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What Is the Story Behind Easter?

Easter is the most religous day of the year, to most christians. It's the day Jesus arose from the dead. It's a festive holiday with spring colors, easter eggs, flowers, and bunnies. How does Jesus's resurrection correlate with eggs and bunnies? How did his resurection correspond with Easter?

Easter has been celebrated, since at least, the fourth century and an annual celebration of the resurrection. Even when some churches did'nt accept some of the religous holidays, Easter has always been a special day for christians.

Before the fourth century, christians celebrated "Pascha or Pesach", adapted from the Jews. Pesach was a celebration of the crucifixtion and resurrection of Jesus, this was celebrated in spring. Many gentile christians did'nt want to accept Jewish traditions but gradually, after the fourth century, Easter became an accepted holiday.

Easter and holidays related to it (passover) are movable feast. They do not fall on a cetain date. The're based on the lunar calender, created by the Council of Nicaea, in A.D.  325. The calculations of their dates are complicated but Easter is celebrated on the first sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinix (March 21st). Easter can be from March 22nd to April 25th. In Western Christianity ,Easter marks the end of the forty days of Lent. During Lent, we fast and pray to prepare for Easter, beginning Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday. Easter has not fallen on March 22nd since 1818 and won't until 2285!

Easter also has a non religous side. During the second century, Easter was originally a pagan festival. The ancient saxons celebrated this holiday for their Goddess of Offspring and Springtime, Eastre. When the christians noticed many tribes were worshipping Eastre, they attempted to change their faith to christianity. The christians slowly, but surely, spread their faith but allowed the tribes to celebrate pagan feasts, Eastre occured at the same time as Christ's Resurrection. Over time, Eastre was converted to a christian celebration and named Easter.

During Easter we have many symbols. The cross is not only a year round symbol, but an Easter symbol also. It symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus.

The Easter Bunny has been an Easter symbol since pagan festivals. It's goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by anglo-saxons via her earthly symbol, the rabbit. The rabbit also means fertilization and growth (springtime).

The egg is a symbol of rebirth ,in most cultures. In the early days, eggs were wrapped in gold leaf or colored by boiling them with pedals and certain flowers.

As with other christian holidays, Easter extends the church. It has always been a time of celebration and feasting. Now a days it's commercially important. Greeting cards, candy, jelly beans, etc., has increased sales during Easter season. Even for people without a nominal faith, Easter and Christmas are celebrated.

All in all, Easter is a time of celebrating the resurrection of Christ. In the beginning, it was a pagan religion, now a religous celebration.