Resurrexit sicut dixit

Haec dies, quam fecit Dominus: exsultemus, et laetemur in ea. 
This is the day that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
   from Psalm 117, sung at High Mass, otherwise recited on Easter Sunday before the "Sequence" which is sung or recited for the whole Easter week before the Gospel of the day.

I'm still feeling the wonder of Easter. The Sequence, mentioned above is beautiful when chanted. It is a beautiful poetic exposition.  Victimae paschali laudes immolent Christiani.........

The words in English - 
Forth to the pascahl Victim, Christians, bring
Your sacrifice of praise;
The Lamb redeems the sheep;
And Christ the sinless One,
Hath to the Father sinners reconciled.
Together, death and life
In a strange conflict strove.
The Prince of life, who died,
Now lives and reigns.
What thou sawest, Mary, say,
As thou wentest on the way.
I saw the tomb wherein the living one had lain
I saw His glory as he rose again;
Napkin and linen clothes, and angels twain:
Yea, Christ is risen, my hope, and He
Will go before you into Galilee.
We know that Christ indeed has risen from the grave:
Hail, thou King of Victory,
Have mercy, Lord, and save,
Amen. Alleluia.

from Goffine's  The Church Year
       What is the festival of Easter?
"Easter, in Latin Pascha, signifies passing over, and has the following historical origin: Under Pharaoh, King of Egypt, the Jews in that country groaned under intolerable bondage. God had mercy on His people, and the hour of deliverance came. By His command the first-born of all the Egyptians was killed by an angel. The Jews had been orderd by God to be ready for emigration, but first to kill a lamb, eat it in their houses in common, and sprinkle the doorposts with its blood. And the angel of death, by order of God, passed the doors sprinkled with the blood of the lamb, and did no harm to any child of the Israelites, whilst he slew all the first-born sons of the Egyptians. In grateful memory of this passing their doors, the Jews observed the festival of Easter, the Pasch, or Passover. After the death of Jesus, the apostles introduced the same festival into the Church in grateful remembrance of the day on which Jesus, the true Easter Lamb, took away our sins by His blood, freed us from the angel of eternal death, and passed us over to the freedom of the children of God."

Small note: Easter was originally a pagan festival of spring dedicated to the goddess, Eastre. It was held in April. The name was transferred to the Christian day of the Resurrection.

We are now in Paschaltide, the part of the Church year that extends from Holy Saturday to Saturday after Pentecost.  The time commemorates the three glorious happenings of the Resurrection, the Ascension into Heaven and the Descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost upon the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles.

St. Paul tells us how important the Resurrection is. "If Christ be not risen again, you faith is vain (1 Cor. 15:14). and "buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you are risen again by the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him up from the dead." (Col.  2:12)