Sunday was Easter. Easter is a big day for Christians. The whole week leading up to Easter is a big deal for Christians, sort of the non-secular equivalent of having St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July and the NCAA Final Four all fall on the same three-day weekend.

Easter is also the official end of the liturgical season of Lent. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but if you had given up beer and wine then you might be looking forward to the end of this particular Lent with more than a little bit of enthusiasm.

My particular branch of Christianity doesn’t require giving up anything for Lent. I am an Episcopalian, often referred to as Catholic Lite. I think I’m pretty much in the mainstream of modern Episcopalian thinking.

I believe in God, Jesus, kindness, compassion, charity, Communion, holistic wellness, dolphin consciousness, the Loch Ness Monster (but not Sasquatch, obviously), karma, reincarnation, past-life regression therapy, transcendental meditation, crystals, pyramids, ESP, ESPN, deep-tissue massage, Rolfing, fartlekking, macrobiotics, paleo diets, gay marriage, DEI, hot yoga, Marian apparitions, sensory deprivation tanks, Area 51, aromatherapy, labyrinths, Freeing the Glutens and the infallibility of the College Football Playoff System.

Easter is a peculiar religious holiday in that it celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus. As personal biographies go, the story of Jesus is an almost unbearably sad story of a young man with the humblest of origins who was tortured and put cruelly to death in an obscure, occupied backwater of the mighty Roman Empire. While that mighty Empire fell, the unfortunate young man, on the other hand, has done OK for himself.

Some 2,000 years after his death, he is worshipped by millions of people all over the world. The life and death of Jesus is an undeniably compelling story, and whether his story is more than mere historical fact is something everyone can have their own view on. But the real beauty of the story is that, whether you believe it or not, on that Sunday you are still free to decorate Easter eggs, eat chocolate bunnies, and have a ham or roast beef in the afternoon. Unless you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, of course, in which case it’s fine if you want to have roast beets instead.

For the past couple of decades, I have attended a sunrise service on Easter at Grace Church where my primary responsibility has been to start and tend a small bonfire in the fire pit. This year I used specially curated local hardwoods mixed with a proprietary blend of aromatic spruce and pine limbs to create my signature Easter fire pit bouquet (patent pending).

And Easter week isn’t just a big week for Christians. It often coincides with spring break for college students, many of whom will be celebrating by making spiritual pilgrimages to such sacred sites as the sandy beaches of Cabo San Lucas, the cleansing desert solitudes of Palm Springs, and whatever it is that there is in Fort Lauderdale.

In between sending postcards to their parents and doing extra credit reading, I am told that young college men and women frequently partake of sacramental bread and wine, or at least the wine, and that they frequently engage in ritualistic baptisms with water, often while wearing a T-shirt honoring their soon-to-be alma maters. At night, these same happy young people bathe in the healing and restorative mists of night club fog machines, and enjoy energetic fellowship with their fellow sun, moon and star worshipers.

Whether Easter Sunday is a religious holiday for you or simply an opportunity to celebrate the coming of spring, the passing of winter, a break from school, or the chance to enjoy a relaxed morning with the Sunday paper, it’s always good to take a moment to enjoy and appreciate life. And as for me, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Next year for Lent, I’m going to give up beets.

Tom Tyner of Bainbridge Island writes a weekly column for this newspaper.