ORIGINAL Easter Vocabulary

From the warmth of that fraternal meal at what would be His "Last Supper" on Holy Thursday, to the anguish of blood, sweat, and tears only hours later in His "agony in the Garden," as one of his dinner guests betrays Him, the others all-but-one abandon Him, and the leader He had appointed denying Him three times. Fox News

In the 7th century CE, the Vatican adopted a ritual practiced in Jerusalem where a piece of the True Cross was venerated on this day. A large form of a crucifix with the body of Jesus is uncovered and participants kneel and kiss the wounds and feet. World History Encyclopedia

In varying ways, all four of the gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) state that those who believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection are given “the gift of eternal life,” meaning that those of faith will be welcomed into the “Kingdom of Heaven” upon their earthly death. History.com

St. Paul said that without the Easter proclamation of Christ's resurrection from the dead the Christian faith would be "futile." The New York Times

The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles, also known as “Maundy Thursday”), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed) and Easter Sunday. History.com

At Easter, rosy pink hues are also symbolic. Pink symbolizes jubilant new beginnings and joyful hope. It's reminiscent of the pink found in the sky at the dawn of a new day. Southern Living

Through the centuries, an Easter liturgy was developed in the churches as both a memorial to the events and a re-enactment. The form of the liturgy is taken from the gospel story known as the Passion Narrative (from Latin for 'suffering'), highlighting the suffering and torture of Jesus during the last days of his life on earth. World History Encyclopedia

The Holy Fire is considered a miracle occurring every year on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. BBC News

In the Christian church, rose is color of Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, and 21 days before Easter. Laetare means "to rejoice," and this Sunday is meant to be a break during Lent's time of sorrow and penance and to remind us of the upcoming celebration of Easter. Southern Living

The resurrection of Jesus, as described in the New Testament of the Bible, is essentially the foundation upon which the Christian religions are built. History.com

For Gentiles, the story of a dying and rising god would have sounded quite familiar. There were native cults known as "mystery cults" that required secret initiation rituals. The major ones were centered on gods and goddesses, such as Demeter and Dionysos, who had suffered death but then were resurrected to life again. World History Encyclopedia

Rooted in more than 2,000 years of ritual and rite, Easter commemorates the central event in the Christian church: the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Christians see as fulfilling the biblical prophecy of a messiah who would rise from the dead and give eternal life in heaven to those who believe in him. National Geographic

In the Roman Catholic tradition the vigil has four parts: the celebration of lights focused on the Paschal candle; the service of lessons called the prophecies; the administration of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation to adult converts; and the Easter mass. Britannica

'Harrowing' was an Anglo-Saxon term for raiding, such as Viking raids, and the tradition claimed that on Saturday, Jesus went to Hades and fought with the Devil to retrieve the souls of the righteous. Apparently, there had been concerns about the salvation of some ancient people who had lived before the manifestation of Christ on earth. World History Encyclopedia

God’s mercy will be granted not just to those who have been formally baptized and believe in Jesus as their savior, but also to all mankind.
The New York Times

Notably, Easter is also associated with the Jewish holiday of Passover, as well as the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, as described in the Old Testament. These links are clearly seen in the Last Supper, which occurred the night before Jesus' arrest and the sufferings Jesus endured following his arrest. History.com

It was during this festival that Jesus was executed by Rome. After his death, his body was placed in a nearby tomb. His women followers went to the tomb on Sunday morning, only to find his body gone. World History Encyclopedia

Purchasing a new holiday outfit may seem like a 20th century commercial invention, but even early Christians followed the practice of wearing new clothes for Easter. In America, stores quickly caught on to the idea that putting out Easter outfits and sales during the season would help them sell fancy bonnets or suits. Good Housekeeping

No Easter is complete without candy. Exchanging chocolates and other sweets during the holiday gained popularity in Europe during the mid-19th century, as companies developed methods for mass producing sweets and unveiled confections in fancy holiday shapes and packages, like Cadbury eggs. Good Housekeeping

The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the appellation used for Jesus in Scripture (“behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world,” John 1:29) and the lamb’s role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel. Britannica

The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The church prohibited the eating of eggs during Holy Week, but chickens continued to lay eggs during that week, and the notion of specially identifying those as "Holy Week" eggs brought about their decoration. Britannica

In early Jewish history, lambs were sacrificed as offerings to God and served regularly as part of the Passover feast. Good Housekeeping

The Easter rabbit is said to lay the eggs as well as decorate and hide them. Britannica

While most European languages refer to the Christian holiday with names that come from the Jewish holiday of Passover, such as Pâques in French or Påsk in Swedish, German and English languages retain this older, non-biblical word: Easter. Smithsonian Magazine

Those sugary-sweet marshmallow candies were created in the 1950s by Sam Born, founder of the Just Born candy company. He set up shop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, making these treats especially appropriate for Easter. Good Housekeeping

City-goers often promenaded New York's Fifth Avenue to show off their new attire after church, eventually leading to the creation of the famous Easter Parade. Good Housekeeping

Because it's Easter, most of these goodies are decked out in beautiful pastel hues, including the unicorn bark and striped mini cheesecakes. Country Living

If your family plans to celebrate, challenge them with a timed scavenger hunt, where they search the indoors and outdoors for colorful eggs. Good Housekeeping

In the Orthodox tradition eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Britannica

The day before had been the last day of Easter vacation, so I had tried to eat up most of the candy that was left over. Bad Boy