When Spring is in bloom and Easter is approaching, schools, stores, homes, restaurants, and street corners are adorned with bunnies, eggs, and chicks all in anticipation of the Christian holiday. If you have children, and your family celebrates this Christian holiday, then you may want a quick overview of how to explain Easter to children. Even if you don't celebrate it yourself, you may want to go over how you could go about explaining it to someone, so that you can answer questions any children in your family may have about Easter displays and gatherings.

Of course, lots of kids get excited for Easter because of all the candy and other goodies that tend to find their way into their Easter baskets. And, who can forget the ever-popular hunting for Easter eggs? However, many families include these activities alongside their attending church services, and some families choose to focus solely on the religious meaning behind Easter. This How-To is geared primarily towards parents who want to stress the religious importance of Easter, whether or not they choose to celebrate any other customs (like coloring Easter eggs) at the same time. However, insofar as some of these customs are related to the religious significance of Easter, we'll talk about a few of them.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm

All you'll need for this How-To is a computer and a few minutes of your time; when we're finished, you'll be able to talk about the story of Easter with your children as well as be able to tell them about some of the related Easter activities (like the origin of Easter eggs!) So, let's get started with our discussion of how to explain Easter to children!

The first (and most logical) step to explaining Easter to children is to know the basics of the Easter story. Without this knowledge, it would be difficult to say much of anything!

The story of Easter is as follows: According to the Bible (specifically the Book of Matthew 27:57-60), after Jesus was crucified a former disciple called Joseph of Arimathea took down the body in order to bury it. He wrapped it in a clean sheet, placed the body in a tomb, and rolled a giant rock in front of the entrance.http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27&version=NIV

Matthew 27:62-66 explains that some of the priests who condemned Jesus to death had remembered a claim of Jesus'--that he would rise from the dead after three days. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, told them to take a guard and make the tomb secure; they placed a seal on the rock and posted the guard at the front.http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27&version=NIV

In Matthew 28:1-10, an angel of God comes down to the tomb and rolls away the rock which was placed by Joseph and sealed by the priests. The angel reports that Christ has risen from the dead, and then Jesus himself comes to meet Mary Magdalene and Mary his mother (who were checking the tomb when the angel arrived). He tells them to send his disciples to Galilee, where he will meet them.http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28&version=NIV

Finally, Matthew 28:16-20 explains how Jesus met his students in Galilee and asked them to spread his teachings.http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28&version=NIV The Book of Mark 16:19 attests that Jesus was then summoned to Heaven to be with God.

Now you have the proper background to discuss the story of Jesus' resurrection with your children. Easter celebrates Jesus' rising on the third day after his death.

Of course, just knowing the actual story of Easter isn't going to help explain Easter to a child; the difference is that to explain the story you'll have to go deeper than what appears in the Bible, and discuss certain aspects of the story in an expanded way.

For instance: Why is Jesus' resurrection so important? Well, as we saw in Matthew 27:62-66, Jesus had made a prediction or prophecy of his own death and resurrection. Thus, for this to actually happen (as it says in Matthew 28:1-10) would show the power of Jesus and support the idea of his divinity. Moreover, there is symbolism in the story of Christ's rising from the dead, in the sense that it is supposed to stand for a new beginning for humanity. This may be borne out by an examination of Mark 16:16, which reveals the idea that following the risen Jesus is the path to salvation and to God.

Given all this, what might you want to mention to your children when explaining just what Easter means? Well, the obvious answer is that Easter represents a reminder for those of the Christian faith--it is a reminder of what Jesus went through for humanity, and how belief in his teachings leads one closer to God. Further, it is a reminder of Jesus' teachings by association, and perhaps serves as a day for your family to reflect on certain aspects of your faith.

Hopefully by now you're able to discuss the Easter story with your children, and can offer a bit of interpretation of the significance of the story against the background of a Christian theology and faith. But, this How-To is also geared towards explaining some Easter customs and how they might fit in with the religious aspects discussed above.

First up, a brief history of Easter eggs: According to the Catholic Encyclopedia entry "Easter," eggs became popular at Easter because they were forbidden during the observance of Lent. They were originally dyed red in order to represent the "Easter joy" of the holiday.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm The story about eggs being forbidden during Lent is corroborated elsewhere, and we are reminded that eggs have perennially represented new life and the season of Spring.http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/history/icons/easter_egg.htm As to the actual coloring of eggs, it is said that similar customs for holidays existed even back in the times of the ancient Persian culture.http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/history/icons/easter_egg.htm For families who do not practice Christian beliefs, eggs can symbolize the renewal of life that comes with the Spring and fertility.

As for the Easter Bunny, it is reported that the rabbit is an old pagan symbol http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm that may have been incorporated into Spring celebration festivals (perhaps like the custom of giving gifts on Christmas may have been derived from the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia). The rabbit, a common symbol of fertility, is associated with the pagan spring renewal celebration of Ostara, which falls very closely to Easter.

That's it--you should be ready to explain Easter to a child now, so that they come away with both the history and the importance of the holiday to Christians all over the world.

However, you might want to remember that you should take into account the age and understanding level of the children to whom you're explaining this holiday. Don't be overly complex with younger children, since they may not need quite this much information. But, with older children, you may need to do even more research in order to answer all their questions.