Happy Easter!

...there's a never ending refrain in the return of nature, once
reading it but could not remember the author but I sent the
greetings to nice friends and social networking contacts adding
that whatever beliefs you have, have a nice Easter.
As additional blog post, I'm pasting here a short info on what
Easter is all about. I thought the word must be lacking in
letter N when I was learning English some light years away. It
reminds me all the time of a Manang Ester we had, actually two
Manang Ester (Manang-older sister)and thought then they had
beautiful, meaningful names, Ester.
So here's the brief info I found in another sites
It is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Easter is also the time of spring festivals.
But the celebrations of Easter have many aspects that are pagan in origin and not associated with Christianity. The name Easter is thought to come from the goddess of mythology "Eastre,". She is associated with spring and fertility. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox. Traditions associated with her festival survive in the Easter Bunny, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs that were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and given as gifts.
The Christian celebration of Easter encompasses a number of traditions with emphasis on the relation of Easter to the Jewish Passover. The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Savior as foretold by the prophets. Easter is observed on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox (March 21). So Easter became a feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25. Easter is at the end of Lent. The Lent is a period of penitence in preparation for Easter. Lent ends with Easter Sunday, the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
http://persiankittens.net/Easter/

My Easter Thoughts
Earl J. Prignitz
March 31, 2007
The Resurrection is the most important event in the life of the
Christian Church! Not the birth of Jesus, nor his ministry, nor his
crucifixion are as critical as his Resurrection from the grave.
Obviously the Resurrection could not have happened without the
previous phenomenons occuring. But without the Resurrection the
Church of Jesus Christ would not have survived these many years.
That is my conviction and I hold it strongly.
I have been convinced of this for many years.

After the crucifixion and burial of their master the disciples were
terrified and disconsolate men, hiding fearfully behind barred
doors in an upper room in Jerusalem. They trembled at every
knock on the door; they feared the same fate that had befallen Him.
But after they had been convinced--and they were not easily
assured, as the various Resurrection narratives make quite clear--
they were men transformed.
Fear was transformed into courage, uncertainty into a strong and
radiant faith. Immediatly they were out in the open streets of the
city that had dealt so brutally with their master, proclaiming with
passion and joy the great salvation that had been wrought through
this mighty vindication of His son by the almighty God.

The Resurrection has very little to do with spring, except that we
celebrate Easter then. There is some symbolism involved in those
Easter eggs, in the idea of new life emerging, in the budding of
trees and the appearance of flowers, and in the earth's recovering
from the death-grip of winter. But the Resurrection is so much more.

The Resurrection is the power of God which raised Jesus Christ
from death to life. Ephesians speaks of that power "which He
exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him
at His right hand in the heavenly realms..." (Eph 1:20, NIV).
That is the Resurrection! It transcends season, and it even
by-passes revered religious rites and rituals, because it is
centered in the dust and trauma, the blood, sweat, tears, hopes,
and dreams of all human existence.

Yes, the Resurrection is the Good News that there is life after death
and we can look forward to it with great anticipation. HAPPY EASTER!
I am a retired Friends pastor - 93 years of age and a dedicated
peace lover. I have been a pacifist for well over 70 years. I spent
39 years of my life in one form of ministry or another in
4 different states. I am now living in Friends Fellowship
Community and have been for over 9 years after suffering from
two strokes just prior to that. I am married for the second time to
a lovely woman named Rosalie.My first wife died in 1996 after
we were married for over 61 years.
From
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/23159
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Happy Easter whatever your beliefs are.