EASTER FOR KIDS AND TEACHERS | |||||||||||||||||
 
Easter is the celebration Jesus Christ's return to life after his
crucification. It is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the
full moon following the first day of Spring. This can be any Sunday
between March 22 and April 25. It is the most sacred of all the
Christian holidays or celebrations.
His return from death is called the Resurrection. According to the
scriptures, Jesus tomb was empty three days after his death.
His followers saw him and talked to him after this. Christians
therefore believe that they too can receive new life after death.
Easter is the celebration of this belief.
HOW EASTER WAS CELEBRATED IN ANCIENT DAYS ?
A long time ago, people used to celebrate when Spring arrived.
People used to believe that changes in seasons were guided by spirits
or gods. The blooming of plants and flowers and animals coming out of
their hibernation and the return of birds brought life back to the land. This new life in spring symbolizes the new life Christians gain because of Jesus's death on the cross and his resurrection or back to life again.
In ancient Egypt, Easter was celebrated at the same time Jesus was
crucified during the Passover. This was so for many years. However,
in A.D. 325, a group of men met in Nicacea, now called Turkey, decided
that Easter should be on a different day. They chose the Sunday
following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Vernal means
"spring" and equinox means "equal night". This special Sunday is the
one 24-hour period in spring when both day and night last exactly
twelve hours. This is how Easter is celebrated today. However, many
Orthodox or Eastern Christians wait until Passover and other traditions
to celebrate Easter.
WHAT IS LENT ?
Lent is the forty days special season prior to Easter Sunday.
Sundays are not counted because it is the Lord's Day and should be
celebrated and therefore no fasting. Lent is a period of fasting or
doing without certain foods, praying and repentance. This is to
serve as a reminder of the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness.
Some countries have celebrations like the Mardi Gras, which means "Fat
Tuesday" in French, the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. It
is also called "Carnival" sometimes. In the United States, New Orleans
is the place where Mardi Gras is celebrated on a big scale.
WHAT IS THE HOLY WEEK ?
The Holy week is the last week of Lent. It begins with the observance
of Palm Sunday.
The name, Palm Sunday originated from Jesus's entry in Jerusalem.
The crowd laid carpets of palms on the street for him. The Last
Supper is commemorated on Holy Thursday of special week and Friday is
the anniversary of the crucification of Jesus Christ on the cross. The
Lenten season and Holy week end with Easter Sunday (resurrection of
Jesus Christ).
NAMES OF EASTER
Easter was called Pesach by early Christians. It is a Hebrew name for
Passover. Today, the name for Easter in many cultures in Europe are similar to
the word Pesah. For example :
France - Paques
HOW DID EASTER GET ITS NAME ?
The English name "Easter" is much newer. Before Christianity in early
England, the people celebrated the vernal equinox with a feast honoring
Eastre, the goddess of spring. When the early English Christians
wanted others to accept Christianity, they decided to use the name
Easter for this holiday so that it would match the name of the old
spring celebration. This made it more comfortable for other people to
accept Christianity. Some believed that the word Easter came from an
early German word "eostarun", meaning dawn and white. Newly baptized
Christians wore white clothes as a sign of their new life on Easter.
You may want to think about giving Easter gifts to your family members. Sending gift baskets is a great way to celebrate the holiday and spread joy to the people around you. You can also consider gift baskets when you're looking for Mothers Day gifts..
EASTER CUSTOMS
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