The Story of Easter 复生节的故事

Easter(Easter Day, or Easter Sunday复生节) is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the death and resurrection(复生) of Jesus Christ. But the celebrations of Easter have many customs and legends.
Traditions associated with the festival survive(继续撒播) in the Easter rabbit(复生节兔子，它会带彩蛋给灵巧小孩), a symbol of fertility(繁殖力), and in colored Easter eggs(复生节彩蛋), 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(包括) a number of converging(调集在一起) traditions with emphasis on the relation of Easter to the Jewish(犹太人的) festival of Passover(跨越节—留念犹太人自埃及取得自在的节日), 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"(能够改动日期的) 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--复生节前一週) begins with the observance of Palm Sunday(棕树主日—复生节前的礼拜日). Palm Sunday takes its name from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet. Holy Thursday(Holy Week中的周四—圣周四) commemorates the Last Supper(最终晚餐), 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.