Page 10 - Oxted Local April 2025

10 April 2025 • Oxted Local 
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Easter Greetings
from the Oxted
Churches 2025
This year Easter Sunday on April 20th is almost as
late as it can be. People often wonder why the date
of Easter Sunday which celebrates the Resurrection
of Jesus varies so much. The Bible does not give us
a specific date for the Resurrection but it does tell
us that the events leading up to the Resurrection i.e
the trial, crucifixion and laying in a tomb of Jesus’
body happened on a Friday before the Jewish
sabbath and that this was at the time of the Jewish
festival of Passover. The date of this varies from
year to year because it is dependant on the phases
of the moon. The early Christian churches followed
this tradition so Easter Sunday falls on the first
Sunday after the full moon that follows the Spring
equinox – defined as March 21st. Easter Sunday can
therefore fall on up to 35 days in March and April.
This can cause difficulties in trying to co-ordinate
with civil calendars such as academic terms, leading
to proposals that the date should be reformed so
that Easter Sunday falls on the 2nd or 3rd Sunday
in April every year. It’s also been suggested that
the Western and Eastern Orthodox churches which
currently celebrate different dates for Easter in most
years should reform so that they all celebrate on
the same date but so far no agreement has been
reached to any of these proposals.
Despite the fact that hot cross buns appeared in the
shops on the day after Boxing Day and Easter eggs
appeared shortly afterwards for Christians they
are not the most important things about Easter.
To Christians Easter Sunday is the most important
festival of the church’s year when we celebrate the
Resurrection of Jesus preceded in some churches
by a week beforehand of special services for which
preparations start in the six weeks leading up to
Easter. This time is known as Lent, a time when
many people fast or give up something – often
chocolate, before celebrating Easter Sunday.
As a break halfway through Lent, Mothering Sunday,
(March 30th this year), now more commonly called
by its American name of Mother’s Day, is celebrated.
It tends to be a day when mums are presented with
flowers and/or chocolates or even taken out to
lunch.
The Sunday before Easter Sunday is known as Palm
Sunday when we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, greeted by an ecstatic crowd who
were waving palms, hailing him as a king. However
as the week, known as Holy Week, progressed
things changed. On the Thursday Jesus celebrated
a last meal with his friends. He started by telling his
disciples that they should love one another and then
he blessed the bread and the wine and asked his
disciples to carry on with this tradition. Known as the
Last Supper this is now celebrated in the services of
Holy Communion or The Mass. The day itself is now
generally known as Maundy or Holy Thursday and
is marked nationally by a special service attended
by the Sovereign at which Maundy money of silver
coins is given to deserving elderly. The annual
service is held at a different cathedral each year, last
year it was Worcester this year it is Durham.
The following day, now known as Good Friday, Jesus
was condemned to death and crucified with his
body being laid to rest in a tomb. On the Sunday
however early visitors found the tomb empty and
spoke to a risen Christ – a cause for celebration and
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