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Easter
is a spring holiday when Christians celebrate their belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. This event is estimated to have taken place between the years AD 26 and AD 36. Several non-religious cultural traditions have also become part of this holiday and those aspects are celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike. Easter is a “movable feast,” celebrated on a Sunday on varying dates between March 22 and April 25, following the cycle of the moon. Determining the date of Easter is somewhat complex and has been a matter of controversy over the centuries. There is evidence that early Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ every Sunday, with psalms and Scripture readings. At some point in the first two centuries, it became customary to celebrate the resurrection on one day each year. Many observances of Easter were taken from the Jewish Passover. After centuries of dispute, it generally became accepted that Easter is the first Sunday after the first fourteenth day of the Paschal full moon that is on or after the ecclesiastical vernal equinox. Or, more simply put, it is on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. Several other ecclesiastical festivals extending over a period between Septuagesima Sunday (the ninth Sunday before Easter) and the first Sunday of Advent, are also fixed in relation to the date of Easter. The holiday Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or Easter Season. In addition, Easter marks the end of Lent, a season of prayer and penance.
It’s not certain where the word “Easter” comes from, but is probably derived from “Estre,” which is an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. The German word “Ostern” also has the same derivation. Most other languages use the Christian term, “pascha,” which is from the Hebrew “pesach,” for Passover. Other terms include the Latin Festa Paschalia (plural because it is a seven-day feast), which became the basis for the French Pâques, the Italian Pasqua, and the Spanish Pascua, the Scottish Pask, the Dutch Paschen, the Danish Paaske, and the Swedish Pask.
The symbol of an Easter Bunny probably came from “Eastre” or “Ostara,” the Anglo-Saxon
Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, who was often accompanied by a hare when represented. The fertile nature of rabbits and hares is another symbol of new life and the rebirth that occurs during the spring season. German settlers in America are said to have brought the tradition of a rabbit named "Oschter Haws" who would visit houses on Easter eve, leaving colored eggs for children. Easter eggs were painted various bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring. Later, Christians used eggs to symbolize the rebirth of Christ. Another Easter tradition is the eating of Hot Cross Buns, which were marked by the Saxons to honor Eastre, the goddess of fertility. The crosses on the buns are said to represent the moon's quarters. Christians see the cross as a reference to the crucifixion.
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