The Great Fifty Days

What great joy, what rejoicing lives in the hearts of God's people during these fifty days. As Easter, the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord, is the Queen of All Feasts, so the Great Fifty Days of Easter is the heart and center of the Church Year. Alleluia! Christ has risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The following text is from the LC-MS website:

Just as the calendar year is divided into the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall, so does the Church divide its calendar into seasons like Advent, Epiphany, Lent, etc. The weeks following the celebration of Jesus' resurrection are often called the Easter season. There is, however, another phrase that was historically used to designate these days: The Great Fifty days.

The Great Fifty Days begins with Easter Sunday and concludes on the Day of Pentecost. (The word Pentecost actually comes from the Greek word for fifty.) The seven weeks that span the time between Jesus' resurrection and the sending of the Spirit are sometimes even called a "week of weeks."

During these fifty days several customs are often observed that assist in highlighting the festivity of the season.

• The paschal candle is moved from its normal place near the baptismal font to a prominent place near the altar.
• The liturgical color of white is used during the entire fifty days-longer than at any other time of the church year.
• The "Alleluia," which is omitted during the penitential season of Lent, is restored to the liturgy as the premier expression of joy celebrating Jesus' resurrection. 

While such customs may or may not be celebrated in every parish, they point to the fact that the fifty days following Easter are a time of profound joy for the people of God.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!