Facts About Easter
Easter is a Religious Holiday
Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which occurred three days after he was crucified. In some religions, Easter is the most important religious holiday - more important than Christmas.
The Date of Easter
Easter can fall on a date anywhere between March 22 and April 25. This is because it must fall after March 21, and it must fall on the Sunday following the full moon. For instance, if March 21st was a Saturday having a full moon, then March 22 would be Easter.
- The last time Easter fell on March 22 was back in 1818 - and the next time it will fall on that date is 2285!
- In 2008, Easter will be on March 23 - and it will not fall on that date again until the year 2160.
- The date cycle of Easter repeats itself every 5,700,000 years.
- The most common date that Easter falls on is April 19.
The Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny is believed to be from German folklore, when a goddess of the spring named Eostre saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning it into a rabbit. Since the rabbit has once been a bird, it could still lay eggs.
Some people have begun calling the Easter Bunny the "spring bunny" to remove any religious conotations from the holiday. Good luck with that!
It is a tradition with some families to leave out carrots for the Easter Bunny, much like cookies and milk are left out for Santa.
Easter eggs are given to celebrate the holiday. Traditionally they are first decorated using dyes or paint.
More recently plastic eggs are becoming common, with candy or surprises being placed within the egg.