Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday is a happy day for Christians because they believe that Jesus rose from the dead on this day. They believe that Jesus' resurrection or coming alive shows that death is not the end of everything. Many go to church to thank God for Jesus' life. Church bells are rung and churches are decorated with flowers such as white lilies which are associated with Easter. The colours in the church change to white or gold which are thought to be the best colours.

There are many customs associated with Easter Day which involve eggs. For this reason Easter Day used to be known as Egg Sunday. For the last two hundred years in Britain the custom of giving children chocolate eggs has been popular while in Europe and America parents hide chocolate eggs in the garden for children to find. In many countries children are given hard boiled eggs and it is also a custom for children to decorate these by painting or dyeing them in bright colours.
Eggs were always thought to be special even before Jesus was born. It is because they are associated with new life when the chick breaks from the egg. After Jesus had risen from the dead it was easy to think of eggs as a sign of new life. So eggs have always been part of celebrations at Easter.

What about your Easter traditions? How do you celebrate Easter?????

What is Easter?

What is Easter?
Easter is the most important Christian festival. Christians are followers of Jesus Christ who lived about 2000 years ago in a country called Palestine. They believe that Jesus was the son of God. At Easter time Christians remember the last week of Jesus' life.

How did Easter get its name?
One belief is that Easter got its name from the Goddess of Spring called Eostre who some people worshipped long before Jesus was born. At that time it was thought that the sun died in winter and was born again in spring when days would lengthen and the sun’s power would return. In Europe, Eostre was honoured as the bringer of spring.

When and how long is Easter?
Easter Day is always on a Sunday, but the date varies from year to year unlike Christmas which is always on December 25. Many years ago Christians decided that Easter Day should be always be on the Sunday following the first full moon after the first day of Spring on March 21. This means that Easter can be as early as 22 March or as late as 25 April. For this reason Easter is called a movable feast. This year, for example, Easter Sunday is on the 12th April.

If you are curious about the next Easter dates, have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter.