Easter(Easter Day, or Easter Sunday复活节) is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the death and resurrection(复活) of Jesus Christ. But the celebrations of Easter have many customs and legends.
Traditions associated with the festival survive(持续流传) in the Easter rabbit(复活节兔子，它会带彩蛋给乖巧小孩), a symbol of fertility(繁殖力), and in colored Easter eggs(复活节彩蛋), originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg(or Easter eggs given as presents at Easter) rolling contests or given as gifts
The Christian celebration of Easter embodies(包含) a number of converging(集合在一起) traditions with emphasis on the relation of Easter to the Jewish(犹太人的) festival of Passover(逾越节—纪念犹太人自埃及获得自由的节日), another name used by Europeans for Easter. Passover is an important feast in the Jewish calendar(犹太曆) which is celebrated for 8 days and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelis(犹太人) from slavery in Egypt.
Easter is observed(庆祝)by the churches of the West on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox(春分，March 2I). So Easter became a "movable"(可以改变日期的) feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25
Christian churches in the East which were closer to the birthplace of the new religion and in which old traditions were strong, observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival
Holy Week(or Passion Week--复活节前一週) begins with the observance of Palm Sunday(棕树主日—复活节前的礼拜日). Palm Sunday takes its name from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet. Holy Thursday(Holy Week中的星期四—圣星期四) commemorates the Last Supper(最后晚餐), which was held the evening before the Crucifixion(耶苏被钉死在十字架). Friday in Holy Week is the anniversary of the Crucifixion, the day that Christ was crucified and died on the cross.
Holy week and the Lenten season(四旬斋) end with Easter Sunday the day of resurrection of Jesus Christ.Easter Sunday复活节