Easter is a time of springtime festivals.

It is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox (March 2I). So Easter became a "movable" feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ, and is one of the most holy days in the calendar of Christian churches.

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 is at the end of the Lenten season, which covers a forty-six-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter. The Lenten season itself comprises forty days, as the six Sundays in Lent are not actually a part of Lent. Sundays are considered a commemoration of Easter Sunday and have always been excluded from the Lenten fast. The Lenten season is a period of penitence in preparation for the highest festival of the church year, Easter.

Holy Week, the last week of Lent, begins its with the observance of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday takes its name from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet. Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion. Friday in Holy Week is the anniversary
of the Crucifixion, the day that
Christ was crucified and died on the cross.

Holy week and the Lenten season end with Easter Sunday,
the day of resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Easter Garden

Sign a Basket, Bunny
or an Easter Egg
 

Symbols of Easter

Easter Bells
Are rung in France and Italy throughout the year but they are not rung on the Thursday before Good Friday. They are silent as a way to remember the death of Jesus. They are then rung on Easter Sunday as a way of telling people Jesus is alive again.

The Cross
This is the symbol for the Christian religion as Jesus was put on a cross but then came back to life.

The Easter Lily
The lily was a reminder to the Christians of how Jesus came back to life.

Easter Flowers
Such as daffodil, narcissus and the tulip. Area symbol as they
bloom in the spring.

Pussy Willows
These are especially picked at Easter in England and Russia.
People would tap each other on the shoulders with a branch
of the pussy willow for good luck.

Lambs
The lamb is a symbol as people thought of Jesus as the Good Shepherd
who would watch over them as they were lambs.

Rabbits
Rabbits are reminder of spring and new life. They were the favorite animal of the spring goddess Eastre.

The Egg
These are a symbol of spring as well as Easter. They are a sign of new life.

Chicks
The chicks are born from eggs and are a reminder of spring and Easter.
 

Jelly Bean    Prayer

Red is for the blood He gave,
Green is for the grass He made,
Yellow is for the sun so bright,
Orange is for the edge of night.
Black is for the sins that were made,
White is for the grace He gave,
Purple is for the hour of sorrow,
Pink is for the new tomorrow.

A bag full of Jelly beans,
Colorful and sweet,
Is a Prayer...is a promise...
Is an Easter treat!

- Unknown