In the United States, as in most Christian countries, Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is at the end of the Lenten season, which includes a 46-day period beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter. The Lenten season is for 40 days, since the six Sundays in Lent are not actually a part of Lent. Sundays are a commemoration of Easter Sunday and are excluded from the Lenten fast. Lenten season is a time of penitence in preparation for the highest religious festival of the, Easter Holy Week. The last week of Lent starts with the observance of Palm Sunday.
Easter celebrations have many legends and customs, pagan in origin, and have nothing to do with Christianity. Scholars believe the name Easter came from the Scandinavian "Ostra"and the Teutonic "Ostern" or "Eastre," both Goddesses of mythology signify spring and fertility whose festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.
American churches observe Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox, March 21st. Therefore, Easter is a changing date and can occur as early as March 22nd or as late as April 25th. Eastern Christian churches, which were closer to the birthplace of the new religion and where old traditions are strong, observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival.
The celebration of Easter embodies a many converging traditions emphasizing the relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived. Pasch is another name used by Europeans for Easter. Passover is an important date in the Jewish calendar, which is celebrated for eight days and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were raised in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.
Theegg, which symbolizes fertility and new life, is the most identifiable of all the symbols associated with Easter. The traditions and customs of using eggs at Easter have been associated with Easter for centuries. Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter egg rolling contests or given as Easter gifts. Easter eggs were colored and etched with various designs. In the early days, lovers and romantic admirers exchanged Easter eggs, much like valentines. In medieval times, eggs were given at Easter to the servants, and in Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts.
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