This is the time of spring, the time of new life. The trees and grass are getting greener and Mother Nature looks beautiful.

For Christians, this is the time to celebrate Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the most important festival to Christians. Prior to this celebration of Easter, there is a preparation time of forty days, known as the Great Lent, in which the Christians observe special prayers and fasting The week that starts with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday is known as the Holy Week or the Passion Week.

On Good Friday, Jesus was crucified and buried, but on Sunday, the third day, He rose from the dead and appeared to the Holy Women and his disciples. His sacrifice and resurrection gave a new hope and new life to mankind.

Easter is the festival of freedom; freedom from sin, freedom from slavery and freedom from death. Let us all rejoice in Him and glorify Him for this freedom and new hope that He has given us. Easter gives us the message of eternal life, everlasting truth, and ever-shining light.

Easter Sunday falls between March 22 and April 25. According to history, the Church Council of Nicaea established the date of Easter Sunday in AD 325.

The celebration of Easter varies from place to place. On easter Sunday, the churches are filled with faithful worshippers, proclaiming the resurrection and glorifying the resurrected Lord. The altars are decorated with white lilies, and sweet fragrance flows in the air.

In the United States, on Easter Sunday, there is a large egg rolling ceremony on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C. People come with decorated baskets full of colored eggs. Bands play and the members of the presidential family talk with children and shake their hands. After the ceremony, the children roll the eggs down the White House lawn.

Symbols of Easter

Easter Egg are one of the best-known Easter Symbols. They symbolizes the renewed life. Since ancient days the egg is said to be a symbol of life because in all living things, life begins with an egg. Many people still color eggs as a part of Easter celebration and decorate them with fancy patterns.

The different colors have different meanings:

Red for the blood that Jesus gave

Green for the grass that He made

Yellow for the sun so bright

Orange for the edge of night

Black for the sins that man made

White for the grace he gave

Purple for his hour of sorrow

Pink for our new tomorrow

Easter Baskets symbolize the nests, where the Easter Bunny laid the Easter eggs, Baskets are used for colored eggs and other goodies for children.

The White Lily is the special Easter flower. It is the symbol of the Resurrection. The large pure white lilies remind the Christians of the divine new life that comes through the Resurrection of Jesus. The Lilies are also called Passion Flowers, which refer to the Passion of Christ.

The butterfly is another commonly found symbol of Easter. The life cycle of the butterfly symbolizes the life of Jesus Christ. The first stage, the caterpillar stage, stands for the Jesus life on Earth. The cocoon stage symbolizes the crucificion and burial of Jeus . The final stage, the butterfly, represents His rising from the dead in a glorified body.

There is a beautiful poem related to Easter written by Helen Steiner Riceâ€

â€œLet not your heart be troubled

Let not your soul be sad

Easster is a time of joy

When all hearts should be glad,

Glad to know that Jesus Christ

Makes it possible for men

To take their sins forgiven

And like Him, to live again

So at this joyous season

May the wondrous Easter story

Renew our faith so we may be

Partakers of â€œHis Gloryâ€

Jesus Christ is unique. He is the only one who rose from death. The Christian life stands on this fundamental truth. â€œAnd if Christ is not risen your faith is vainâ€ (1 Cor 15:17) Jesus still lives among us, which is reality just like sunlight. He is not merely is historical person, but He is the King of kings, wh controls history.

Wishing a Happy Easter to all the Readers!!

Easter Wishes (Saroja Varghese, New York)