On Sunday, when the Sabbath was over.  Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.  When they were going there they asked each other, " Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away.  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.  " Don't be alarmed," he said.  " You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen! He is not here.  See the place where they laid him.  But go tell his disciples and Peter, ' he is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him, just as he told you.' "  The women were scared when they left and didn't say anything.
When Jesus rose, he first appeared to Mary Magdalene. She went and told the disciples, but they didn't believe her.  Jesus then appeared to two men who believed in him, and when they told the disciples, again they didn't believe them.  Finally Jesus appeared to his now 11 disciples and told them to go and preach his name and God's word.  A few weeks later Jesus ascended into Heaven
to sit on his throne.
Easter Celebrations around the World
When Jesus died on the cross, he descended into Hades, freeing all the righteous and taking them with him to his kingdom. He opened the gates of his kingdom for the first time after Adam and Eve committed the original sin.
This makes Easter such an important occasion, for God sent his only Son into our world to die and to free us from this original sin.  This is why Easter is celebrated in many different ways all around the world.
More familiar Easter symbols are Eggs and the Easter bunny.  The bunny represents the fertility and the new life that Jesus has brought us.  Whilst the egg represents again new life and completion (as it is rounded).  In many countries such as Russia, Bulgaria, and Egypt eggs are painted with bright colours and are used for decoration.  Whereas in Mexico Easter is celebrated over two weeks in which people dress up as people did 2000 years ago, and the full Passion Play (the story of Christ's last days) is enacted.
The " blessing basket " is one of the essential Easter traditions in Poland. People prepare the
" blessing basket " on the  Saturday morning before Easter, in which they put coloured eggs, bread, cake, salt, paper, and white sausages and go to the church to bless the food. Everything in the basket has a symbolic meaning: the red coloured eggs symbolise the risen Christ, the bread and salt are a wish for good health and a successful life. The sausages are a special kind- very tasty and, as an integral part of the Polish way of life, express a wish for enough food and fertility during the coming spring. The basket also contains cheesecake and marzipan.
In addition, the family breakfast on Sunday morning is as important as the Christmas dinner here. At the beginning of the breakfast, each of the participants wishes the others of the family good luck and happiness, carrying one fourth of an Easter egg to their seat. Another unique Polish tradition connected with Easter Monday, is " watering. " They splash each other with water, considering this a wish for good health. Even passers-by on the street are not safe from a bath of cold water on Easter Monday.
The German Easter starts with the covering of the cross on Good Friday. During that day, Germans by tradition have fish dishes. The Easter celebration starts with Easter Mass, which continues from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. Sunday is " family day. 2 This is the day for the holy Easter lunch, important parts of which are coloured eggs and a lamb-shaped cake. Germans have lots of sweets, such as cookies, cakes, and chocolates, and the entertaining part of the