Ever wondered why is Easter celebrated? Easter is a joyful and important holiday that is celebrated worldwide by millions of people. This holiday, which falls on different dates each year, is significant for Christians as it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For others, many things might come to mind including family get togethers, Easter egg hunts and a long four-day weekend. We’ve all developed our own Easter traditions but if you’ve ever wondered why we celebrate Easter and why we’re treated to a four-day weekend, read on…

Why is Easter celebrated?

Easter is celebrated by many people across the world and each family has their own fun-filled traditions but the true origin of Easter lays in Christianity. Easter is recognised as a Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died on Good Friday. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ was resurrected and came back to life on Easter Sunday. This event is considered to be a pivotal moment in Christian history, as it represents the victory of good over evil and the promise of eternal life. Whilst many Christians will be marking this in thought and prayer at Church, or with family and friends, this long-weekend is also celebrated by many others with additional modern traditions, such as Easter egg hunts and the Easter bunny.

If you are wondering why the date of Easter moves every year, that’s because Easter is determined by the lunar calendar and is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox (March 21st). This means that Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th.

Why do we have Easter Eggs?

Many of us will look forward to an Easter egg hunt with our families and discovering chocolate eggs of all sizes around our gardens and homes. But, if you’ve ever wondered why is Easter celebrated in this way as we race to fill up these pretty bags with sweet treats, we’re here to help!

We use them often for baking and cooking up delicious meals, but the egg has so much symbolism. Representing new life and new beginnings, eggs throughout history have also been given as gifts to celebrate the start of a spring season to celebrate the return of the sun and the renewal of life. In Christian tradition, the egg is also a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, both in terms of new life and the cracking of the eggshell itself representing the tomb from which Jesus rose.

It has been noted that throughout Lent, the 40 days before Easter, eating eggs was not allowed so this became quite the tasty treat on Easter Sunday. Often hard-boiled with a beautifully decorated shell, the Easter eggs we know today are of the sweeter kind! The very first Easter egg made in the UK was sold in 1873 by Fry’s, with Cadburys hot on their heels in 1875, and so the Easter egg was born!

Modern Easter traditions

Aside from indulging in cocoa-based treats, there are many other modern traditions that many of us take part in across this four-day celebration. Whether that’s getting together with family and friends for a special meal, taking part in an egg race, decorating hard-boiled eggs or attending Easter celebrations in your towns, we all like to make the most of the long weekend. Whatever your beliefs, Easter is a time to come together with family and friends, and to celebrate new beginnings and the promise of new life.

We hope this helped to answer the question of why is Easter celebrated! How will you be celebrating? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. We’re holding our very own Easter egg hunt here on our website all week where you can win a prize a day by finding Mr. B, who’s hiding as a chick! Head over to the homepage for more details…