Easter Sunday found our family on the shores of Lake Moultrie, about 15 miles outside of Charleston, S.C. Thanks to the ever-helpful Greta (our Garmin), we were able to locate Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church for Easter Sunday services. Had it not been for the wonders of global positioning technology, we would never have found the tiny mission parish in Bonneau, S.C. (pop. 354).

Walking down a four-block stretch of Monument Avenue yesterday afternoon, it was easy to suffer from sensory overload. The senses were set upon from all directions—smells of funnel cakes and simmering sausages; sights of people and dogs traversing the historic street dressed up in unusual, often homemade headgear; and sounds of music emanating from porches and sidewalks.

As the economy continues to struggle, people are losing jobs each week with no signs indicating the job losses are abating. But during this Easter season—the Christian holiday that celebrates Jesus Christ’s return to life three days after being crucified—area faith leaders say they aren’t focusing today’s sermons on the bleak economy.

Jews celebrate Passover. Christians celebrate Easter. The two faiths and traditions recite ancient texts—or modern texts from ancient roots. They are reminded of the events and beliefs that have made them what they are and of the ideals that define what they want to be. By re-enacting ceremonies, families reform. A seder is a wonderful meal, made nourishing by the loving-kindness it expresses. A non-Jew attending a Passover feast feels at home, most likely because the table embraces him as one. Affection enfolds. Next year in Jerusalem is today.

The Easter season is rich in symbolism, some of it deeply religious in nature, some not so much. You can look all you want, but you aren’t likely to find a reference in the Bible to a large bunny hiding brightly colored eggs in the azaleas.

On Thursday I led the chapel for the 3and 4-year-olds in our preschool, which I love to do. I meet with them every two weeks. I play the guitar and we all sing. We sing “Jesus Loves the Little Children” and we sing “This is the day the Lord has made.“ We have a prayer and then I tell them a Bible story. On Thursday I told them very briefly the story of Holy Week. I described, with some pantomime on my part, how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. And all his friends shouted “Hosanna”; which means “hurray”! But some people did not want Jesus in their city, or in their lives. So they had him arrested, and put in chains. They put him on a cross and he died. His friends took his body and placed it in a tomb. One little boy said “What’s that?“ So I answered “It’s a place where we lay the bodies of the dead.“ And they rolled a big stone over the tomb.

The Easter bonnet is not necessarily an Easter symbol embodied with centuries of Christian significance. It has become such a cultural tradition, though, that the new Easter outfit, which symbolizes newness and rebirth, would not be complete without an Easter hat to top off the look. The Monument Avenue Easter Parade today, with its petand people-bonnet contests, offers a whimsical take on the tradition.

Most operations continue as normal during the Easter period. Here are some exceptions. RICHMOND AREA COUNTY, CITY OFFICES—Richmond closed today. COLLEGES—Virginia Union University closed today. SCHOOLS—Richmond, Charles City, Hanover, Henrico and Goochland on spring break and will reopen Monday. Chesterfield on spring break and will reopen Tuesday. New Kent closing early today. New Kent and Powhatan on spring break April 13-17.

Most operations continue as normal during the Easter period. Here are some exceptions. RICHMOND AREA COUNTY, CITY OFFICES—Richmond closed tomorrow. COLLEGES—Virginia Union University closed tomorrow. SCHOOLS—Richmond, Charles City, Hanover, Henrico and Goochland on spring break and will reopen Monday. Chesterfield on spring break and will reopen Tuesday. New Kent closing early tomorrow. New Kent and Powhatan on spring break April 13-17.

Most operations continue as normal during the Easter period. Here are some exceptions: RICHMOND AREA COUNTY, CITY OFFICES—Richmond closed Friday. COLLEGES—Virginia Union University closed Friday. SCHOOLS—Richmond, Charles City, Hanover, Henrico and Goochland are on spring break and will reopen Monday. Chesterfield is on spring break and will reopen Tuesday. New Kent closes early Friday. New Kent and Powhatan are on spring break April 13-17.

Eyes wide with wonder, Justin Destry, 4, watched Uncle Curt the clown stretch the green rubber strip and wrap it round his fingers. And blow to create a spiraling balloon. With a twist or two, the clown attached the neon-bright spiral to the blue, bike-helmet-shaped cap he’d created from another balloon a minute earlier. “Got a hat!“ Justin exclaimed.

When Elvira Clegg thinks about Easter dinners from her childhood, she remembers her Aunt Ann’s chocolate rainbow cake. “It was six layers, with all of the different colors of a rainbow,“ recalled Clegg, who lives in Richmond’s Jackson Ward. “She would decorate it with chocolate frosting and top it with jelly beans, plus she made homemade ice cream to serve with the cake. I remember how beautiful it looked on the dinner table.“

There’s no need to wonder whether the Easter Bunny will leave you cream-filled chocolate eggs this year. With a recipe like this one, it’s easy—if calorically costly—to make your own. The sugary, creamy filling in these chocolate eggs isn’t as soupy as commercial versions, making it easy to handle and shape. It’s also what allows you to form the yellow “yolk” at the center. For efficiency, that step could be skipped in favor of all-white egg fillings.