Easter is celebrated in memory of Christ’s victory over death and sin

Today is Easter, the greatest Christian holiday, which celebrates the central event of Christianity: Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

The Easter holiday is not celebrated at the same time every year but on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon (Paschal Full Moon). Since the first spring full moon can be between March 22 and April 25, this means that the Easter holiday can only fall within that time.

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The origin of Easter is in the Jewish holiday of Passover, so many biblical texts are present in the Catholic liturgy that remind us of the exodus of the chosen people from Egyptian captivity and the crossing of the Red Sea.

On Easter, we celebrate the memory of Christ’s resurrection and his victory over death and sin. The night before Easter Sunday, the Easter Vigil is celebrated, and many consider it to be the richest liturgical rite in the Church. The celebration of Easter is preceded by the days of Holy Week, during which the Church remembers Jesus’ Last Supper on Holy Thursday, which is also the memorial of the establishment of the Eucharist and the priesthood.

Good Friday is the memorial of Jesus’ passion and death. On this day, Mass is not celebrated, but the Passion of the Lord is commemorated. Holy Saturday is the day of Christ’s rest in the tomb and the second day of the Paschal Triduum, so that evening the Church begins the Easter Vigil. Humble prayers, processions, ritual fires, festive meals and pastries, and their blessing in the Easter basket, dyeing Easter eggs, Easter greetings and gift-giving, and songs in praise of Easter are just part of the folk Easter customs.

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For Easter, people attend the morning Mass or go to the solemn Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. On Easter itself, it is traditional to feast on ham, often homemade bread, and sweets.

Food is taken to the church for the Easter Mass before the meal, where the priest blesses it, and then the faithful go home for the Easter meal and celebration. Traditional Easter dishes include: pinca, sirnica, various Easter breads decorated with eggs, pastries, boiled ham and ham baked in bread with green onions, horseradish, and radishes, boiled chicken with homemade noodles, kuglof, rožata, and more.

Children play traditional games for Easter that involve eggs, such as: egg tapping, throwing eggs with coins, searching for hidden eggs around the house or in the grass outside, and so on.

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In the egg tapping game, you take your egg and choose an opponent. The eggs are tapped against each other at the tips, and the winner is the one whose egg remains intact, and they continue the game. The winning egg is the one that remains whole after the entire round of tapping.

In the central part of northern Croatia, especially in Prigorje and Zagorje, there is a so-called pilgrimage of the crucified or crusaders.

There are many church songs that sing about Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, and resurrection.

In Croatian Easter tradition, the most famous are “Queen of Heaven,” “Jesus Truly Rose,” “The Dawn is Breaking in Heaven,” and others. About 100 compositions are known, which are sung as Easter songs from Holy Saturday to Pentecost, but only about 30 are still sung today.