In Italian, it is Pasqua; in French, Pâque; in Spanish, Pascua; in Swedish, Paˇsk; in Russian, Paskha. In English, Easter gets its name from Eostre, the Old English goddess of fertility and dawn. Her festival was during the spring equinox as plants began to grow again and young animals like bunnies, lambs, and chicks were born. The Christian part of Easter is the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
Lent ends with the Last Supper, on Holy Thursday, when it is believed that Christ gave the ceremony of communion to his followers, the twelve disciples, “Take of this bread and eat of it, for it is my body. Take of this wine and drink of it, for it is my blood.” Then Christ was betrayed by one of the apostles, Judas, who sold him out to the Romans for thirty pieces of silver. The betrayal is portrayed in Leonardo da Vinci's fresco The Last Supper by Judas knocking over the salt cellar, a traditional sign of evil. The next day, Good Friday, is the deepest day of mourning in the Christian religion because it is the day Christ was crucified (on a cross made of olive wood), died, and was buried. On Easter Sunday, Christians believe that Christ rose again and ascended into heaven.
Eggs were forbidden during Lent, but were used heavily in ritual foods when the fast was broken on Easter Sunday. They were in special egg breads like Ukrainian paska or Russian saffron-scented kulich. Sometimes the bread is decorated with dyed hard-boiled eggs or shaped into a cross. For Easter dinner, traditional foods depend on geography. In the Mediterranean, it is lamb; in Northern Europe, ham; in England, beef.
The custom of giving painted eggs for Easter dates to the later Middle Ages. Baskets to hold the eggs represent birds' nests. The Easter Bunny with his basket of painted eggs came to America with German immigrants in the nineteenth century. In Washington, D.C., children used the grounds of the Capitol Building as a playground and for egg hunts until Congress, unhappy with the torn-up lawn and tired of voting money to keep repairing it, passed a law against it. However, in 1878, children from Washington, D.C., went to President Rutherford B. Hayes and asked if they could have an Easter egg hunt. The president and his wife Lucy agreed to let the children use the White House grounds. Easter egg hunts have taken place on the south lawn of the White House ever since. It is the largest public event held at the White House, but it is only for children six years old and under.
