EASTER Traditions and Symbols a new life, Betrayal, blind, Fasting, charitable, grave, Passover, worshipers, pagans, Holy

y Week, branches, give up, burial, Jerusalem, Last Supper, close its eyes, luck and welfare, crucifixion, resurrection, Mary, ornamental, reborn, hare, However, Thus. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important feast in the Christian calendar. The churches are filled with_________, the altars are decorated with flowers, and the music proclaims the joy of the season. LENT- Easter Sunday ends a period of preparation for the feast of Easter. This 40-day period of prayer and __________, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance is called Lent. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. During this time people __________ a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to __________purposes or organizations. __________ is the week before Easter, commemorating events in the last days of Jesus' life on Earth. It begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. Special Days in Holy Week:

Palm Sunday the day Jesus arrived in __________. The Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday because the crowds waved palm__________ as they followed Jesus' procession into Jerusalem. It celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of __________. Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), marks the day of the ___________ and the ________ by Judas. Good Friday (Holy Friday), marks the arrest, trial,________ , death and ________of Jesus Christ. Holy Saturday, the Sabbath on which Jesus rested in the_______. Easter Sunday, his ______________.

Easter Eggs: The Easter eggs represent the beginning of _______. This was symbolic of the advent of Spring which brought with it a new life for flora and fauna. The egg itself promises new life as in spring, birds, and many other animals are hatched from eggs. In fact, the Persians, Hindus and Egyptians believed that the world began with a single egg. Easter eggs were first colored by the ______ to resemble the rising sun and announce the return of light. Later, an ancient Christian legend spoke of ______ giving the eggs to Roman soldiers and begging them not to kill her son. Subsequently, Easter eggs became a popular gift to give on Easter to bring _______ to the family. The most popular Easter eggs are definitely the Faberge eggs. The Russian Czar wanted to give his wife, the Empress Marie an extremely unique Easter gift. So he commissioned the famous goldsmith named Peter Faberge to create a special __________ Easter egg for his wife. Easter Bunny and chicks: Rabbits and chicks represent the rebirth of Earth. Spring is a time when the Earth is literally ______. Barren fields become lush green, trees get new foliage and flowers and fruits abound. The Easter bunny is definitely the most beloved symbol of Easter and extremely popular with children. In fact, history indicates that it may have been the _____ and not the rabbit that was associated with Easter. The hare is legendary because it is believed to never ______ not even to blink. Rabbits on the other hand are born____. Hares were thought to be staring at the full moon all through the night. The hare is connected with Easter because the celebration date depends upon the full moon. The hare was also a symbol of fertility linked to the Greek goddess of fertility - Eostre. ______, rabbits are more fertile than hare and far more prolific reproducers. ____, the transition from the hare to the rabbit as a symbol of Easter. According to an old German story, a poor woman hid some brightly colored eggs in her garden as Easter treats for children. While the children were searching, a hare hopped past. The children thought that the hare had left the eggs. So every Easter, German children would make nests of leaves and branches in their gardens for the hare.