What is the season of Eastertide and how long is it?

Eastertide is simply another name for the Easter season and refers to the time after Easter when the Church focuses on Jesus' resurrection.

In the English speaking world we have a variety of names for the Easter season that have been historically used.

One example is the word, “Eastertide,” which can even be found on some older liturgical calendars.

What does it mean?

Historically, English speakers would add the word “-tide” to the end of a festival, indicating a period of time after the celebration of the feast.

It comes from an Old English word that simply means “time.”

For many centuries, the feast of Jesus’ resurrection has been called in English “Easter,” which is not the technical term for this season.

In Latin, the name for this season is “Tempore paschali,” which takes its form from the word Pasch or Passover (from which we get the name of the Paschal mystery, the Paschal Triduum, the Paschal candle and Paschaltide).

Eastertide is a full 10 days longer than Lent, giving the Christian people 50 days to bask in the glory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The season ends on Pentecost, when the Church shifts its focus to the coming of the Holy Spirit.