SSC
The custom of decorating and exchanging eggs is practised during which festival?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — Easter
Detailed Solution
The custom of decorating and exchanging eggs is an important tradition of Easter, the most important festival of Christianity. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion.
According to Christian belief, Jesus was crucified on a Friday, remembered as Good Friday, and was buried in a tomb. On the following Sunday, his followers found the tomb empty, and he appeared to them, having risen from the dead. Easter Sunday celebrates this resurrection, which Christians see as the victory of life over death and the basis of their faith.
Eggs became a symbol of Easter because they represent new life and rebirth, and the egg is seen as a symbol of the empty tomb from which Jesus rose. In early Christian tradition, eggs were not eaten during the 40 days of Lent, the period of fasting and prayer before Easter, so they were saved and eaten at Easter as a celebration. Over time, the custom developed of decorating eggs with bright colours and patterns, and exchanging them as gifts. In some traditions, eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ. Children take part in "Easter egg hunts", in which hidden eggs are searched for. Today, chocolate eggs and the Easter bunny, a symbol of fertility and new life, are also popular.
The date of Easter changes every year. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox (21 March), so it is celebrated between 22 March and 25 April. The week before Easter is called Holy Week. It begins with Palm Sunday and includes Maundy Thursday (the Last Supper) and Good Friday.
In India, Easter is celebrated with church services, prayers, feasts and family gatherings, especially in Kerala, Goa, the north-eastern states and big cities.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, with Christmas trees and carols.
- ✗Good Friday is a solemn day of mourning for the crucifixion of Jesus.
- ✗All Saints' Day, on 1 November, honours all the saints.
Quick tip
Remember: Easter = the resurrection of Jesus, eggs as a symbol of new life, Lent and Good Friday.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Festivals & Fairs of India Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Sarhul festival of Jharkhand, celebrated with traditional dances when the sal trees blossom, is especially associated with which tribe?
- Q2.'Chad Sukra', a popular traditional dance festival of the Pnar (Jaintia) people of Meghalaya, is celebrated as a:
- Q3.Which festival, celebrated in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, honours Gogaji, the folk deity worshipped as a protector against snakes?
- Q4.The 'Doul Utsav', a celebration of Holi linked with the Vaishnava satras, is mainly celebrated in which state?
- Q5.The Bhagoria festival of the Bhil tribes of Madhya Pradesh is associated with which major festival?
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.