We all know the holiday of Easter, however, “Easter” can mean different things to different groups of people. For some, it’s a religious holiday where you celebrate your faith at church and with your family. For others, it’s an Easter egg hunt with family and friends. Regardless, for a good majority, it usually means spending time with one’s family. I looked into a few traditions from students here at Mead and found that many students celebrate in their own ways.

Hector Contreras, a junior, says that, to him, Easter is “the celebration that Jesus resurrected from the dead.” He continues, “I grew up in a Catholic household, and I went to Catholic school my whole life, and that influenced me a lot.” Contreras says he celebrates Easter “because we are Catholic, and therefore, celebrating Easter is a big part of our religion and who we are as a family.”

His favorite Easter memory is when Easter landed on his birthday, and they had a big celebration for it.

Emily Stewart, a sophomore, says that, for her, “Easter is a time to get together with my family and celebrate what Jesus gave up for us to live.” For her traditions, Stewart says, “We go to church and we have an Easter egg hunt together.”

I found that both Contreras and Stewart share the same favorite Easter memory because they both had Easter fall on their birthday one time and both had a joined celebration with Easter and their birthdays.

Catherine Cook, a junior, says that, to her, “Easter is just a holiday where families get together.” For her traditions, she says, “My parents make special Easter baskets, and younger family members come over, and we talk about the Easter bunny.”

Cook says of her favorite Easter memory, “When I was younger, my parents went to great lengths to make sure I still believed in the Easter bunny, and one time, they put giant bunny footprints outside our house and my neighbors’ in the snow, and that was really cool.”

While each family has their own traditions, the common theme is that people like to spend their Easter with the people they care about.

Feel free to share your favorite Easter traditions in the comment section below!