Easter

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Easter is a Christian holiday. According to Christian scripture (a book called the Bible), it's the day that Jesus Christ is said to have returned from the dead. Christians believe that Easter is the holiest day in the year. Easter is a Catholic Holy Day celebrated on the first Sunday, following the first full moon, following the first day of spring. Some people who are not Christians celebrate the beginning of Spring on Easter. The word Easter comes from the ancient German word for April.

Christians believe that Jesus was killed on the cross about 2000 years ago by the Romans in a city called Jerusalem (most of which is in the modern country of Israel). The people who killed him did so because they believed that he was causing trouble for the government and because he was claiming to be God. When they crucified him (meaning they nailed him to the cross), they even hung a sign over his head to make fun of him for this reason. The day he was crucified is known by Christians as Good Friday.

Christians believe that two days after Jesus was killed (on Easter Sunday), his followers searched in his tomb and found that his body was gone. Later, Jesus is said to have appeared to them and preached to them. It was because of this that his followers knew that Jesus was God, just as he said.

Today, Christians celebrate Easter in a number of different ways. They go to church, they colour Easter eggs, and they give each other candy. Sometimes they even give each other baby ducks, chickens, or bunnies as presents, though this is not done as much as it used to be.

At a similar time of the year, Jews celebrate the holiday of Passover.