Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death by crucifixion, being nailed to a cross, almost 2000 years ago.
According to the Bible, the Christian holy book, Jesus was arrested for crimes that threatened local religious and governmental control. He was tried and killed by the Roman governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate, on a Friday, placed inside a tomb, and the tomb was sealed with a large rock.
Three days later, friends of Jesus returned to the tomb to mourn his death and found the rock moved and the body missing. It is believed by Christians that Jesus resurrected, or brought himself back to life, three days after he died. It was this amazing event and the teaching of Jesus that inspired the earliest Christians to form groups, begin teaching and spreading their beliefs. Over two thousand years, this evolved into the religion of Christianity we are familiar with today.
For modern Christians, Easter is a holiday that is celebrated by worshipping at a church service or eating a meal with family and friends. Christians often wear their nicest clothing, or Sunday best, for Easter. Young girls will commonly wear white dresses and boys will wear shirts and ties to church.
A common symbol of Easter is the Easter bunny, a furry rabbit that most often carries a basket full of eggs, which represents fertility and life. The symbols of a rabbit and eggs have remained from ancient pre-Christian holidays that celebrated springtime. Many children enjoy decorating hard-boiled eggs with colors and patterns. These are called Easter eggs.
For the nearly 80 percent of Americans and many Western Europeans who are Christian, Christmas on December 25, which celebrates Jesus' birth, is an even more important holiday. But for Eastern Orthodox Christians who generally live in Eastern Europe, Easter is the most important holiday of the year because it symbolizes the Christian belief in the afterlife, or life in heaven after physical death on earth.