Easter, a traditional holiday celebrated in America by Christians, is just around the corner. When Easter comes to mind, one can imagine eggs of all different colors laying around a field, chocolate bunnies and candy given by the Easter bunny, celebrations with ones family and also depictions of Jesus Christ.

Easter is a Christian holiday where Christians remember the death of their savior and celebrate the resurrection from the dead. Early Christians believed the egg represents new life and a tomb, from which Jesus rose from after dying according to Christian doctrine.

In America, Easter is a way to bring people together regardless of beliefs. The American celebration of Easter is pretty laid back compared to other cultures who go above and beyond and really celebrate.

“At my church there is usually an egg hunt for all the kids,” Kami Acevedo, sophomore psychology major, said.

But why do we hunt for eggs on Easter? The early Christian church had made an egg to be a symbolic ornament of sorts used to represent new life through Jesus Christ. However, Easter egg hunts date back to Germany. In fact Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant reformation organized an egg hunt around Easter for his congregation.

With a complex history, Easter has come a long way to be what we know it today. Many cultures celebrate this religious holiday in their unique way, and others simply do not celebrate it.

“I really don’t celebrate any religious holidays, I used to be atheist, now I would consider myself agnostic,” said Shayna Nguyen, freshmen general studies major, said.

“I usually work on holidays at the homes for the mentally disabled, but I will celebrate with my clients and throw them a party of some sort,” Nguyen added. “They don’t bother me, I can appreciate it for what it is without believing in it myself.”

The word Easter comes from the word Easter, who was the goddess of spring for Northern European tribes. These people celebrated the gift of spring and the blossoming of life in plants and crops around the same time Early Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.

When ministering to the European tribes, the two holidays were essentially combined to keep the tradition but give it a new Christian meaning.

That is where Easter and the Easter bunny comes from, along with egg hunts and candy. It is a combination of non-Christian traditions mixed with Christian beliefs.

In the Caribbean culture, on Friday, everyone dresses in all black to commemorate the symbolic burial of Jesus. On Sunday, everyone dresses in beautiful colors and they throw a big party to celebrate the day Jesus rose from the dead according to Christian doctrine.

In South American countries, like Brazil, a similar observation of the holiday takes place with a respectful commemoration and then a big parade.

In Ethiopia, the coptic church fasts for 55 days before finally breaking the fast on Easter the celebrate the life of Christ.

As mentioned before, traditions in America could be laid back with just Easter egg hunting but some families do enjoy to also incorporate the true meaning of Easter in their celebration.

“For my family, it is pretty traditional. My mom would read passages from the Bible while we all gathered around and eating cookies she had made,” Acevedo said. “I plan on continuing the tradition.”