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Easter

Historical Festival
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Christian feast celebrating Christ’s resurrection, marking the culmination of Holy Week and the promise of eternal life

Detailed Definition
Easter, the most sacred Christian holiday, commemorates Jesus’ triumph over death, occurring on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. It blends Jewish Passover themes with spring renewal. In poetry—from the “Easter Wings” of George Herbert to modern verse—it symbolizes rebirth, hope, and divine paradox. Poets use eggs, lilies, and dawn imagery to explore transformation, sacrifice, and the mystery of grace, often contrasting crucifixion’s darkness with resurrection’s light as the core of spiritual and poetic renewal.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Donne’s “Easter Wings” uses the feast to explore resurrection through shaped verse; George Herbert’s “Easter” blends joy and sacrifice in lyrical praise; Poets use Easter to meditate on renewal, hope, and transformation; In war poetry, Easter symbolizes unexpected peace and rebirth; Modern verse contrasts Easter’s solemnity with spring’s natural cycles; Easter appears in feminist poetry as a reclaiming of Mary Magdalene’s witness.
Additional Notes
Easter, the Christian celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, is the most important liturgical feast; its timing (first Sunday after first full moon post-vernal equinox) links it to Passover and spring renewal; in poetry, it symbolizes rebirth, victory over death, and paradoxical joy—central to works by Donne, Herbert, and Rilke; essential for exploring typology, hope, and the intersection of history and eternity.
Also Known As
Pascha Resurrection Sunday
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