The History of the Easter Celebration

The Easter Act 1928 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to fix the date of Easter to the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April.

The tradition of giving chocolate eggs became popular during the Victorian Era, as advancements in chocolate manufacturing made it more accessible and affordable.

First Lady Lucy Hayes is credited with hosting the first White House Easter Egg Roll in 1878 after the event was moved from the Capitol grounds.

The tradition of the 'Osterhase' (Easter bunny) originated in Germany during the 1700s, where it was believed to judge whether children were good or bad at the start of the season.

In Christian tradition, the egg is a symbol of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus, representing new life and the beginning of a new spiritual cycle.

According to the New Testament, Jesus appeared to his disciples over a period of 40 days after his resurrection before his ascension into heaven.

During the Last Supper, Jesus broke bread and shared it with his disciples, stating that it was his body given for them, a central tenet of the Eucharist.

Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival, which is when the events of the Passion, including his arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection, took place.

Easter is a moveable feast because its date is determined by lunar cycles rather than a fixed date on the solar calendar, meaning it changes every year.

Many Orthodox Christian churches continue to use the Julian calendar to calculate the date of Easter, which often results in a different date than the Gregorian calendar used by Western churches.

In the Western tradition, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox (March 21st).

The 40-day period of Lent is observed by Christians to reflect and do penance, mirroring the 40 days Jesus spent fasting and being tempted in the wilderness.

Lent is the traditional 40-day period of fasting and reflection in the Christian calendar that precedes Easter. Advent is the period leading up to Christmas, while Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.

Easter is widely considered the most significant holiday in Christianity because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which is the foundational event of the faith. Christmas is also highly significant, but Easter is liturgically the most important.

Many scholars and historians suggest that the name Easter is derived from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre (or Eastre), who was associated with spring, fertility, and symbols like the hare and the egg.