Michael Glova, age 14, of Struthers, Ohio, for his question:
HOW IS EASTER SUNDAY DETERMINED EACH YEAR?
The Christian festival of Easter comes in early spring. The name could have come from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring, or the Teutonic festival of spring, Eostur. The Gospels of the Bible tell of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after His Crucifixion. Christians around the world celebrate Easter as a happy time to remember the Resurrection.
The Christian feast of Easter isn't fixed at one spot on the calendar. It is movable. The holiday always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21
Easter Sunday cannot fall before March 22 nor can it fall after April 25. The method for determining the date on which Easter will fall was the work of the Nicene Council in 325 A.D.
Easter has many symbols. The cross has special meaning as a symbol of Christ's victory over death. In many parts of the world, hot cross buns are served during the Easter season, with icing crosses on each cake representing the Crucifixion of Jesus.
The symbol of the lamb came to the Easter holiday from the Jewish Passover. Early Christians interpreted the sacrifice of the lamb as a forecast of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus was thought to be the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
A custom of exchanging eggs started in ancient times. Eggs told of the new life that returns to nature each Easter time. Early Christians in Mesopotamia were the first to color eggs. The idea spread to Europe where red eggs came to symbolize the joy of the Resurrection. England added written messages on eggs that were exchanged with friends and in the 1800s came elaborate candy eggs with windows in one end and tiny scenes inside.
Many children today believe the Easter bunny brings eggs. This tradition probably came from Germany. it is reported that a poor woman dyed some eggs during a famine and hid them in a nest as a gift for her children. Just as the youngsters found the nest, a big rabbit leaped away. The story spread that the rabbit brought the Easter eggs.
In ancient Egypt the rabbit symbolized birth and new life. Some ancient people considered it a symbol of the moon, and it may be that the rabbit became an Easter symbol because the moon determines the date of Easter.
Recalling the 40 day fast of Christ in the wilderness, many Christians celebrate a solemn 40 day period before Easter as a time for fast and prayer. The period of time is called Lent. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, and it honors the events of the last week of Christ's life on earth. It starts with Palm Sunday and includes Maundy Thursday, the day Christians recall the Last Supper. Good Friday is observed as the day of Christ's Crucifixion, wi,th the joy of the Resurrection being celebrated on Easter Sunday.