The Easter holiday and season in itself is the most religious and important holiday of the Christian religion. Coming from a Catholic upbringing as I did, there was always a lot of ritual and practices involved every year since I can remember. We have eaten the same food, gone to the same church services, said the same prayers, and sang the same songs on Easter ever since I can remember.
Many of the rituals used at Easter time are derived from The Bible and the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of Christ is at the center of the Catholic faith. The Church devotes eight days of worship to retelling the Resurrection narratives. From Easter to the following Sunday the readings at Masses present one by one the many New Testament accounts of the appearances of the risen Lord. The four Gospels, written 30 to 70 years after the Resurrection, tell us what happened in different ways. "Each Gospel narrative should be allowed to contribute its own wealth to what we know and believe about the risen Christ (Urban, 74).".
The Easter season itself begins forty days before the actual holiday. These forty days (which are referred to as Lent or the Lenten season) signify Jesus Christ's journey on planet earth and finally ending with His resurrection. During this time, there are rituals that take place. For example, many Catholics choose to partake in the ritual of "the Stations of The Cross." This is to remember and make one aware of the sacrifice and journey that Jesus Christ took to die for one's sins. .
During the first week of the Lent, it is tradition to not eat any meat or dairy products in an effort to recreate the sacrifice that Jesus experienced on Earth. Many people also choose to partake in "giving up" a certain food or habit. (i.e.: eating chocolate, smoking).
Towards the end of the Lenten season, there is a lot more ritual that takes place in the Catholic religion.
