Animated Easter

Q: What is the holiday of Easter?

A: Easter is a Christian holiday. It is the most important holiday in the Christian calendar. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death by crucifixion. It is believed that, as the son of God, Jesus laid down his life for all mankind, and three days later, returned from death itself. The Holy days are:

1. Palm Sunday: The Sunday before Easter, when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, and the people carpeted the road with palm fronds to honor him.
2. Good Friday: the day Jesus was crucified (killed by being nailed to a wooden cross and left to die) at Calvary
3. Easter Sunday: the day Jesus was resurrected (came back to life)
4. Easter Monday: the holiday to celebrate the resurrection, the day after Easter Sunday. Some churches celebrate Easter Week.

Q: Where does the name Easter come from?

A: Easter is a pre-Christian name. It comes from the name of the Celtic goddess Eostre, the Saxon Lunar Goddess of fertility. Because spring is a time of birth, her symbols are the hare and the egg. The celebration of Eostre was timed to the vernal equinox. The vernal (spring) Equinox is the day in the year where night and day are both the same length of 12 hours, and so light and darkness are in perfect balance. The flowers begin to bloom in spring and the birds return to their summer homes.

Q: Is the date of Easter the same every year?

A: No – unlike fixed holidays, the date of Easter is always a Sunday, anywhere between March 22 and April 25.