When is Easter? Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring. That’s why it’s on a different date each year. The word “Easter” comes from “Eostre”, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. Many people celebrate the beginning of spring.
Traditions Easter is also the end of Lent, traditionally a time of fasting in the Christian calendar. So it is often a time of fun and celebration. The Friday before Easter Sunday and the Monday after are a bank holiday in the UK. Some people go to church to commemorate the death on the cross of Jesus Christ.
Symbols Bunnies are also traditional at Easter. Parents buy bunnies or baby rabbits for their children. People eat chocolate bunnies too. The tradition of the Easter Hare, or Easter Bunny comes from a Northern European legend. Long ago in a small village the mothers had no money to buy their children presents for Easter. They painted eggs with lots of beautiful pictures and hid them in the forest near the village. When the children went to play in the forest on Easter Sunday they saw the eggs but they didn't know where they came from. Suddenly a hare ran out from behind a pile of eggs and the children started shouting: " They are hare's eggs!".
Symbols Bunnies, chicks, lambs and flowers (especially lilies and daffodils) are associated with Easter because they are born in the spring. The lamb is also a sign of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The cross was also a well-known symbol before the time of Christ. It was used a special mark on clothes and buildings. However, when Jesus was crucified, the cross became a symbol of suffering.
Easter games with eggs There are two Easter games with eggs: “Hunt the egg” and “Egg rolling”. The legend says an “Easter bunny” hides eggs in the garden and children have to find them on Easter morning. Sometimes the eggs are put in a basket. Egg rolling is very popular in England and it’s an Easter Monday sport. N Children roll hard-boiled eggs down a hill.