Yay, it’s Easter! Time for religious celebrations, eggs, chocolate, and family gatherings! Some folks celebrate for different reasons, and this is okay. Whether you’re a church goer, or not, I hope everyone has time for some egg hunting, eating, and time to hang with your friends or family.

Here are some fun facts I found about Easter on Bing and other searches:

• Did you realize that Easter’s date often changes? Easter Sunday can fall anywhere between March 22 to April 25. Easter is based on the lunar calendar (moon) rather than our more well-known solar one, thus the variation in the date.
• Why the name Easter? The most popular answer is that the name Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe.
• How does Easter translate in religion? The Greek word translated “Easter” in Acts 12:4 is pascha, and refers to Passover, which was always kept on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan (Abib). It was Passover, not Easter, that God commanded His people to observe, and they did so throughout early New Testament time.
• Christian’s Celebrate: The resurrection of Jesus Christ which occurred on the third day after he was crucified on the cross. Back in the day, decorating Easter eggs was traditionally a symbol of the empty tomb. This tradition is called Pysanka. Christians believe that Easter eggs symbolize new life and resurrection.
• The week before Easter has a couple names: Holy Week and Passion Week. This week contains Palm Sunday, Maudy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the Passover (Wednesday).
• How much money is spent on Easter? According to Statistic Brain in 2017, the total monies spent on Easter candies was $2.1 billion and total amount on Easter related goods $14.6 billion!

Hope everyone has a fantastic day!

P.D. Pabst

Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.