Easter is the first major holiday of the year, which is celebrated directly on several days fixed by law, regardless of the religious origin of the event. Therefore, there are a few things to keep in mind: store opening hours change, most federal states have an Easter holiday and, due to tradition, certain rules must be observed.
This year the Easter holidays fall on the following days:
Maundy Thursday – April 6, 2023 Good Friday – April 7, 2023 Easter Sunday – April 9, 2023 Easter Monday – April 10, 2023
There is a way by which you can independently calculate the date of the holiday. To do this, you need a lunar calendar. You need to look at which day will be the first full moon following the day of the vernal equinox (March 21). The first Sunday, which comes after the full moon, will be the day of Great Easter. This way of calculating Easter Sunday was established by the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD. This year’s spring full moon is April 6, 2023.
Moreover, Easter is the starting point of other celebrations. Christi Himmelfahrt – May 18, 2023 – will be 39 days after Easter Sunday, Pfingstsonntag – May 29, 2023 – 49 days and Fronleichnam – June 8, 2023 – 60 days.
Public holidays in the Länder
April 2023 is a real holiday month, because from April 1 to 23 there are holidays in every federal state. All lands have a rest for at least a week, with the exception of Hamburg: here schoolchildren can rest only on Good Friday and Easter Monday, the rest of the time they have no days off.
Baden-Württemberg: April 6 – 16, 2023 Bavaria: April 1 – 16, 2023 Berlin: April 1 – 16, 2023 Brandenburg: April 1 – 16, 2023 Bremen: March 25 – April 11, 2023 Hamburg: Good Friday and Easter Monday only Hesse: 1 – 23 April 2023 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1 – 12 April 2023 Lower Saxony: 25 March – 11 April 2023 North Rhine-Westphalia: 1 – 16 April 2023 Rhineland-Palatinate: 1 – 10 April 2023 Saarland: 1 – 12 April 2023 Saxony: April 7 – – 16, 2023 Saxony-Anhalt: April 1 – 10, 2023 Schleswig-Holstein: April 6 – 23, 2023 Thuringia: April 1 – 16, 2023
What do we celebrate at Easter?
The word “Easter” is of Greek origin, which means “deliverance”. The Lord is risen and the people rejoice. Life triumphed over death. According to tradition, the church celebrates Easter for 40 days – the same time Christ spent with the disciples after his resurrection.
The last week of Great Lent is the most difficult and exciting time for believers. They call it passionate. Each day of this week is a reminder of the end of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. It is preceded by Palm Sunday, which commemorates the entry of the Lord into the city of Jerusalem.
Great Thursday of Holy Week is also called “Proper”. Centuries ago, our ancestors looked forward to this day and started it with a swim before sunrise. Also on this day they cut their hair and washed “silver” – they threw silver in water and then washed their faces with it, believing that such rituals preserve beauty and health.
Good Friday is the strictest day of Holy Week. On this day, it is customary for believers to completely refuse food. In the evening you can eat bread and drink water. Also on the Friday before Easter, miscellaneous entertainment and entertainment should be avoided. Physical work is not recommended on this day, but cooking is allowed. It is said that baked on Good Friday, it does not spoil or mold, and also has healing powers.
Easter also comes with various customs and traditions. They paint eggs and light Easter bonfires. Christians end Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, and usually rejoice in the first major holiday with their families.
What will the weather be like for Easter?
According to the farm rule, “April does what he wants” – any weather between sun and snow is possible. Therefore, it is best to check the weather forecast in order to be aware of the situation as soon as possible.
