87-534: The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is an annual four day free festival of hot air ballooning in Bristol , England . Teams from the UK and other parts of the world bring their hot air balloons to the site and participate in mass ascents where as many as 100 balloons may launch at a time. The event was first held in 1979, building on a strong local tradition of ballooning in and around Bristol, stretching back to
174-618: A goddess of theirs named Ēostre , in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month". In Latin and Greek, the Christian celebration was, and still is, called Pascha (Greek: Πάσχα ), a word derived from Aramaic פסחא ( Paskha ), cognate to the Hebrew פֶּסַח ( Pesach ). The word originally denoted the Jewish festival known in English as Passover , commemorating
261-491: A reform in the calculation of Easter which would have replaced the present divergent practices of calculating Easter with modern scientific knowledge taking into account actual astronomical instances of the spring equinox and full moon based on the meridian of Jerusalem, while also following the tradition of Easter being on the Sunday following the full moon. The recommended World Council of Churches changes would have sidestepped
348-401: A "festival dai" was a religious holiday. The first recorded used of the word "festival" as a noun was in 1589 (as "Festifall"). Feast first came into usage as a noun c. 1200 , and its first recorded use as a verb was circa 1300. The word gala comes from Arabic word khil'a , meaning robe of honor. The word gala was initially used to describe "festive dress", but came to be
435-724: A Christian saint as well as a celebration of the time of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, where it is particularly important in Sweden. Winter carnivals also provide the opportunity to utilise to celebrate creative or sporting activities requiring snow and ice. In the Philippines , each day of the year has at least one festival dedicated to harvesting of crops, fishes, crustaceans, milk, and other local goods. Scholarly literature notes that festivals functionally disseminate political values and meaning, such as ownership of place, which undergoes transformation in accordance with
522-534: A Friday, and the next day is Lazarus Saturday . The Vespers which begins Lazarus Saturday officially brings Great Lent to a close, although the fast continues through the following week. The Paschal Vigil begins with the Midnight Office , which is the last service of the Lenten Triodion and is timed so that it ends a little before midnight on Holy Saturday night. At the stroke of midnight
609-643: A common date for Easter, with the Catholics accepting the Orthodox date—a practice helping considerably in maintaining good relations between the two communities. Conversely, Orthodox Christians in Finland celebrate Easter according to the Western Christian date. In the 20th and 21st centuries, some individuals and institutions have propounded changing the method of calculating the date for Easter,
696-471: A common method to independently determine Paschal observance following the churches of Rome and Alexandria, the latter "since there was among the Egyptians an ancient science for the computation ." Already in the end of the 4th century and, later on, Dionysius Exiguus and others following him maintained that the bishops assembled at Nicaea had promulgated the celebration of Easter on the first Sunday after
783-659: A common, universal date for Easter, while also simplifying the calculation of that date, with either the second or third Sunday in April being popular choices. In November 2022, the Patriarch of Constantinople said that conversations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches had begun to determine a common date for the celebration of Easter. The agreement is expected to be reached for
870-578: A fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (both of which follow the cycle of the sun and the seasons). Instead, the date for Easter is determined on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar . The precise date of Easter has at times been a matter of contention. By the later 2nd century, it was widely accepted that the celebration of the holiday was a practice of the disciples and an undisputed tradition. The Quartodeciman controversy,
957-434: A generation after Anicetus, attempted to excommunicate Polycrates of Ephesus and all other bishops of Asia for their Quartodecimanism. According to Eusebius, a number of synods were convened to deal with the controversy, which he regarded as all ruling in support of Easter on Sunday. Polycrates ( c. 190 ), however, wrote to Victor defending the antiquity of Asian Quartodecimanism. Victor's attempted excommunication
SECTION 10
#17327724253021044-529: A global tourist prospect although they are commonly public or not-for-profit . Many festivals have religious origins and entwine cultural and religious significance in traditional activities. The most important religious festivals such as Christmas , Rosh Hashanah , Diwali , Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha serve to mark out the year. Others, such as harvest festivals , celebrate seasonal change. Events of historical significance, such as important military victories or other nation-building events also provide
1131-632: A month later than Western Easter. Among the Oriental Orthodox , some churches have changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar and the date for Easter, as for other fixed and moveable feasts, is the same as in the Western church. The Greek island of Syros , whose population is divided almost equally between Catholics and Orthodox, is one of the few places where the two Churches share
1218-423: A more fully formed Christian festival of Pascha (Easter) begins to appear in the mid-2nd century. Perhaps the earliest extant primary source referring to Easter is a mid-2nd-century Paschal homily attributed to Melito of Sardis , which characterizes the celebration as a well-established one. Evidence for another kind of annually recurring Christian festival, those commemorating the martyrs, began to appear at about
1305-570: A new meaning, as in the upper room during the Last Supper he prepared himself and his disciples for his death. He identified the bread and cup of wine as his body , soon to be sacrificed, and his blood , soon to be shed. The Apostle Paul states in his First Epistle to the Corinthians : "Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." This refers to
1392-688: A new way of life and receive eternal salvation , and can hope to be physically resurrected to dwell with him in the Kingdom of Heaven . Easter is linked to Passover and the Exodus from Egypt recorded in the Old Testament through the Last Supper , sufferings , and crucifixion of Jesus that preceded the resurrection. According to the three Synoptic Gospels , Jesus gave the Passover meal
1479-511: A result of which there is a wide range of ancient and modern harvest festivals . Ancient Egyptians relied upon the seasonal inundation caused by the Nile River , a form of irrigation , which provided fertile land for crops. In the Alps , in autumn the return of the cattle from the mountain pastures to the stables in the valley is celebrated as Almabtrieb . A recognized winter festival,
1566-752: A symbol of the resurrection in Western Christianity, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide. Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include Easter parades , communal dancing (Eastern Europe), the Easter Bunny and egg hunting . There are also traditional Easter foods that vary by region and culture. The modern English term Easter , cognate with modern Dutch ooster and German Ostern , developed from an Old English word that usually appears in
1653-600: A synonym of "festival" starting in the 18th century. Festivals have long been significant in human culture and history and are found in virtually all cultures. The importance of festivals, to the present, is found in private and public; secular and religious life. Ancient Greek and Roman societies relied heavily upon festivals, both communal and administrative. Saturnalia was likely influential to Christmas and Carnival . Celebration of social occasions, religion and nature were common. Specific festivals have century-long histories and festivals in general have developed over
1740-631: Is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD . It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus , preceded by Lent (or Great Lent ), a 40-day period of fasting , prayer , and penance . Easter-observing Christians commonly refer to
1827-530: Is kept in many different ways among Western Christians. The traditional, liturgical observation of Easter, as practised among Roman Catholics, Lutherans , and some Anglicans begins on the night of Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil which follows an ancient liturgy involving symbols of light, candles and water and numerous readings form the Old and New Testament. Services continue on Easter Sunday and in
SECTION 20
#17327724253021914-466: Is not known how long the Nisan 14 practice continued. But both those who followed the Nisan 14 custom, and those who set Easter to the following Sunday, had in common the custom of consulting their Jewish neighbors to learn when the month of Nisan would fall, and setting their festival accordingly. By the later 3rd century, however, some Christians began to express dissatisfaction with the custom of relying on
2001-477: Is often marked as a local or national holiday , mela , or eid . A festival constitutes typical cases of glocalization , as well as the high culture-low culture interrelationship. Next to religion and folklore , a significant origin is agricultural . Food is such a vital resource that many festivals are associated with harvest time. Religious commemoration and thanksgiving for good harvests are blended in events that take place in autumn , such as Halloween in
2088-559: Is the night glow , when balloons are inflated and glow to music after dark. These are held on the opening Thursday night at approx 9:30pm, followed by a fireworks display. There is another night glow at the same time followed by the fireworks on the Saturday night. Some people see these as the highlight of the fiesta. Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures . It
2175-445: Is therefore the Saturday after Easter Sunday. The day before Easter is properly called Holy Saturday. Eastertide , or Paschaltide, the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost , seven weeks later. In Eastern Christianity , the spiritual preparation for Easter/Pascha begins with Great Lent , which starts on Clean Monday and lasts for 40 continuous days (including Sundays). Great Lent ends on
2262-619: The Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , and Anglican liturgical calendars there are a great number of lesser feasts throughout the year commemorating saints, sacred events or doctrines. In the Philippines , each day of the year has at least one specific religious festival, either from Catholic, Islamic, or indigenous origins. Buddhist religious festivals, such as Esala Perahera are held in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hindu festivals , such as Holi are very ancient. The Sikh community celebrates
2349-601: The Chinese New Year , is set by the lunar calendar, and celebrated from the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice . Dree Festival of the Apatanis living in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh is celebrated every year from July 4 to 7 by praying for a bumper crop harvest. Midsummer or St John's Day, is an example of a seasonal festival, related to the feast day of
2436-528: The Council of Nicaea , Socrates Scholasticus 's Ecclesiastical History , as one of the two reasons for which emperor Constantine convened the Council in 325. The Canons of the Council preserved by Dionysius Exiguus and his successors do not include any relevant provision, but letters of individuals present at the Council mention a decision prohibiting Quartodecimanism and requiring that all Christians adopt
2523-665: The Easter Act 1928 to change the date of Easter to be the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April (or, in other words, the Sunday in the period from 9 to 15 April). However, the legislation has not been implemented, although it remains on the Statute book and could be implemented, subject to approval by the various Christian churches. At a summit in Aleppo , Syria, in 1997, the World Council of Churches (WCC) proposed
2610-803: The Jewish Exodus from slavery in Egypt . As early as the 50s of the 1st century, Paul the Apostle , writing from Ephesus to the Christians in Corinth , applied the term to Christ, and it is unlikely that the Ephesian and Corinthian Christians were the first to hear Exodus 12 interpreted as speaking about the death of Jesus , not just about the Jewish Passover ritual. In most languages,
2697-666: The Last Supper and the crucifixion . Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are sometimes referred to as the Easter Triduum ( Latin for "Three Days"). Many churches begin celebrating Easter late in the evening of Holy Saturday at a service called the Easter Vigil . The week beginning with Easter Sunday is called Easter Week or the Octave of Easter , and each day is prefaced with "Easter", e.g. Easter Monday (a public holiday in many countries), Easter Tuesday (a much less widespread public holiday), etc. Easter Saturday
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-758: The National Peanut Festival in the United States, or the Galway International Oyster Festival in Ireland. There are also specific beverage festivals, such as the famous Oktoberfest in Germany for beer . Many countries hold festivals to celebrate wine . One example is the global celebration of the arrival of Beaujolais nouveau , which involves shipping the new wine around the world for its release date on
2871-479: The Paschal full moon ) is not an astronomical full moon, but the 14th day of a lunar month . Another difference is that the astronomical equinox is a natural astronomical phenomenon, which can fall on 19, 20 or 21 March, while the ecclesiastical date is fixed by convention on 21 March. In addition, the lunar tables of the Julian calendar are currently five days behind those of the Gregorian calendar. Therefore,
2958-506: The Philippines , aside from numerous art festivals scattered throughout the year, February is known as national arts month, the culmination of all art festivals in the entire archipelago. The modern model of music festivals began in the 1960s-70s and have become a lucrative global industry. Predecessors extend back to the 11th century and some, such as the Three Choirs Festival, remain to this day. Film festivals involve
3045-650: The Vaisakhi festival marking the new year and birth of the Khalsa . Among the many offspring of general arts festivals are also more specific types of festivals, including ones that showcase intellectual or creative achievement such as science festivals , literary festivals and music festivals . Sub-categories include comedy festivals , rock festivals , jazz festivals and buskers festivals ; poetry festivals, theatre festivals , and storytelling festivals ; and re-enactment festivals such as Renaissance fairs . In
3132-422: The 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025. The WCC presented comparative data of the relationships: In most branches of Western Christianity, Easter is preceded by Lent , a period of penitence that begins on Ash Wednesday , lasts 40 days (not counting Sundays), and is often marked with fasting. The week before Easter, known as Holy Week , is an important time for observers to commemorate
3219-470: The 5th century onward this cycle set its equinox to 25 March and fixed Easter to the Sunday falling in the 14th to the 20th of the lunar month inclusive. This 84-year cycle was replaced by the Alexandrian method in the course of the 7th and 8th centuries. Churches in western continental Europe used a late Roman method until the late 8th century during the reign of Charlemagne , when they finally adopted
3306-519: The Alexandrian method. Since 1582, when the Roman Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar while most of Europe used the Julian calendar, the date on which Easter is celebrated has again differed. In 725, Bede succinctly wrote: "The Sunday following the full Moon which falls on or after the equinox will give the lawful Easter." However, this does not precisely reflect the ecclesiastical rules. The full moon referred to (called
3393-516: The Jewish calendar, some Christians began to experiment with independent computations. Others, however, believed that the customary practice of consulting Jews should continue, even if the Jewish computations were in error. The settlement of the controversy about the Paschal season caused by the Quartodeciman practice of Asian churches is listed in our principal source for the works of
3480-594: The Jewish community to determine the date of Easter. The chief complaint was that the Jewish communities sometimes erred in setting Passover to fall before the Northern Hemisphere spring equinox. The Sardica paschal table confirms these complaints, for it indicates that the Jews of some eastern Mediterranean city (possibly Antioch ) fixed Nisan 14 on dates well before the spring equinox on multiple occasions. Because of this dissatisfaction with reliance on
3567-430: The Julian computation of the Paschal full moon is a full five days later than the astronomical full moon. The result of this combination of solar and lunar discrepancies is divergence in the date of Easter in most years (see table). Easter is determined on the basis of lunisolar cycles. The lunar year consists of 30-day and 29-day lunar months, generally alternating, with an embolismic month added periodically to bring
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-546: The Measurement of Easter), Rome retired the earlier 8-year cycle in favor of Augustalis' 84-year lunisolar calendar cycle, which it used until 457. It then switched to Victorius of Aquitaine 's adaptation of the Alexandrian system. Because this Victorian cycle differed from the unmodified Alexandrian cycle in the dates of some of the Paschal full moons, and because it tried to respect the Roman custom of fixing Easter to
3741-536: The Paschal celebration itself begins, consisting of Paschal Matins , Paschal Hours , and Paschal Divine Liturgy . The liturgical season from Easter to the Sunday of All Saints (the Sunday after Pentecost ) is known as the Pentecostarion (the "50 days"). The week which begins on Easter Sunday is called Bright Week , during which there is no fasting, even on Wednesday and Friday. The Afterfeast of Easter lasts 39 days, with its Apodosis (leave-taking) on
3828-551: The Sunday in the week of the 16th to the 22nd of the lunar month (rather than the 15th to the 21st as at Alexandria), by providing alternative "Latin" and "Greek" dates in some years, occasional differences in the date of Easter as fixed by Alexandrian rules continued. The Alexandrian rules were adopted in the West following the tables of Dionysius Exiguus in 525. Early Christians in Britain and Ireland also used an 84-year cycle. From
3915-529: The basis of the term Pascha), by its origin (according to the synoptic Gospels , both the crucifixion and the resurrection took place during the week of Passover) and by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In most European languages, both the Christian Easter and the Jewish Passover are called by the same name; and in the older English translations of the Bible, as well,
4002-460: The calendar in use at the time. The Sed festival , for example, celebrated the thirtieth year of an Egyptian pharaoh 's rule and then every three (or four in one case) years after that. Among the Ashantis , most of their traditional festivals are linked to gazette sites which are believed to be sacred with several rich biological resources in their pristine forms. Thus, the annual commemoration of
4089-525: The calendar issues and eliminated the difference in date between the Eastern and Western churches. The reform was proposed for implementation starting in 2001, and despite repeated calls for reform, it was not ultimately adopted by any member body. In January 2016, the Anglican Communion , Coptic Orthodox Church , Greek Orthodox Church , and Roman Catholic Church again considered agreeing on
4176-622: The consumption of specially prepared food (showing the connection to "feasting") and they bring people together. Festivals are also strongly associated with national holidays. Lists of national festivals are published to make participation easier. The scale of festivals varies; in location and attendance, they may range from a local to national level. Music festivals, for example, often bring together disparate groups of people, such that they are both localised and global. The "vast majority" of festivals are, however, local, modest and populist. The abundance of festivals significantly hinders quantifying
4263-506: The custom of computing Easter's date based on the Jewish calendar indicate that this custom (called "protopaschite" by historians) did not die out at once, but persisted for a time after the Council of Nicaea. In any case, in the years following the council, the computational system that was worked out by the church of Alexandria came to be normative. The Alexandrian system, however, was not immediately adopted throughout Christian Europe. Following Augustalis ' treatise De ratione Paschae (On
4350-800: The day before the Feast of the Ascension . Pentecost Sunday is the 50th day from Easter (counted inclusively). In the Pentecostarion published by Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece, the Great Feast Pentecost is noted in the synaxarion portion of Matins to be the 8th Sunday of Pascha. However, the Paschal greeting of "Christ is risen!" is no longer exchanged among the faithful after the Apodosis of Pascha. The Easter festival
4437-537: The dead, which is one of the chief tenets of the Christian faith. Paul writes that, for those who trust in Jesus's death and resurrection, "death is swallowed up in victory". The First Epistle of Peter declares that God has given believers "a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". Christian theology holds that, through faith in the working of God, those who follow Jesus are spiritually resurrected with him so that they may walk in
SECTION 50
#17327724253024524-516: The eighteenth century. The festival is now one of the largest in Europe. It is common to have crowds of over 100,000 on each of the four days of the festival. It takes place in a large country estate, Ashton Court . Mass launches are made twice a day, at 6am and 6pm, subject to weather conditions. The balloon makers Cameron Balloons are near to the fiesta site, in Bedminster , and make many of
4611-618: The feast is known by names derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha . Pascha is also a name by which Jesus himself is remembered in the Orthodox Church, especially in connection with his resurrection and with the season of its celebration. Others call the holiday "Resurrection Sunday" or "Resurrection Day", after the Greek Ἀνάστασις , Anastasis , 'Resurrection' day. Easter celebrates Jesus' supernatural resurrection from
4698-413: The feast is on the 39th day, the day before the Feast of the Ascension . Easter and its related holidays are moveable feasts , not falling on a fixed date; its date is computed based on a lunisolar calendar (solar year plus Moon phase) similar to the Hebrew calendar , generating a number of controversies . The First Council of Nicaea (325) established common Paschal observance by all Christians on
4785-550: The festival. Furthermore, a festival may act as an artefact which allows citizens to achieve "certain ideals", including those of identity and ideology. Festivals may be used to rehabilitate or elevate the image of a city; the ephemerality of festivals means that their impact is often incorporeal, of name, memory and perception. In deviating from routine, festivals may reinforce the convention, be it social, cultural or economic. Easter Easter , also called Pascha ( Aramaic , Greek , Latin ) or Resurrection Sunday ,
4872-432: The festivals helps in maintaining the buoyancy of the conserved natural site, assisting in biodiversity conservation. In the Christian liturgical calendar , there are two principal feasts, properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) and the Feast of the Resurrection (Easter), but minor festivals in honour of local patron saints are celebrated in almost all countries influenced by Christianity. In
4959-406: The final week of Jesus' life on earth. The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday , with the Wednesday before Easter being known as Spy Wednesday (or Holy Wednesday). The last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday , Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday). Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus's entry in Jerusalem,
5046-458: The first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox . Even if calculated on the basis of the Gregorian calendar , the date of that full moon sometimes differs from that of the astronomical first full moon after the March equinox . The English term is derived from the Saxon spring festival Ēostre ; Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by its name ( Hebrew : פֶּסַח pesach , Aramaic : פָּסחָא pascha are
5133-429: The first full moon on or after the vernal equinox and that they had adopted the use of the 19-year lunar cycle, better known as Metonic cycle , to determine the date; subsequent scholarship has refuted this tradition, but, with regards to the rule of the equinox, evidence that the church of Alexandria had implemented it before 325 suggests that the Council of Nicaea implicitly endorsed it. Canons and sermons condemning
5220-407: The first of several Easter controversies , arose concerning the date on which the holiday should be celebrated. The term "Quartodeciman" refers to the practice of ending the Lenten fast on Nisan 14 of the Hebrew calendar , "the L ORD 's passover". According to the church historian Eusebius , the Quartodeciman Polycarp (bishop of Smyrna , by tradition a disciple of John the Apostle ) debated
5307-446: The form Ēastrun , Ēastron , or Ēastran ; but also as Ēastru , Ēastro ; and Ēastre or Ēostre . Bede provides the only documentary source for the etymology of the word, in his eighth-century The Reckoning of Time . He wrote that Ēosturmōnaþ (Old English for 'Month of Ēostre', translated in Bede 's time as "Paschal month") was an English month, corresponding to April, which he says "was once called after
SECTION 60
#17327724253025394-497: The impetus for a festival. An early example is the festival established by Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses III celebrating his victory over the Libyans. In many countries, royal holidays commemorate dynastic events just as agricultural holidays are about harvests. Festivals are often commemorated annually. There are numerous types of festivals in the world and most countries celebrate important events or traditions with traditional cultural events and activities. Most culminate in
5481-464: The involvement of elders sharing stories and experience provides a means for unity among families . Attendants of festivals are often motivated by a desire for escapism, socialization and camaraderie; the practice has been seen as a means of creating geographical connection, belonging and adaptability. The word "festival" was originally used as an adjective from the late fourteenth century, deriving from Latin via Old French . In Middle English ,
5568-445: The last few centuries – some traditional festivals in Ghana , for example, predate European colonisation of the 15th century. Festivals prospered following the Second World War. Both established in 1947, Avignon Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have been notable in shaping the modern model of festivals. Art festivals became more prominent by the turn of the 21st century. In modern times, festivals are commodified as
5655-426: The lunar cycle into line with the solar cycle. In each solar year (1 January to 31 December inclusive), the lunar month beginning with an ecclesiastical new moon falling in the 29-day period from 8 March to 5 April inclusive is designated as the paschal lunar month for that year. Easter is the third Sunday in the paschal lunar month, or, in other words, the Sunday after the paschal lunar month's 14th day. The 14th of
5742-436: The meridian of Jerusalem . However, all the Eastern Orthodox countries that subsequently adopted the Revised Julian calendar adopted only that part of the revised calendar that applied to festivals falling on fixed dates in the Julian calendar. The revised Easter computation that had been part of the original 1923 agreement was never permanently implemented in any Orthodox diocese. In the United Kingdom , Parliament passed
5829-530: The most prominent proposal being the Sunday after the second Saturday in April. Despite having some support, proposals to reform the date have not been implemented. An Orthodox congress of Eastern Orthodox bishops, which included representatives mostly from the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Serbian Patriarch , met in Constantinople in 1923, where the bishops agreed to the Revised Julian calendar . The original form of this calendar would have determined Easter using precise astronomical calculations based on
5916-490: The northern hemisphere and Easter in the southern. Festivals often serve to fulfill specific communal purposes, especially in regard to commemoration or thanking to the gods, goddesses or saints: they are called patronal festivals . They may also provide entertainment , which was particularly important to local communities before the advent of mass-produced entertainment. Festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics also seek to inform community members of their traditions;
6003-480: The observance of Easter by the church to the perpetuation of pre-Christian custom , "just as many other customs have been established", stating that neither Jesus nor his apostles enjoined the keeping of this or any other festival. Although he describes the details of the Easter celebration as deriving from local custom, he insists the feast itself is universally observed. Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts , in that they do not fall on
6090-425: The paschal lunar month is designated by convention as the Paschal full moon , although the 14th of the lunar month may differ from the date of the astronomical full moon by up to two days. Since the ecclesiastical new moon falls on a date from 8 March to 5 April inclusive, the paschal full moon (the 14th of that lunar month) must fall on a date from 22 March to 18 April inclusive. The Gregorian calculation of Easter
6177-469: The question with Anicetus (bishop of Rome). The Roman province of Asia was Quartodeciman, while the Roman and Alexandrian churches continued the fast until the Sunday following (the Sunday of Unleavened Bread), wishing to associate Easter with Sunday. Neither Polycarp nor Anicetus persuaded the other, but they did not consider the matter schismatic either, parting in peace and leaving the question unsettled. Controversy arose when Victor , bishop of Rome
6264-537: The requirement in Jewish law that Jews eliminate all chametz , or leavening, from their homes in advance of Passover, and to the allegory of Jesus as the Passover lamb . As the Gospels assert that both the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus occurred during the week of Passover, the first Christians timed the observance of the annual celebration of the resurrection in relation to Passover. Direct evidence for
6351-527: The same events are commemorated with the names of days all starting with "Holy" or "Holy and Great", and Easter itself might be called Great and Holy Pascha. In both Western and Eastern Christianity, Eastertide , the Easter or Paschal season , begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the 50th day, Pentecost Sunday , but in Eastern Christianity the leavetaking of
6438-414: The same rule but base their 21 March according to the Julian calendar. Because of the thirteen-day difference between the calendars from 1900 through 2099, 21 March Julian corresponds to 3 April in the Gregorian calendar (during the 20th and 21st centuries). Consequently, the date of Orthodox Easter varies between 4 April and 8 May in the Gregorian calendar. Orthodox Easter is usually several days or more than
6525-472: The same time as the above homily. While martyrs' days (usually the individual dates of martyrdom) were celebrated on fixed dates in the local solar calendar, the date of Easter was fixed by means of the local Jewish lunisolar calendar . This is consistent with the celebration of Easter having entered Christianity during its earliest, Jewish period , but does not leave the question free of doubt. The ecclesiastical historian Socrates Scholasticus attributes
6612-654: The screenings of several different films, and are usually held annually. Some of the most significant film festivals include the Berlin International Film Festival , the Venice Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival . A food festival is an event celebrating food or drink. These often highlight the output of producers from a certain region. Some food festivals are focused on a particular item of food, such as
6699-564: The second week of September, but due to cancellations of flights and the muddy ground because of bad weather, it has been moved in the start of August. This has had a great effect as more flights manage to fly; cancellations are now normally due to high winds. In 2003, the weight of crowds returning from the Balloon Fiesta and Ashton Court festival put such a great strain on the Clifton Suspension Bridge that it
6786-759: The special shaped balloons, which have included Rupert the Bear , The Scottish Piper, Bertie Bassett , the Tesco Trolley, Stuart the Minion , and the BBC One Balloon . Many shapes have also attended the fiesta from abroad, over the years a UFO and a beaver have travelled from the US, a kiwi bird from New Zealand, and an upside down balloon from the Netherlands. In the past, the fiesta used to be held in
6873-473: The term Easter was used to translate Passover. Easter traditions vary across the Christian world , and include sunrise services or late-night vigils ; exclamations and exchanges of Paschal greetings ; flowering the cross ; the wearing of Easter bonnets by women; clipping the church ; and the decoration and the communal breaking of Easter eggs (a symbol of the empty tomb ). The Easter lily ,
6960-527: The third Thursday of November each year. Both Beaujolais nouveau and the Japanese rice wine sake are associated with harvest time. In the Philippines, there are at least two hundred festivals dedicated to food and drinks. Seasonal festivals, such as Beltane , are determined by the solar and the lunar calendars and by the cycle of the seasons , especially because of its effect on food supply, as
7047-517: The total there of. There exists significant variation among festivals, beyond binary dichotomies of sacred and secular, rural and urban, people and establishment. Among many religions , a feast is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods . A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable. Most religions have festivals that recur annually and some, such as Passover , Easter, and Eid al-Adha are moveable feasts – that is, those that are determined either by lunar or agricultural cycles or
7134-618: The week before Easter as Holy Week , which in Western Christianity begins on Palm Sunday (marking the entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem), includes Spy Wednesday (on which the betrayal of Jesus is mourned), and contains the days of the Easter Triduum including Maundy Thursday , commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper , as well as Good Friday , commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In Eastern Christianity ,
7221-406: Was apparently rescinded, and the two sides reconciled upon the intervention of bishop Irenaeus and others, who reminded Victor of the tolerant precedent of Anicetus. Quartodecimanism seems to have lingered into the 4th century, when Socrates of Constantinople recorded that some Quartodecimans were deprived of their churches by John Chrysostom and that some were harassed by Nestorius . It
7308-674: Was based on a method devised by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius (or Lilio) for adjusting the epacts of the Moon, and has been adopted by almost all Western Christians and by Western countries which celebrate national holidays at Easter. For the British Empire and colonies, a determination of the date of Easter Sunday using Golden Numbers and Sunday letters was defined by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 with its Annexe. This
7395-543: Was decided to close the bridge to all traffic, including pedestrians, during these events from 2004 onwards. In recent years, the event has diversified to include small scale air displays, attracting the likes of The Blades , Typhoon display team and the Red Arrows . On 10 August 2013, they broke a balloon fiesta record after 74 balloons landed in one field near the former Somerdale Factory in Keynsham . The record
7482-430: Was designed to match exactly the Gregorian calculation. In Western Christianity, using the Gregorian calendar, Easter always falls on a Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, within about seven days after the astronomical full moon. The preceding Friday, Good Friday , and following Monday, Easter Monday , are legal holidays in many countries with predominantly Christian traditions. Eastern Orthodox Christians use
7569-485: Was then broken a year later, when 90 balloons again landed in the former Cadbury's chocolate factory on 9 August. The Balloon Fiesta was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, to avoid gathering crowds at Ashton Court. However, there were mass ascent events for people to watch from a distance, with a one-off "Fiesta Flypast" in 2020, and a "Fiesta Fortnight" of ascents in 2021. One popular attraction
#301698