Major festivals and their importance in Christianity

Easter :

Easter is a festival celebrated by Christians to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The date of the festival is not fixed. It is celebrated on the first Sunday of a full moon day after
March 21. It usually falls between March 21 and April 25.
The festival celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and is considered as a rebirth of Christianity.
The earliest references of the celebration of this festival date back to the 2nd century. In ancient
history, many controversies arose regarding the celebration of this festival. The first evidence of
controversy surrounding the festival dates back to the 2nd century, when Bishop Victor tried to
punish bishops of Asia for their celebration of the festival. The controversy was largely
pertaining to the dates of the festival and the rights of celebrating the festival. Easter is a holy
festival for Christians and celebrated by churches around the world. The traditional celebration
of the festival involves a dimly lit church with special prayers sung in praise of Jesus Christ. It is
then followed by an elaborate Sunday mass, with happy music being played in the background.
In some cultures, such as the Polish culture, the celebrations are more pronounced with large
processions being carried out in the church followed by an elaborate mass. During Easter people
are often involved in charitable causes on this day and sing happy prayers in the church to
commemorate the rising of Jesus Christ from dead. Another vital feature of Easter is egg. Egg is
a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Good Friday :

Good Friday the Friday before Easter marks the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified
on the cross for the sins of the world. The term Good Friday might be a bit confusing if you
associate good with happy. Good Friday isnt a happy day, but its name is a reminder that
humans can only be considered good because of what happened on that day.
Some believe that its name was originally Gods Friday, which, over the years, became its
present name. In Germany, Christians call it Quiet Friday (from noon on Friday until Easter
morning, church bells remain silent). Christians in other parts of Europe call it Great
Friday or Holy Friday.
Good Friday is a day of mourning and sorrow for the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and a
reminder that the sins of all people made it necessary for him to die in the first place. Its also a
day of gratitude for the supreme sacrifice that he made.

Christmas :

Christmas (which means "Feast day of Christ") is a Christian holiday that honours the birth
of Jesus (whom Christians believe is the Son of God). However, Christmas is celebrated as a
cultural holiday for non-Christians.
The day known as Christmas Day is celebrated on the 25th day of December. It is one of the
most important days of the year for Christians, along with Easter when the death and resurrection
of Jesus are celebrated. The season of preparing for Christmas is called Advent and begins on a
Sunday about four weeks before Christmas. The Christmas Season (called Christmastide) ends
on January 6 or the Twelfth Day of Christmas, in which Epiphany is remembered.
Christmas is celebrated all over the world, as a religious holiday or as a time of celebration by
Christians and non-Christians alike. The traditions are different from country to country, but they
nearly always include a feast, giving gifts or cards, and enjoying church or public festivities such
as singing Christmas carols and songs.
Christmastime, as it is often called, is in the winter of the Northern Hemisphere, at a time
when there were already ancient festivals. Some of the traditions that are used for Christmas are
older than Christmas, or come from other non-Christian traditions such as Yule. Modern
traditions of Christmas often focus on the giving of gifts. The season for retail stores to sell gifts,
food, greeting cards, Christmas trees, and decorations begins the day about a month before
Christmas Day.

Lent :

Lent, in the Christian tradition, is the period of nearly five weeks before Easter.
Lent is a time in which Christians are supposed to be quiet and thoughtful, preparing themselves
for Easter. They should pray a lot, give money to charities and give up some of the things they
might otherwise do for pleasure. The period of Lent ends at Easter, which is a time of great
celebration as the Christians think of how Jesus had died on the cross but then rose again from
the dead.
Lent is traditionally supposed to be forty days long, because the Bible says that Jesus spent forty
days in the wilderness, in preparation for his death and resurrection.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and finishes at the Ninth Hour of Maundy Thursday (44 days in
the Catholic Church) or on Holy Saturday (46 days) in The Anglican Catholic Church.
Lent is traditionally a time for fasting (not eating much). This tradition was useful because it was
a time when food which had been kept for the winter had to be eaten up before it went bad.
Many Roman Catholics do not eat meat other than fish on Fridays during Lent.

Palm Sunday :
This marks the last week of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week when jesus entered
Jerusalem and faced his trial and death. When he entered the city on a donkey, people threw palm
leaves before him. In many churches palm crosses are given to everyone , and often processions
take place round the church.