Everyone knows Easter is celebrated for the day Jesus resurrected from the dead. The question is, how did we end up having egg hunts and baskets overloaded with chocolates delivered to us by a rabbit?

It was the Germanic tribes who originally worshiped the goddess of spring and fertility, Eostre, whose earthly sign was the rabbit. They celebrated this feast on the day of the vernal equinox.

Then the Germans brought the tradition to America, but it was not until the end of the Civil War in 1865 that Christians accepted and began to celebrate the holiday with the Easter Bunny.

Just like Thanksgiving, Easter is a moveable feast because it does not have a set date every year.

Instead, the Christian churches now celebrate the religious holiday the first Sunday after the full moon of the spring vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. It only happens twice a year when the sun is directly over the Earth’s equator.

This means that every year the date of Easter can vary from March 22 to April 25. 

For the year 2011, the vernal equinox was March 20 making the first full moon and Easter on April 24.

 Aside from following the full moon, Easter is also after the 46 days of Lent. This is a period for people to repent their sins and ask for forgiveness in preparation for the most significant festival of the church year.

 Unfortunately, the exact origins of Easter are unknown because many traditions vary depending on the religious point of views.