Easter

Dying and hiding eggs, candy, chocolate rabbits, spring weather, jellybeans, pastel colors…it's Easter! Easter comes from two ancient traditions –- Christian and Pagan (a very old religion that is centered around nature). Both Christians and Pagans have celebrated death and resurrection (rebirth) themes in early spring for centuries.

• Easter and Christianity
• Easter in the United States
• Other Countries
• How You Can Celebrate Easter

Easter and Christianity

Every year, the Christian holiday celebrates the death of Jesus and his resurrection. Did you know that besides the Sabbath, Easter is the oldest holiday in the Christian religion? The Pagan holiday celebrates springtime and is usually observed on the day or eve of the spring equinox, when the season officially begins.

For Christians, Easter is on a different date every year. Why is this? It has to do with the moon. Usually, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after March 21 (around the spring equinox). As a result, Easter occurs between March 21 and April 25.

The Friday before Easter is known as Good Friday and it marks the day Christ was crucified. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of preparation. Many people give up something they enjoy, such as chocolate, for Lent.

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Easter in the United States

• Every family celebrates Easter differently. Many non-Christian families do not observe this holiday at all.
  
• One common way to celebrate is with Easter eggs. Eggs are a symbol of life, and for Christians, they represent Christ's resurrection.
  
• Rabbits, another common symbol of Easter, have represented life and fertility for many centuries. For Christians, they also symbolize Christ's resurrection.
  
• On Easter, many families go to church in the morning and some services are outside, even at sunrise
  
• For more than 120 years, eggs would be rolled across the lawn at the U.S. Capitol. When Rutherford Hayes was president, he moved the event to the south lawn of his house, the White House. This event is still held today on the White House lawn.
  
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  Other Countries

  • In Mexico, young children smash eggs on other kids' heads the week before Lent, but the eggs are filled with confetti.
    
  • In Bulgaria, people have fights with eggs. If someone comes out of the fight with an unbroken egg, they are the winner.
  
  
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  How You Can Celebrate Easter

  • Even if your family doesn't celebrate Easter, you can help another family celebrate.
    
  • You could hard boil eggs with an adult and then use food dye to decorate them.
    
  • Another great idea is to fill plastic eggs with candy and hide them in the park or in a backyard. Then have an Easter egg hunt with your friends and family.
    
  • For a different more competitive kind of Easter egg hunt, you will need a bunch of eggs that are the same color. Fill all but one with just one piece of candy each, but fill one of them with lots of candy. Whoever finds that egg is the champion.
    
  • You can help a parent or adult cook the Easter meal.
    
  • Organize a separate egg hunt for the younger kids so they get an equal share of the eggs.
    
  • Organize a spoon-and-egg relay race. Everyone gets a spoon and an egg. Each participant must carry the egg to a certain spot and return to where they started. First one back is the winner.
    
  • Organize an egg toss. Have everyone divide into pairs and face their partner. Start a couple feet apart and move further apart each time you catch the egg. If your egg breaks, you are eliminated. Last team to break their egg wins.
  Whether you celebrate Easter yourself, help someone else celebrate or do nothing at all, you can still have fun enjoying the spring weather and spending time with your friends and family.
  
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