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Festivals
The
Christian festival of Easter
 Easter
commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and most Christians see
it as the most important festival of the Christian calendar. It is usually
on the first Sunday following a full moon or follows the spring equinox.
Easter therefore is not always
on the same day and can occur in late March or April.
Easter is at the end of a period
called Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter
Sunday. During this period Christians are expected to prepare for
the festival by fasting. This is usually giving one thing up rather than
going without food. It is a period of penitence and reflection.
 Holy
Week is the last week of Lent and begins with Palm Sunday. It derives
its name from Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey and a crowd who gathered
around him laid palms at his feet. Christians in Jerusalem today commemorate
this event by walking from the garden of Gethsemane into Jerusalem waving
palms.
Holy Thursday, or Maundy
Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper, which was held the evening
before the Crucifixion. The Friday is the anniversary of the day that
Christ was crucified and died on the cross. It is called Good Friday
and church services tend to be solemn affairs. Easter Sunday is
the day of Jesus' resurrection and is the day when the fast is broken.
On this day Christians celebrate the doctrine that Jesus Christ died and
rose again to allow them to live forever in Heaven. It is the fundamental
Christian principle and is a celebration of new life.
In Christian countries people
like to celebrate Easter Sunday with traditions that stem from pagan spring
festivals, such as the belief of an Easter rabbit, which is a symbol of
fertility and the giving of Easter eggs, which are painted with bright
colours that represent the sunlight of spring. However, most people today
give presents in the form of chocolate eggs rather than real eggs from
a hen, as a sign of love and friendship.
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