Take your eyes off those tempting boxes of chocolate eggs for a moment, there’s a deeper meaning to Easter than munching on a calorific overload of confectionery.
These days many people have lost sight of the true significance of this annual festival.
So let’s take a look at the real meaning of Easter.
Easter is the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ three days after his death on the cross.
Easter Day - when the Resurrection took place - always occurs on a Sunday and is the oldest Christian holiday and the most important day in the Christian calendar.
Easter is a moveable feast, meaning a Christian festival whose date changes each year. We’ve already looked at how the date of Easter is decided and why it is different each year.
Once its date is fixed in any given year, Easter then affects the dates of more than 20 other Christian events that are placed around it - including Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Whit Monday and All Saints Day.
While Western Christianity bases Easter on the Gregorian calendar, the Eastern Orthodox churches - largely embracing those in or from Greece, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East - use the earlier Julian Calendar. So they can have a different date for Easter.
The Western and Eastern dates for Easter are the same approximately every four years, including 2014.
So that’s the religious background. But for those who don’t observe the Christian meaning, it tends to be about meeting up with relatives for giving and receiving chocolate eggs these days.
For a lighter look at the annual occasion, here’s 18 fun facts about Easter .
Easter is also a great time for family activities. If you’re looking for something to do over the holidays, check out 25 great things to do at Easter in the Midlands or why not try 5 cracking Easter things to do at Birmingham's museums or 12 Easter activities you can enjoy at Birmingham’s libraries .
Alternatively, Follow the trail in grounds of Warwickshire’s Stoneleigh Abbey or investigate the past as Horrible Histories invade Warwick Castle .
You can also Forget bunnies and chicks, Birmingham has penguins instead or enjoy the Easter 2014 holiday activities at Cadbury World .