Easter Sunday, the day Jesus triumphed over death, is the most significant day on the Christian calendar, the day that confirms Christians' faith in eternal life.

But even as overall church attendances continue to fall in this country and as migrants bring their own faiths to our shores, we do not see Easter becoming less significant in our society.

Instead, we are seeing Easter reinvented in the eyes of many to make it a celebration for all - regardless of their faith.

Like Christmas, the holiday's importance is evolving beyond one centred only on religion.

The growing secular significance of Easter is the chance to take time out and enjoy a rare long weekend with family.

We are all getting busier every year and it gets harder every year to devote time to the things that really matter.

A four-day break at Easter is the perfect antidote to that creeping busyness. It is a time to stop, reset and reconnect with loved ones. The pressures of work and school can be forgotten for a precious few days before we knuckle down and get on with the rest of the year.

Yes, it too often comes at a cost [Easter has become the most dangerous weekend of the year on our roads ads people rush to pack in as minutes as they can, taking too many risks along the way] but that desperation to get away is the inevitable by-product of the hectic world we have created for ourselves.

And that's why Easter remains important.

Millions of Christians across the world will continue to honour the origins of the holiday as the foundation of their faith.

That's why people who might not attend church for the rest of the year will have made a special effort on Sunday morning, because without Easter there would be no Christian faith as most of us know it.

But, increasingly, millions more will continue to mark Easter a secular holiday and break from work. They will use the long weekend for their own spiritual growth, connecting with friends and loved one.

And, the great thing is, both forms of celebration are perfectly valid in a modern Australia. Whatever your faith, whatever your beliefs, we hope you have had a happy and safe Easter.