Easter is one of the most important Christian festivals as it celebrates the resurrection of Christ. Easter is not only a holiday but a season unto itself. It is a time to celebrate the end of winter, a time to welcome the crocuses and daffodils and a time to look forward to the warmth of the coming summer and a chance to shed the dark clothing for the bright colours of spring.

Easter traditions and symbols are well known: The Easter bunny, Easter eggs, bonfires, Easter bonnets, etc. Of all the symbols associated with Easter, the egg, the symbol of fertility and new life, is the most identifiable. The custom and tradition of using eggs has been associated with Easter for centuries.

Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter egg rolling contests or for giving as gifts. Different cultures have developed their own ways of decorating Easter eggs. Crimson eggs, to honour the blood of Christ, are exchanged in Greece. In parts of Germany and Austria green eggs are used on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday).

Also in Germany, eggs used for cooking are not broken but are emptied by blowing the contents into a bowl through pinholes at either end of the egg. The hollow eggs are then dyed and hung from shrubs and trees during Easter week.In the United States, the White House Egg Roll is now a tradition. The children sit in long rows. Each child has a basket of brightly-coloured hard-boiled eggs. The eggs are rolled down the slight slope south of the Truman balcony to the next line below, pass on the ribbon-like streams to hundreds at the foot, who scramble for the hopping eggs and hurry panting to the top to start them down again.

An ancient ritual welcomed spring with great bonfires, feasting and dancing and celebrating Easter's Eve in a blaze of glory. People believed that if the fire wasn't doused then he who had lit it would reign over the land. The great bonfires have slowly given way to the huge Paschal candles that are lit in churches today. On Easter Sunday in some parts of Spain a rag or straw effigy representing Judas is burnt. In some places it is filled with rockets or explosives, producing a most spectacular effect at the moment of truth, normally on a bonfire, or even under a hail of bullets.

In Sweden during Holy Week little girls dress up as Easter hags, witches wrapped in aprons and dark shawls with bright red lips and cheeks, travelling from door to door, handing out handmade pictures in exchange for sweets. This tradition stems from an old Swedish folk belief that witches were most powerful and destructive during the Holy Week. After a hard week of dodging and satisfying the little Easter hags, the Swedish people are ready for a large morning meal of eggs, bread, sweets and coffee.

A tradition found primarily in England and Russia is the picking of pussy willows. As a symbol that spring has finally arrived it was viewed as good luck to be tapped on the shoulder by a branch of these soft blooms by a neighbour or loved one. Although identified in modern times as a Christian holy day, Easter, the ancient celebration of spring has roots far deeper than any one belief or culture. It reminds us that there is always a chance to plant our dreams anew, that the cold of winter will pass, and that in the course of humankind, you can always plant again.