Easter (
Old English usually ; also ; and ), also called
Pasch (derived, through and
Greek Paskha, from , cognate to
Pesaḥ) or
Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and
holiday celebrating the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the
New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after
his crucifixion by
Romans at
Calvary 30 AD. It is the culmination of the
Passion of Christ, preceded by
Lent (or
Great Lent), a forty-day period of
fasting, prayer, and
penance.