Origins Of Easter And Passover

Updated April 13, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

Easter and Passover are religiously celebrated holidays. Easter, also called "Resurrection Day" (Pesach)  is a holiday that marks the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, on the third day after his burial, according to the Bible. With Jesus at the center of the Christian faith, this holiday is symbolic for Christians globally, in particular.

It begins with a Seder, also referred to as Passover Seder: a special family dinner on the first night with many flares and spans through a week. It is preceded by a more solemn assembly, "the Good Friday", which was the day of Jesus's death.

The Passover or Pesach is a Jewish holiday that marks the departure of the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, where they were held as enslaved people. It is a significant celebration observed on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring, as prescribed in one of the many books of the Bible.

These two celebrations, Easter and Passover, usually fall around an exact date range. Easter and Passover for the year 2022 fall on April 15th and April 23rd of the Gregorian Calendar, respectively. Similarities between Easter and the Passover do not end at their dates; both of them are said to be about the dead rising back to life.

The History Of Easter And Passover

Easter and Passover do differ to a large extent. Passover precedes Easter, and is recorded in the Old Testament, while Easter is in the Bible's New Testament. The Passover story describes the Pharaoh of Egypt having disdain for the people of Israel who at the time lived in that country. Historically, Jews, Israelites, and Hebrews are the same people, used interchangeably throughout the Bible. This is why Passover is a Jewish custom.

Through his servant Moses, the God of the Israelites asked that Pharaoh let his people go, that they may worship him, and countless times Pharaoh refused. He then sent various plagues to Egypt to force Pharaoh's hands into letting the Israelites leave for Jerusalem. During the tenth plague, all firstborns in Egypt were killed.

The Israelites were saved from this terrible fate because they were previously instructed to mark their doors with a lamb's blood so that the Angel of Death would pass over them– and thus, the Passover was born.>

Therefore, the date of Easter was celebrated on the first Sunday after the Passover offering day, which was the 14th day of Nisan. Easter is also linked to the Exodus from Egypt as was recorded in the Old Testament in the Bible. However, the meaning of Passover in the New Testament was redefined from what was expressed in the Old Testament and its relationship to the death of all Egyptians' firstborns.

A detailed explanation from the Gospels showed that the Passover meal in the Upper Room which is now often said could have been "The Last Supper", represented the death of Jesus, now celebrated as Easter. Jewish culture has a wide relationship with the celebration of Easter and Passover.

Jewish people celebrate a lot of holidays. One of these is the Passover offering which is celebrated on the 14th day of the first full moon in the spring equinox, regarded as the 14 Nisan in the Jewish calendar. The resurrection was celebrated two days after the Passover offering on 16 Nisan, irrespective of the day of the week.

In a different era, Easter depicts the story of Jesus Christ, the self-acclaimed king of the Jews. He was crucified for his offenses against spiritual authorities in those days. This happened on the days of Passover, and he was resurrected on the third day after his death, according to records of the prophets of Israel. That accounts for the similarities in their dates of celebration.

Easter Sunday began with one of Jesus's followers searching for his body in the tomb where he was laid, and being informed by an angel that he had risen.

Easter and the Passover intersect where Passover represents the final straw that delivered the Israelites from their slavery, and Easter reveals their deliverance from sin in the resurrection of their Christ.

The Cultural Importance Of Easter And Passover

Easter and Passover have a great significance in the Christian religion. They have been celebrated widely after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Easter is often seen as the most important day in the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar. However, Easter and Passover have been regarded as the central Christian feasts since the early days of the Church, even though at the First Council of Nicaea, they failed to make the Easter date uniform.

The Orthodox Easter is not a set date based on the Gregorian calendar, but rather on the Julian calendar. However, most of the traditions of Easter remain the same for Orthodox Christians as they are for many other Christians.

Initially, Easter and the Passover celebration were the only time Catholics received the Eucharist and were yearly ceremonies. Over time, the Eucharist became a regular part of Mass, where Catholics receive the Holy Communion (unleavened bread and wine) at every Mass service.

There is a wide gap in the way Passover is seen today around the world. Pesach was a ritual among a nomadic segment of the Israelites just after the centralization of their group about 300 years ago. The ritual practice was to ward off evil and preserve their livestock and families. The usual performance was to slaughter the best of their newest flock, commonly called the "Passover lamb", as an offering, often followed by a family feast. The significance of this culture can be related to the historical origin of Easter and Passover.

Apart from the religious role of Easter and Passover in Christianity and Judaism, celebrating these holidays has significance in the media and other societies. There are, in fact, many different ways by which different cultures celebrate Easter around the world. 

Additional Information

There are plenty of other interesting facts about Easter and Passover on Infoplease. You can check out our Easter quizzes that are available, or even the list of Christians who do not celebrate Easter.

And if you enjoyed this brief history of Easter and Passover, why not let us know and share it with others who might be intrigued by some holiday history!