We've all heard the secular Easter story. It includes such nonsense as egg-laying rabbits hiding their eggs in grass for all the good boys and girls to find. Sometimes these eggs are plastic with little toys or money inside them. Sometimes their just hard-boiled painted eggs. What on earth would make someone decide to take such an amazing sacrifice and add a large bunny into the mix???

Are you guys ready to hear the real story of Easter?

All right, now for those of you with a Christian background, you all have heard this story before, I'm sure. For those of you that haven't heard, we're going to begin with the Sunday before Easter. This day is called Palm Sunday. It seems like an odd name for a day, doesn't it? Well, the meaning behind this day is intense. On this day, Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey. The people laid palm branches and their coats before the donkey's feet. Guess the name makes a bit more sense now, doesn't it?

Now, let's go on to Good Friday, the Friday before Easter. This, too, is an odd name for such a day, but once again, it has a POWERFUL meaning. At Passover, Jesus announced to his disciples that he was going to die. They ate together--this event is now called "the last supper"--then Jesus revealed who would betray him: Judas. Even knowing what he did, and knowing that Jesus knew what he was going to do, Judas still took the Roman soldiers to Jesus and turned him in as a heretic. It is on this day that Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and died for our sins. Wow... talk about a powerful day. Want to know why it's called "good" instead of "bad"? Because it was a good thing Jesus died for us. If he hadn't, we'd still all be damned for hell.

Finally, but not at all less importantly, Easter. Easter is the day when Jesus rose from the grave three days after his death. The three days were important because in Jewish tradition, it was believed if a person was dead for longer than that... Eh, well, I don't know the specifics because I'm not Jewish, but let's just say it wasn't a good thing to be dead longer than that. So, that in short is the tale of Easter. If you want to know more, pick up a Bible and read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. They all have an account of the Easter story.

Oh, and if you ever do see a rabbit around your home laying colorful eggs, shoot it. Or sell it to Ripley's Believe it or Not.

Up Next: Mother's Day and Father's Day--Celebrating Those Who Brought Us Into This World