Easter falls on the last day of March this year, and despite being a central Christian holiday, it is largely forgotten and misrepresented by broad American society.
For most people, Easter is a holiday that signals the beginning of spring – always accompanied by images of colorful rabbits and dyed eggs. To secular society it is a sign that the growth of the new year has begun. It is presented as a follow up to the vernal equinox, the first official day of spring when the sun crosses the First Point of Ares in the sky. Falling each year on a Sunday, it holds no additional special value outside of allowing people to shamelessly buy large amounts of candy and chocolate, and to decorate their lawns with pastel rabbit figures. Kids go Easter egg hunting, adults give each other chocolate rabbits, and the next day, traditionally known as Easter Monday, life goes back to normal.
For Christians, Easter is the holiday that is most important to celebrate, as are the preceding days: Spy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (known together as Holy Week). The Christian faith hinges on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the reason behind Easter. As a Catholic, I’m fascinated by the disconnect modern Christians have with this important day of celebration. It is largely dwarfed by Christmas, which has a larger societal appeal. It is also downplayed by American media as being a routine holiday that people do not truly celebrate. Other religious holy days, such as the month of Ramadan, and the festival of Passover, generally garner more media attention, despite the fact that the majority of Americans identify as Christian.
If the majority of Americans are Christian, then it is up to that majority to restore Easter to its place of honor as the foremost Christian holiday. I think a major reason why Easter is “forgotten,” is due to the removal of Lent, a period of 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday. Christians typically observe Lent by fasting from something. Traditional Catholics, the sub-culture to which I belong, have stricter fasting regulations for Lent, which emphasize the feast day celebration of Easter. Fasting in this way, and deliberately meditating and praying about the events of Holy Week, grant a solemnity to Easter that is otherwise missed by society.
There is one more aspect of celebrating Easter that I think needs to change, and that is mindset. Christians need to learn about the solemnity and preparation that is required to truly celebrate Easter as a holy day. It is not enough to read the Bible and say you are following Jesus if there is no meaning and faith behind those words and actions. Christians “celebrate” Easter, but leave out the rest of Holy Week, which is full of rich traditions and religious insights that offer foundational meaning. Good Friday is key in the days leading up to Easter, but falls by the wayside in terms of the strict fasting and penance attributed to it in past decades.
Easter, through my faith’s traditions and observances, has come to be a beloved holiday of mine. Because I have grown to view it as more than “another spring holiday,” I feel that I am able to participate fully in the richness of the day and what it means for my community.