Easter

The Origins of Easter

Easter is one of the most important religious days for Christians. In this section we'll look at when and where Easter started. We'll also look at how the Easter Bunny and other symbols of Easter began.

Britannica School Primary

Britannica School is one of the EPIC databases. EPIC is a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It’s put together especially for New Zealand school students and helps to answer questions like this.

• Type the keyword ‘Easter’ into the search box.
• Select the Easter (holiday)article to know more about the meaning of Easter.
• The article Lent (Christianity) explains what Lent is and how it is linked to Easter.

Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you may need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6 pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.

Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. Usually it’s better to leave out small words like ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, e.g [Easter]. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.

whyeaster?com

This website is the work of a web designer from the United Kingdom who wants to share information on the story, customs, traditions and important days of Easter.

• The Easter Story has a link to the Full Story about what happened at the first Easter.
• Easter Customs and Traditions is about how some customs came about and their meaning.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

History

This is the official website of the History Channel. It includes information and videos on topics and people from history.

• Type in the search words 'Easter' in the search area and look for Easter 2019 - History to read about the origins of Easter.
• The link Easter Symbols and Traditions has a video and story about when and why traditions like Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs began.

Tips: Some websites have advertisements (or ads) which ask us to buy something or tell us to ‘click here’. It’s best to ignore these ads and focus on the information we’re looking for.

Easter around the world

Did you know that people in Sweden decorate twigs with coloured feathers to celebrate Easter ? In this section we'll look at some Easter traditions around the world, including in New Zealand.

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about New Zealand Aotearoa.

• Search for 'public holidays' in the search box.
• Select the link called Public holidays.
• Then select Easter, Christmas and New Year to read how Easter is celebrated in New Zealand.

Tips: We like sites like this because they’re reliable. You can tell because of their web address – they have either .govt or .ac, meaning they are from government or educational organisations. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.

For Teachers for students (FTfs)

FTfs is an Australian website specially for teachers and primary and intermediate students.

• Type in 'Easter' in the search box.
• Select the link Facts for students - Easter Around the World (primary/middle Years).
• You will find here a link to Easter in other countries.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

Special days of Easter

In this section we'll look at the special religious days leading up to and during Easter:

BBC Religions

This link from BBC has information on various religions of the world such as Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity and events, special days and holidays related to each religion.

• Go to the link on Christianity.
• Find the link called Holy days. Then select the link on Lent.
• You will find here explanations on Pancake Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Passion Week and other important days related to Easter celebrations.

Tips: Even though this page is no longer updated, the information is reliable as it is from the official website of British Broadcasting Corporation of the United Kingdom, that covers international news on lots of subjects like politics, sports, health etc.

Books

There are lots of great books about Easter, including Easter craft and cook books. Check out your school or local public library. A few recommended titles are:

• 50 Easter things to make and do by Kate Knighton, Leonie Pratt and Fiona Watt.
• Easter cooking by Rebecca Gilpin and Molly Sage.
• Easter crafts by Annalees Lim.
• The Easter story: the brick Bible for kids by Brendon Powell Smith.

SCIS no: 1929129