Easter

Easter is the most important festival of the year for Christians. Whilst Christmas is a happy time that celebrates the birth of Jesus, Easter tells us how Jesus sacrificed himself to save others. This resulted in his death and subsequent resurrection.

Easter has many traditions, which vary from country to country, and family to family. Here are some of them:

The Easter bunny

Easter egg hunts are a firm favourite amongst the children, as they scour the immediate areas for the sweet treats from the Easter Bunny. The egg is said to symbolise the rebirth of Jesus, and it also ties into the Pagan festival of Eostre. Rabbits, chicks and eggs are symbolic for those celebrating both Easter and Eostre, and are now used as decorations over this holiday period.

Lamb dinner

Jesus is traditionally referred to as ‘The Lamb of God’, which makes a roast lamb dinner the perfect meal to celebrate with.

Easter bonnets

Many schools have an Easter bonnet competition every year. Traditionally bonnets were bought at the end of Lent, after the end of being frugal and doing without luxuries was over.

Hot cross buns

This delicious treat is actually very symbolic:

• The cross on the top symbolises the crucifixion of Jesus
• The spices inside symbolise the spices laid of the body of Jesus after his death
• Sometimes orange peel is added to represent the bitterness of his time on the cross
• Hot cross buns hung in the kitchen are said to ward off evil spirits and stop fires from occurring

Dying eggs

In Greece, it is traditional to dye the eggs red, to symbolise the blood of Jesus Christ and his resurrection/rebirth which happened because he was the son of God. People can use different shades of red and intricate designs to decorate their eggs.

Easter bonfires

Easter bonfires were originally used to chase away the darkness of winter, and are now used to bring together the community and celebrate the coming spring.

Reenactments

The Philippines (a mainly Catholic country) take Easter very seriously. Every year they nail a handful of people to crucifixes in San Pedro Cutud, to honour the crucification of Jesus. The Catholic church has frowned upon this practice, but it is an annual tradition that brings in thousands of tourists.

There are many ways of celebrating Easter, and they vary across the world. How do you celebrate?