Happy Easter

Easter is an important time of celebration for Christians. We give chocolate eggs as presents and send Easter cards to family and friends.  It is the oldest and most important Christian festival.  Christmas is about Jesus the baby. Easter is about Jesus the man, his death on a cross and his triumph over death by coming back to life again.

Palm Sunday (one week before Easter Sunday) is the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the people spread palm leaves in his path to welcome him (Matthew 21:1-11).  In some Churches everyone is given a little cross made from palm leaves.

Maundy Thursday is the day when we remember the last meal Jesus ate with His disciples before his death. He commanded them to regularly break bread together in the future to remind them of His body broken in death and to drink wine together to remember his blood shed for them. Jesus also washed the feet of His disciples to show them how they must have an attitude of service to one another and he told them to love each other as he loved them. (John 13 verses 1-17).

Until 1689, it was custom in England for the king or queen to wash the feet of poor people in Westminster Abbey on Maundy Thursday and then to give them food and clothes. Today hte Quwwn still goes to Westminster Abbey but now she gives out specially made Maundy money. She gives a few people a bag of coins - one coin for every year of her life.

Good Friday signifies the day when Jesus was killed on a cross. The name may once have been “God’s Friday”. Although it is sad for Christians to remember the death of Jesus, it is also a good day because Jesus’ death was a sacrifice for people’s sins and symbolic of good over evil.  (Matthew 26 and 27, Mark 15, Luke 23 , John 19)

Easter Sunday is the day when Christians all over the world celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. Special services are held in all the churches and some Christians hold services to watch the sun rise.

Easter Monday – well, simply an extra day’s holiday!