Easter

Easter is a very significant day in the Christian religion. It defines and redefines the entire scriptures of Christianity. The three events in the life of Jesus Christ mark the three days of significance among Christians: birth, death and resurrection. Birth is Christmas, death is Good Friday and resurrection from the dead is celebrated as Easter. Although Christians are divided into numerous denominations, these days hold significance among all. According to the scriptures Easter marks the return of hope in the lives of humankind; hope of forgiveness and an eternal life. For, it is believed that Jesus Christ died for the sins of humans, sparing them the punishment of their sins, which was death, thereby, claiming the victory over Satan and his evil schemes of tempting humans to commit sin so that they would never return to God.

History/Significance
The story of Easter, Good Friday and Christmas are connected and starts as soon as the first book named Genesis in "The Bible". When Eve and Adam commit their first sin, God comes to them and abandons them from the Garden of Eden. Here he also says that a savior will be born from a woman's womb in the form of a human being. This savior will save humanity from all sins and its consequence. So Jesus was born and lived a life without sin. Then He was crucified for the crimes that He did not commit. Because He sacrificed himself for the sin of humans and He was without sin, He came back to life on the third day. So it is believed that He was crucified on Friday (Good Friday) and rose again on Sunday. This was termed as His resurrection. Later, He was believed to have been lifted up to the heavens in His flesh and body.

Celebrations And Rituals
The rituals of Easter start from one month or forty days before the exact date. Forty days before Easter, Christians keep a fast known as Lent, during which they give up something that they cherish most. This can be anything, right from giving up eating meat or even chocolate to eating just once a day. The point of this fast is to spend time in penance and prayer. Although traditionally this fast is for forty days, some people also keep it for one week or a day. The Sunday that comes before Easter is known as the Palm Sunday. It was the day Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem. It is called Palm Sunday because palm leaves were spread out for him welcome. The Friday after this is the Good Friday, the day of crucifixion. Usually evening prayers are held on this day to remember the sacrifice of Jesus. Holy Communion is held on this day. It is a ritual that commemorates the last supper Jesus had with his disciples when he told them that he was going to be crucified. Wine and bread are taken as holy sacraments wherein the wine signifies blood and bread signifies flesh. The Saturday is kept as a day to be spent in prayer. On the Sunday of Easter, usually a very early morning church service is kept.

Commonly Celebrated
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday that falls after the full moon. This is according to the Jewish Lunar calendar. Usually according to the Gregorian calendar, it falls somewhere in April. It is celebrated throughout the world wherever there are Christians. It is celebrated in many different ways. As Christianity has spread throughout the world, each region has its own cultures and traditions pertaining to the festival. As Christians put it, Easter symbolizes God's unconditional love for humankind. It also symbolizes the victory of good over evil. It brings forth a time of repentance and forgiveness. Every Christian household rejoices this Sunday morning with a renewed hope of starting afresh.