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 Eastertide is more than Easter Sunday. It is the
defining event of Christianity, and so the Church has always observed it
for longer than the Day itself.
The Passion took place at the Jewish Passover, and 50
days after Passover the Jews celebrated a Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost,
which marked the time of the wheat harvest. (Why 50? Pentecost is Greek
for 50th day, or seven weeks: that is, seven times the period of each
phase of the moon and also seven times the period of Creation).
At Pentecost after the Resurrection the Holy Spirit
descended upon the apostles and the people, so the Christian Pentecost
also marks the end of one church season and the beginning of the next. For
seven weeks, then, we mark our church services as special festival days:
the liturgical color is white or gold; we stand for the Great
Thanksgiving; we keep the Paschal candle lit, we close services with a
special alleluia.
Collects are mostly those written in very early times
(in the current Book of Common Prayer the more important the day the more likely that
ancient elements will be used). Scripture readings are from the New
Testament only, saying what happened after the Resurrection. The Thursday
in the sixth week of Easter marks Ascension Day, when Jesus was lifted up
into heaven.
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