束后的第一个星期五和复活节前的星期五庆祝的。2022年，人们将于2022年4月15日庆祝耶稣受难节。

Easter Sunday

复活节星期日

Christians usually attend a special Church service on Easter Sunday, the day where Jesus rose from the dead.

基督教徒通常会在复活节，也就是耶稣从死里复活的日子，参加一个特别的教堂仪式。

On Easter Sunday, traditional eggs are given to younger members of the family, and occasionally to older members of the family. A traditional Easter Sunday lunch is roast lamb.

在复活节，传统的彩蛋会送给家里的年轻成员，偶尔也会送给家里的年长成员。传统的复活节午餐是烤羊肉。

Easter Monday

复活节星期一

In the UK, Easter Monday is a bank holiday, whereby people will return home after vacationing during a long weekend and either enjoy the last day of their holiday or prepare for the work or schooling week ahead.

在英国，复活节星期一是一个银行假日，人们在长假后回家，要么享受假期的最后一天，要么为接下来一周的工作或上学做准备。

The remainder of the Easter eggs still available are typically consumed on this day.

剩余的复活节彩蛋通常在这一天食用。

Traditional Easter activities

传统复活节活动

According to the British Heritage Travel website, these are some common Easter celebrations:

据英国遗产旅游网站报道，以下是一些常见的复活节庆祝活动：

Morris dancing

莫里斯舞蹈

Baking hot cross buns

烤十字面包

Maypole dancing

五月柱舞

Easter parades

复活节游行

Easter egg hunts

复活节彩蛋狩猎

Traditional Easter feasts and delights

传统的复活节盛宴和欢乐

Here are some traditional Easter feasts and delights, according to GoodtoKnow:

根据Goodtoknow网站的介绍，以下是一些传统的复活节盛宴和快乐：

Roast lamb

烤羔羊肉

Hot cross buns

热十字面包

Easter bunny bakes

复活节兔子面包

Chocolate eggs

巧克力蛋

Spiced Easter biscuits

五香复活节饼干

Easter bread

复活节面包