Why is Easter so important?

While Christmas is always considered the popular festival in the Christian calendar, it is Easter and Christ's resurrection that is the foundation of Christianity. According to the Gospel of John in the New Testament, when Mary Magdalene reached the tomb where Jesus was buried she found it empty, and was informed by an angel that he had risen.

Marking the end of the Holy Week and Lent, Easter thus celebrates Christ's rising from the dead on the third day, and signifies the triumph of good over evil, sin and death. The Easter season begins after Easter Sunday and lasts for seven weeks until Pentecost. Easter eggs, which symbolise new life, are distributed.