Spring holidays

(April 4, 2012) Easter and Passover, both movable spring holidays, occur this week this year. The method for determining the dates is complex, based on lunisolar calendars.

The Christian Holy Week began last Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday, which falls on April 7, the day before Easter Sunday, April 8. Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday. The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and 36, traditionally 33.

The Easter celebration comes after Lent, a 40-day preparatory period of fasting, prayer and penance. The last week, Holy Week, begins with Palm Sunday remembering Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem and continues with Holy Thursday honoring the Last Supper (his last Passover seder), Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death, and Easter Vigil Saturday, a commemoration of the day that Jesus lay in his tomb. Easter Sunday is a joyous celebration of church song and family feasting.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar.

The eight-day Jewish holiday begins Friday, April 6, at sundown and continues through Friday, April 13. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Families celebrate at a ceremonial meal called a seder featuring symbolic foods (unleavened bread, bitter herbs, a mixture of apples and nuts, roasted egg, parsley or celery, roasted lamb shank and wine) and reading of the Haggadah which tells the Exodus story.

Also, this coming weekend, trout fishing season begins on Saturday, April 7. More than 180,000 trout have been released in nearly 200 N.J. waterways, waiting for eager trout anglers. After opening day, the Pequest Trout Hatchery will stock nearly a half million more trout during the seven-week stocking season, which extends to May 25.

Keep abreast of important dates and more by reading Recorder Community Newspapers and their blogs online at newjerseyhills.com. Anyone interested in joining the growing group of Recorder bloggers is invited to call me at (908) 832-7420 or e-mail me at panderson@recordernewspapers.com to find out about blogging, a free, simple communication tool.