As Peter Cottontail hops down the bunny trail, many Penn State students will either follow him on their way home for Easter weekend or stay put in State College.

Savina Rendina (senior-comparative literature) is going home to Pittsburgh to spend the holiday with her family, despite the large amount of work she has to do for school.

"I'm Italian-Catholic, so tradition is very important. I wouldn't even imagine not going home," Rendina said. "I think Easter is the most important Christian holiday of the year."

Today is a day to reflect and be solemn, while Sunday is a day of celebration, she added.

Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ's rising from the dead. Today, Good Friday, is the commemoration of his death.

Dave Bowman, the leader for Navigators, a campus organization for Christians, said that while most students go home for Easter, others have specific reasons for staying on campus.

"Some students stay here because they are out of state and it's too far to go home. Others feel they have too much work. It does depend largely on when Easter falls," Bowman said.

Easter can fall anytime between early March to late April, which affects how much schoolwork students have, he said. Not having any days off for Easter makes going home a challenge to students who live farther away.

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said teachers and offices receive a guide of the religious observances throughout the year and are asked to be considerate of them.

Mahon said it would be nice to be able to give students days off for religious and national holidays, but it is not practical.

"Cases could be made for some portion of the student population to have dozens of days off throughout the year," Mahon said. "It's a decision of having semesters the length they are or going longer at the expense of the students."

For those students who cannot go home, there is still a way to receive a free home-cooked Easter dinner.

Kathy St. Martin, owner of Isabelle's Bead Shoppe, 109 S. Pugh St., will cook a dinner that will include ham, potatoes, green beans, breads and desserts. Most of the food is donated by local businesses.

"I thought I could make a family for all those kids who want to have a mom to cook them a great meal," she said.

The meal begins at noon on Sunday at Isabelle's Bead Shoppe and lasts until the food is gone. Last year, St. Martin served about 100 people and is expecting about 300 this year. Anyone is welcome to attend the meal.

She said she is hoping that it will one day grow in numbers and could be held in a facility such as Rec Hall.

"I really care about Easter, and this is a way to show the kids I care about them too," St. Martin said.