Easter--the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and held (in the Western Church) between March 21 and April 25, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.           The Easter we celebrate today is a curious blend of the religious and the secular; of paganism, Judaism and Christianity.Some say the word Easter is derived from Eostre (also known as Ostara), an ancient Anglo-Saxon Goddess. She symbolized the rebirth of the day at dawn and the rebirth of life in the spring. The arrival of spring was celebrated all over the world long before the religious meaning became associated with Easter. As Christianity grew and spread throughout the world, it was common practice to adopt and modify existing non-Christian festivals and assimilate them into the Christian theology. Because Eostre was the goddess of spring and her symbolism dealt with renewal and rebirth, the Christian belief in the resurrection of Christ fit well with these themes.
         In every other language but English and German, the name Easter is derived from the Hebrew word pesach for 'he passed over', so in Spanish and Italian Easter is Pascua, in French it is Paques, in Portugese it is Pascoa, and so on. Since church proclamation in 325AD, Easter has been celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Vernal Equinox. This date was determined by noting that the Last Supper, as Christians came to know it, was actually a Passover seder, and Jesus's resurrection occured on that Sunday. Passover occurs on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan on the first full moon on or after the Equinox. A further connection to Passover, is the fact that it celebrates the angel of death passing over the houses where the doors were marked with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. Jesus is seen by Christians as the sacrificial lamb whose blood was shed so that they would have everlasting life.**(information from Angelfire.com)

     The meanings are endless...the beginning of Spring, new life as the earth changes, The Passover,  the Resurrection of Jesus...
     However you celebrate it....there is a common thread...the celebration of life....
     Color and hide the eggs, chomp off the ears of a chocolate rabbit, pop a few of the Cadbury mini eggs (my favorite), spend time outside breathing in the new air of spring (unless you have allergies) be thankful for the new life that is within you...
     We all re-generate each day...we awake from sleep, we shed old skin/cells when we shower, we face new issues at work and play and in our daily routines to fall back asleep to renew for another day, if we are so blessed.  Cherish the newness each moment brings you. Cherish your coming to life after the long sleep of winter.  Thank God for the Passover, or praise God for the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, in whom we have eternal life, or thank mother earth for all that is before us.
     Yes, my friends, today is a day of rejoicing...a day of joy bubbling inside you to share with those around you...be like the fountain and splash your joy on someone today!
     Enjoy the seder, the sunrise services, the family dinners.  Rejoice!