Spring’s promise of warmth and the coming summer brings a range of celebrations and holidays, each meaningful in different ways to those who observe them. Whether the season is celebrated by hiding eggs or practicing an individual’s faith and traditions, all add to the beauty of the season.
According to The Pagan Roots of Easter, Pagans celebrate the spring equinox, fertility and the rebirth of nature after winter. Key traditions, such as painting and hiding eggs, are rooted in ancient Germanic and European festivals honoring goddesses like Eostre/Ostara and the return of life to the land. Decorated eggs were used in rituals to encourage agricultural abundance, often painted with symbols for spring deities. They were then buried or hidden in fields to bring life energy to the land, celebrate the sun’s return and to ensure a fruitful harvest.
Some Pagan traditions have been carried into modern day, with families hiding candy in plastic eggs and hosting scavenger hunts for children, crediting the Easter Bunny for leaving them. This Bunny also leaves children small baskets of treats or gifts. The Easter Bunny originated in German folklore as the “Osterhase,” which translates to Easter Hare. This mythical creature judged whether children were good or bad, leaving colored eggs for the well-behaved, a tradition that goes back to at least the 17th century and was brought to America by German immigrants.
“I celebrate Easter with my family, and we just eat together and share a meal,” Gabby Koenig ‘28 said.
Pagan community easter activities to do include:
Wellington Downs egg hunt in Arvada (April 4th)
Bunny Meet And Greet in Park Meadows Mall
Lallybroch Ranch, Lil’ Buckaroo’s Petting Farm and the Littleton Museum
According to The History of Easter – Christianity, many Christian denominations celebrate Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after he was crucified on the cross, paying for the sins of humanity. It is generally celebrated by going to a church service and spending time with family. Many Christians observe the final days of Jesus, called Holy Week. starting with Palm Sunday, which was Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. The observance begins with Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper, continues with Good Friday, which remembers the Crucifixion, and concludes with Easter, when Christians celebrate Jesus rising from the tomb.
“My family and I celebrate Jesus’s rising from the dead on Easter,” Andrea Aguerrevere ‘28 said. “We like to celebrate by going to church in the morning, and then going out to a nice lunch and going to a family friend’s house for the evening because we think it’s a holiday to spend with family and friends.”
Christian church services to attend for Easter include:
Easter 2026 | Mission Hills Church | Littleton, CO has services on Friday, April 3 at 6 p.m., Saturday, April 4 at 4 and 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 5 at 8 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Journey Church Colorado (Castle Pines/Lone Tree) has service on Sunday, April 5 2026, scheduled for 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:15 a.m
Calvary Englewood has a service on April 5 at 10:00 a.m. Calvary Castle Rock will host services including a sunrise service at Miller Amphitheatre on Sunday, April 5 at 6:30 a.m. and regular services at the church on Saturday, April 4 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 5 at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m
Easter – Cherry Hills Community Church hosts Easter services on Saturday, April 4 2026, at 4 p.m. (with family events after) and Sunday, April 5 2026, at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, according to Passover: Customs and Rituals, the Jewish people celebrate Passover (Pesach), which takes place April 1, commemorating God having the angel of death pass over their homes during the tenth plague if the blood of their best lamb was on the doorpost, sparing their firstborn. This eventually led to their release from slavery in Egypt.
Passover is celebrated for seven to eight days in spring. Key traditions include holding a Seder dinner, retelling the Exodus story using the Haggadah, and eating unleavened matzah, which is a flat, cracker-like bread that represents the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, as they had no time for their bread to rise. Before the holiday, households meticulously clean to remove all leavened grain products known as chametz or leavened bread from the home.
“For Passover, we do dinner, and we eat without flour because it can’t be leavened; we also have little fruit dishes with almond flour,” Ari Griffin ‘28 said.
These spring traditions add diversity to our community and open doors for new experiences. Understanding these celebrations helps to unite society and create a deeper respect for one another.
