The History of Easter
Welcome to our History of Easter page.
The Easter Holiday
The Easter holiday is the principal festival of the Christian faith. This is the time when Christians traditionally celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is the third day after his crucifixion. Although Easter has traditions that go back further through history before Christianity even began. Many historians over time have found that Easter brings together the three traditions of Christianity, Paganism and Judaism. People now celebrate the Easter weekend with gifts, celebrations and family gatherings.
The name "Easter" is a very modern addition, and was created from the name of the spring goddess Eostre. It is believed she found a bird that could not fly, so turned it into a rabbit. The rabbit was able to lay eggs, and to say thank you for the second chance the rabbit presented the goddess with a colorful basket of eggs. By the second century the Feast of Easter was well established, and the date and days of Easter became movable. It was decided that Easter Sunday would fall on the first Sunday that followed the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Therefore the dates vary between the 22nd March and April 25th.
In modern culture the dates for Easter will often follow the Passover festival, and the preparations begin on Ash Wednesday. Following "Fat Tuesday" when all over indulgences are finished, and people prepare for Lent. As Lent begins and leads up to the Holy week that ends with Easter Sunday people are preparing for the Resurrection. Although Easter today usually is thought of because of the chocolate and time off work, there is still some amazing history and religious meaning behind it. Easter remains as popular as ever, and many people will celebrate the amazing resurrection of Jesus.
Related Posts
* Easter Trivia
* Easter Quotes
(From History of Easter to Easter Love)
(From History of Easter back to Healing Love Notes Home Page)
Read, reflect and be inspired. If you find something of value on our Easter holiday page, enjoy its gifts and please pass it on to your friends.
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