By Jasmine Durst | Photo Credits to Jasmine Durst
Easter, one of America’s ‘big holidays,’ is celebrated by millions in different ways.
On Thurs., April 2, Charlie’s Lounge hosted an Easter Egg Decorating event from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
They had traditional plastic eggs, both big and small, that opened to fill with assorted candy and trinkets: bracelets, metal ring puzzles, keychains, and fidget toys.
They served snacks and drinks, including strawberries, grapes, blueberries, honeydew, and cantaloupe, cupcakes, lemonade, and water.
There were also a variety of paint colors available to decorate white eggs.
Easter Sunday Worship Service was held on Sun., April 5, in the Weber Chapel Auditorium.
According to Rebecca Denova in World History Encyclopedia, “Easter is the Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth three days after he died from crucifixion by the Roman magistrate Pontius Pilate (c. 30 CE).”
She explained the following as the history of Easter:
Easter Sunday is the culmination of the week-long events that preceded his death, re-enacted every year in liturgical ceremonies known as Easter Week.
The word “Easter” may have derived from the work of St. Bede the Venerable (672-745 CE) who wrote a history of the conversion to Christianity by the Anglo-Saxons in Britain (Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum).
In his writings on the calendar, he claimed that Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon and German fertility goddess, was the local term for the month of April.
Eostre celebrated the renewal of fertility each spring, with symbols that included eggs and rabbits (both ancient concepts of fertility and renewal of the cycles of life).
Outside of Denova’s history of Easter, it is common knowledge that Easter is celebrated in more Christian-majority countries, including the United States.
In the U.S., communities will come together to create Easter egg hunts for children to enjoy, and families will make their traditional Easter meals, whether that includes vegetables, lamb, ham, turkey, carrot cake, deviled eggs, or other dishes.
Like other big holidays in the U.S., such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, families have their own traditions regarding how they celebrate the Easter holiday.
The next event held in Charlie’s Lounge will be Reptiles Day, in honor of National Zoo Day from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Wed., April 8. It is one of their last hosted events of the semester, so make sure to stop by!