This year, to make a friend or family member’s Easter a little more special, try sending them a free eCard. Free eCards are fast becoming the quick and inexpensive way to say thank you or congratulate people.
Easter is the conclusion of Holy Week as well as the season of Lent, which is a period of forty days, excluding Sundays, symbolizing Jesus Christ’s forty-day fast in the desert, during which devout Christians perform works of spiritual cleansing and penance.
The goddess of spring worshiped by northern and central Europeans before the introduction of Christianity was called Eostre, believed to be derived from the word “east” and from Easter. The more joyous of the two major Christian holidays, Easter not only marks the resurrection of Christ, but also the revitalization of the natural world.
Although it is the oldest Christian holiday, the Church did not fix the date of its celebration, the first Sunday after the full moon after the vernal equinox, until the year 325 AD. The significance of the vernal equinox has been a factor in the celebrations of many ancient cultures, from the Romans to the Egyptians, and it is on these seasonal festivals that the symbolism of Easter is largely based on.
Since Jesus and his original followers were Jewish, Passover is also inextricably linked with the Passover celebration. For example, what is now known as the Last Supper is believed to have been a Passover Seder.
As with Christmas, Easter is a religious holiday that has become secularized over the centuries of its observance. Due to the great appeal of its customs, people all over the world celebrate the holiday as an opportunity to reunite with their loved ones and enjoy the arrival of spring.
Two of the most recognized Easter symbols are rabbits or hares and eggs, both symbols of fertility, rebirth, and continuity of life. Eggs are even more significant because their consumption was originally prohibited during the Lenten season.
Thus, they were reintroduced into the diet of devout Christians during the traditional Easter meal, for which occasion they were painted to express the joy and delight identified with the festivity.
Painting eggs may originally come from the spring festival practices of the Egyptians and Persians. The custom remains very popular, especially in Europe, where painted eggs are given to friends, family and children as a symbol of life, and among children as a fun activity to celebrate Easter.
In the United States, the belief that the Easter bunny really lays eggs laid the foundation
for the Easter egg hunt, in which the eggs are hidden in the yard or garden for the children to discover. Egg-rolling contests, such as the one held annually on the White House lawn, are also common.
Unlike the purple vestments worn by Catholic clergy during Lent, the Pope wears white robes as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection.
The date of Easter Sunday can vary up to 35 days from one year to another.
Millions of free eCards are sent out every year, and this year you should try sending a few too and make someone’s day a little more special.