Little known pages about the Easter in the Presidential Library collections

In anticipation of the main Christian holiday, the Easter, celebrated this year on April 20, the Presidential Library presented unique publications about the history and traditions of this great day.

The collections of the first national electronic library of Russia include a rare edition, "Holy Week and Easter", the pages of which reveal little-known facts about Easter. For example, the book tells the story of how the great feast of Easter was celebrated in antiquity.

The author gives a description made by Gregory of Nyssa that day: "Today, the whole universe as one family gathered for the single deed, giving up everyday charges, as if at a given signal, calls to prayer. Today there are no travelers on the road, no visible sailors at sea, the farmer, leaving the plow and spade, put on a festive garment, inns are empty, noisy gatherings disappeared as winter fades with the advent of spring; anxiety, confusion and storms of everyday life are replaced with silence of the holiday."

The feast of Easter was established and celebrated already in the apostolic church. But in the first centuries of Christianity, the Easter was celebrated not always at the same time. "In the east, in the churches of Asia Minor, it was celebrated on the 14th day of the spring month, no matter what day of the week it was. While the western Christians, considering it indecent to celebrate Easter with the Jews, made the feast on the first Sunday after the full moon of spring. Two different customs existed before the first Ecumenical Council (325), which resolved to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday throughout the Easter full moon so that the Christian Easter would always be celebrated after the Jewish one," says the book "Holy Week and Easter." Only in the 5th century the very name of "Easter" became customary to refer to the actual celebration of the Resurrection.

The biblical story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is described in V. Nechaev’s "Friend of the People." In this edition the author also explains the spiritual component of the event occurred. It says: "Why does the Holy Church sing: having seen the resurrection of Christ? Of course, it does not mean that we saw with our own eyes how our Savior rose; but it means the spiritual vision, the vision with the eyes of faith."

Seven days before the Easter are called the "Holy Week." It is also called the Great Week for its significance and the greatness of the events committed during it. These days are devoted to the recollections of the last days of Christ's earthly life, his suffering, death and burial.

On the day of the Easter liturgy and church rituals are especially solemn. Believers begin this holy day with the Easter greeting: "Christ is Risen!" And they hear in response: "Truly, He is Risen!" The "Holy Week and Easter" proposes an interesting explanation of this long-standing tradition: "Joyous Easter greeting reminds us of the state of the apostles when they suddenly heard the news of the resurrection of Christ, and asked one another with joyful delight and amazement: "Christ is Risen!" and answered one another, "Truly, He is Risen!"

Having greeted each other and kissed, believers from the earliest times exchanged red eggs. Egg represents a symbol of life, and the red color is reminiscent of that new life of Christians is acquired by precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The custom of mutual exchange of eggs, according to the legend of the Orthodox Church, owes its start to saint Mary Magdalene who appeared before the Emperor Tiberius and offered him a red egg with a greeting: "Christ is Risen!"

The Presidential Library collections contain colorful postcards which depict major Christian holidays, unique books, revealing the story of Easter, and other materials about this great day.

Let us note that today the Presidential Library collections comprise more than 310,000 units. These are printed and archival materials, audio and video records and other materials which reflect the long history of Russian statehood, the theory and practice of law, as well as the Russian language as the official language of the Russian Federation.