Easter is a Christian holiday that symbolizes rebirth and resurrection.
It was first celebrated by the Pagans around the vernal equinox to welcome
the spring season. Although Easter
is a Christian holiday, it embodies many pre-Christian traditions.
The origin of its name is unknown. Scholars, however, accepting the derivation
proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably
comes from Easter,
the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to
whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated
on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival
survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored Easter
eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight
of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.
Easter
also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the
Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days
from Easter Day until Ascension Day, but now officially lasts for the
fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter
Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter.
Easter is termed a moveable feast because it is not fixed in relation
to the civil calendar. Easter falls at some point between late March and
late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity),
following the cycle of the moon. According to the New Testament, Christ
was crucified on the eve of Passover and shortly afterward rose from the
dead. In consequence, the Easter festival commemorated Christ's resurrection.
In time, a serious difference over the date of the Easter
festival arose among Christians.
Easter 
Easter is a Christian holiday that symbolizes rebirth and resurrection.
It was first celebrated by the Pagans around the vernal equinox to welcome
the spring season. Although 
