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Easter Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. It is the commemoration of Jesus’’ death and his rising from the dead, also known as the resurrection. It comes at the end of Lent. The week leading up to it is called Holy Week. Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus’’ arrival in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Crowds of people came out of the city to greet him, throwing down palm branches on the road. Many churches give out small crosses made from palm leaves, as a reminder of Jesus’’ entrance into Jerusalem and his death on the cross. On Thursday Christians remember when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine, which is now known as the Last Supper. Since then this meal has been symbolically re-enacted by many Christians as a way of drawing closer to God. This is called the Eucharist, which means ’’thanksgiving’’. It is a reminder that Jesus sacrificed his life for mankind. The Bible tells us that, later that night, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. After his arrest, Jesus was brought before the Jewish high priests who found him guilty of blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God. They handed him over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. As was the custom at the time of the Feast of Passover, Pilate gave the crowds the choice as to which of the two prisoners should be freed: Jesus, or Barrabas, a notorious criminal. Ironically, the same crowd who had welcomed Jesus with palm branches a few days earlier now chose Barrabas to be released, and Pilate condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion. On Good Friday, many churches hold 3 hour services meditating on the events leading up to Christ’’s death: his interrogation, flogging, the mocking by the Roman soldiers, and his journey with the cross to Golgotha, the place of his death. Finally he was stripped naked and nailed to the cross, where he hung in agony for three hours, jeered at by the crowds, before he died. This is the day when people traditionally eat hot cross buns, because the cross on the bun is a reminder of the cross Jesus died on, and a reminder of the Christian belief that Jesus died to save us all. Easter Sunday marks Jesus’’ resurrection. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, followed later by some of Jesus’’ disciples. They discovered Jesus’’ body had gone and that the tomb was empty. Jesus then appeared to Mary and many of his disciples, speaking with them on separate occasions during the following forty days. As he left them for the last time, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit so the disciples would know God would never leave them. He then ascended into heaven. The Church celebrates this on Ascension Day. Why do we eat Easter eggs at Easter For Christians, Easter eggs symbolize new life. They believe that, through his resurrection, Jesus defeated death and sin and offers people the promise of eternal life if they follow his teachings. This is why there is a tradition for Christians to be baptized at Easter, which celebrates new life in God. However, the festival of Easter stretches back to pre-Christian times, too. It gets its name and some symbols, including the Easter Bunny, from the Pagan Spring Equinox festival, which is a celebration of spring and also of new life. Where are the accounts of Easter In the Bible The account of the Easter story can be read in Mark, Chapters 14 to 16, or Luke, Chapters 22 to 24, and elements of it can be found in the other gospels too. Many of the events in the Easter story are foretold in the Old Testament in Isaiah chapter S3. Why does the date of Easter change from year to year The date of Easter Sunday varies from year to year because it is based on the lunar calendar. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, on or after March 21st. Do rabbits lay eggs No, but young children in the West believe they do. Children in Europe, America and elsewhere ran around like crazy on Sunday, March 27 this year, trying to find candies and colored eggs. The traditional idea is that eggs are laid by Easter bunny (小兔子). Easter is the celebration of the triumph of life over death. It is a very important festival for Christian worldwide. At this time they remember the rebirth of Jesus Christ. In Christianity, people believe that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after he was killed. On Easter Sunday, people eat boiled eggs and give them as gifts to friends and children. The Romans believed that "a life comes from an egg". Christians consider eggs to be the "seed of life". So eggs became symbolic of the rebirth of Jesus Christ. Originally, eggs were painted bright colors to represent spring’’s sunlight. Two traditional egg games are the Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Roll. On Easter morning, children look for the eggs that the Easter Bunny has supposedly hidden around the house of garden while they were asleep. Sometimes prizes candy are awaiting the child who finds the most eggs. Today, the eggs are prizes in themselves as they are chocolate. The point of the Easter Egg Roll is to see who can roll an egg the farthest or who can roll it without breaking it. It is usually down a grassy hillside or slope. The game has been connected to the rolling away of the rock from Jesus Christ’’s tomb when he was reborn. In the US, Dolly Madison, the wife of the fourth American President James Madison, organized an egg roll in Washington, D.C. in the early 1800s. She invited the children of Washington to roll boiled eggs down the hilly lawn of the new Capitol building. The custom has grown. Today, Easter Monday, the day after Easter Sunday, is the only day of the year when tourists are allowed to wander over the White House lawn. The wife of the president sponsors it for the children of the entire country. But the event is only open to children 12 years old and under. Adults are allowed only when accompanied by children. On Easter Sunday, families have big breakfasts together. Parents then hide Easter baskets with sweets, eggs and small presents. What Is Easter Bonny The hare and the rabbit were the most fertile animals known. So they served as symbols of the new life during the spring season. In ancient times before Christianity, parents told their children that the magic hare would bring them presents at the spring festival. The presents were often painted eggs as these represented new life starting at this time of year. Hares are like rabbits. But are larger and in many countries quite rare. In most places, the Easter rabbit (bunny) has replaced the Easter hare completely. In Germany, America and some other western countries, children made nests of grass or baskets and placed them in their yards. They believed the Easter Bunny would fill these baskets with brightly decorated eggs during the night. What is Easter lily The Easter lily is another tradition. White lilies are used as church decorations on the Easter holiday. They are also used as Easter gifts. Many Christians now re-enact Last Supper to symbolize Judas Iscariot’’s betrayal of Jesus.