Important Days Of Easter

1. Ash Wednesday
   
   Forty days (excluding Sundays) before Easter. On Ash Wednesday, liturgical Christians enter into a season of penitence and preparation for Holy Week and Easter. The name comes from the ancient practice of applyiing ashes to the forehead to symbloize the truth of the reminder, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
   
   
2. Lent
   
   From Ash Wednesday through Holy Week. The forty days are a reminder of the time Jesus fasted in the wilderenss. The church meditates on Scripture lessons remindng believers of their sinfulness and their need of grace. In the worship of more liturgical denominations, the church forgoes such celebratory things as burning incense or using the word "Alleluia."
   
   
3. Palm Sunday
   
   One week before Easter. Also called the Sunday of the Passion. The liturgy for this first day of Holy Week begins by remembering Jesus' triumphant ride into Jerusalem. Many congregations celebrate by forming a procession and waving palm branches. However, the Scripture readings for this Sunday also focus on the crucifixion of Jesus, and the service ends on a somber note.
   
   
4. Maundy Thursday
   
   Thursday in Holy Week. A remembrance of Jesus' last supper with his followers. In some churches the people wash one another's feet to recall Jesus' humility in serving the disciples.
   
   
5. Good Friday
   
   Friday in Holy Week. Traditionally, churches held a long and somber service from noon until three as they meditated on Jesus' cross and passion. As contemporary living has made it less easy for people to attend such a service, services have shifted to the evening.
   
   
6. Easter
   
   In the Western church, the Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox on March 21. That is the short version of the definition. There are exceptions. Don't try to figure it out yourself. Check the calendar.
   
   Easter is the celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. In recent years, many churches have been putting more emphasis on a service inherited from the early centuries of the church: the Easter Vigil, a service held during the night, featuring baptisms and confirmations.
   
   
7. Ascension Day
   
   Forty days after Easter. During the Easter season the church meditates on the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. Then on Ascension Day it celebrates his enthronement in glory.
   
   
8. Pentecost
   
   Fifty days after Easter. The birthday of the church, remembering the Holy Spirit's descent on the believers gathered in the Upper Room. Throughout the season following Pentecost, the Scripture lessons focus on the history of the early church in Acts.