<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">Faith space</h2>

Charlotte jumps out of bed. Easter Day - hurray! There will be a delicious family lunch and then an Easter egg hunt. But is there something else they need to do? Yes, of course - go to church.

For Christians, the Easter weekend is the most important time of year. This year it coincides with both Ramadan and Passover.

None of these festivals has a fixed date: each follows a different calendar based on the cycles of the Moon. Sometimes they overlap.

For Christians, Good Friday commemorates the death of Jesus. According to the Bible, he allowed himself to be crucifiedNailed to a cross. as a way of expiatingMaking amends for wrongdoing. the sins of the world.

But on the following Sunday his body was found to have vanished from his tomb. He appeared to his followers as a living man, proving his claim to be the son of God. His promise to believers of life after death is what makes Easter a time of celebration.

Easter also marks the end of Lent. During it Christians are expected to devote themselves to prayer, give to the poor and to some extent deprive themselves of food.

These are also expected of Muslims in Ramadan. Their fasting, though, is more extreme: they are not supposed to eat or drink between dawn and sunset.

Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, along with faith, prayer, charity and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is seen as a way of focusing thoughts more intensely on Allah, or God.

Ramadan commemorates the month in which the QuranThe holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years. was first revealed to the Prophet MuhammadMuhammad, born in 570 in Mecca, is the founder of Islam. . It ends with a festival called Eid al-Fitr, which translates as the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. Children may be given presents and clothes.

At the start of Passover Jewish families gather for a meal called a Seder (Order).

During the meal, an account is read of their ancestors' escape from slavery in Egypt. This says that when Egypt's ruler, the Pharaoh, refused to free them, God sent ten plagues to punish the country.

But God told the Israelites to mark their doorposts with lamb's blood so that the angel of death would "pass over" their houses and spare their children.

The Israelites left Egypt in such a hurry that the bread they were baking did not have a chance to rise. To commemorate this, the Seder includes flat bread called Matzah.

Yes: Without it we would live empty lives centred around worldly things like material possessions. And studies show that religious people are generally happier and healthier and live longer than others.

No: Religion belongs to a more superstitious age. We live in a scientific one and can establish rational explanations for how the world works. Many non-religious people have perfectly fulfilling lives.   

Or... Religion plays a vital part in keeping societies together - it encourages people to trust each other and engage with their local community. Discussing it helps us understand how others think.  

Crucified - Nailed to a cross.

Expiating - Making amends for wrongdoing.

Quran - The holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years.

Prophet Muhammad - Muhammad, born in 570 in Mecca, is the founder of Islam.