ABSTRACT
Nevertheless, Easter continues to be commercially promoted as a secular festive occasion for children marked by the exchange of greeting cards, gift giving (particularly of candy, flowers, and baskets), the acquisition of pets, and the purchase of new clothing. As the major spring holiday, Easter often draws comparisons to Christmas as a religious, civic, and commercial event, but it is distinctive in its seasonal (and church-based) meaning and its associations, for many, with ethnic variations.
