EASTER

Latin Pascha, Greek Pascha principal festival of the Christian church year, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The origins of Easter date to the beginnings of Christianity, and it is probably the oldest Christian observance after the Sabbath (originally observed on Saturday, later on Sunday); the Sabbath subsequently came to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection. The English name Easter is of uncertain origin; the Anglo-Saxon priest Venerable Bede in the 8th century derived it from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre.