The origin of Easter is based on ancient pagan spring equinox rituals that celebrated the fertility of the crops and the balance of day and night. Christians recognize this day as the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that took place about 2,000 years ago at the time of the Jewish Passover.
According to American history, Easter was dismissed as a pagan holiday by the nation's founding Puritans and did not begin to be widely observed until just after the Civil War.
Like so many other Christian holidays, Easter has become commercialized and mixed with non-christian traditions like the Easter Bunny, Easter parades and hunting for Easter eggs.