For some, Easter is a time to celebrate one of the most important religious festivals of the year. For others it is a day of pure indulgence. Whatever you think of Easter it has provided some fantastic stories for The Argus over the years. Reporter Ben James delves into the archives to take a look at them.

Like hundreds of other Palm Sunday processions across the country, residents of Albourne readied donkey Moppet to re-enact Christ’s final journey back in 1994.

But with the half the village waiting eagerly for the symbolic act, organisers realised they had a problem.

Young Moppet refused to move.

The six-month-old had been brought in as a late replacement when their other donkey was taken ill.

Robin Dann, 13, who was specially chosen, was carefully placed atop Moppet, dressed in customary white robes and tea towel around the head.

But Moppet was not playing ball – and organisers were forced to carry her over a road to get the procession moving.

Robin’s mother, Inez, of Old London Road, Albourne, said: “Moppet was a last minute replacement when the other donkey became ill.

“She is our family pet and only six months old and not used to this sort of thing.

“She wouldn’t even cross the road and we had to have her carried across.”

There was more Easter trouble the same year when Reverend Nicholas Flint was kicked out of this church on his biggest day of the year.

He explained to the paper at the time how his St Mary Magdalene Church, in Crawley, did not have its own premises.

As a result they were forced to book the Bewbush Community Centre each year, as they had done for the past 12 years.

But a council blunder had seen staff double book with an Asian wedding on the same day – leaving Reverend Flint to address his congregation outside.

The then 33-year-old said: “The council has got itself into an awkward position.

“It may well be that the other booking will bring it more money but for us there are spiritual principles at stake.”

Three years earlier newsagents were on red alert after protesters sent poison pen letters warning that glass would be put into Easter eggs.

The extreme action, they said, was in protest against Brighton’s planned new voucher parking scheme.

Newsagents were told to be on the lookout and warned not to touch the letters so they could be dusted down for fingerprints.

A leading detective told our crime reporter at the time: “This may be a crank but whoever it is he had taken the trouble to find out names and addresses of people who sell vouchers.”

The letters, from a group called The South Group Against All Evil, said: “Each year they (the council) will pick up the phone to the printers to put up the rate. We must smash this now.

“Therefore we will place poisoned food on your shelves and smash windows.

“Easter eggs filled with glass we have now ready for you.”

Easter is also a time for many weird and wonderful traditions and festivals.

In 1986 we were in Alciston where dancing groups the Knots of May and Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men were performing their annual skipping rope competition.

Dance leaders led villagers in jumping across the 40ft rope on Good Friday.

We also visit Moulsecoomb in Brighton each year for their open-air re-enactment of the crucifixion.

Back in 2004 it was the turn of Liam Williams, then 16, to be strung up.

Speaking to our reporter on the day, he said: “I found it very moving because I have followed the church all my life and it is very close to my heart.

“I was thinking about what Jesus was feeling when he was alive.

“I was persuaded to do it at the last minute but I did really enjoy it.”

As well as celebration and indulgence, Easter is also a time for the obligatory traffic and traders’ joy/misery stories.

The south coast, and in particular Brighton and Hove, is a destination for families from across the south east across the Bank Holiday.

The A23 gets clogged up and pictures of a packed beach often make it onto the front pages in the following days.

But back in 1987 visitors to the city were met with a problem – there were not enough deckchairs.

Then councillor Christopher Giles issued an urgent appeal after he counted just 120 chairs for the thousands of tourists.

He said: “It was ludicrous to have so few deckchairs available.

“Brighton doesn’t have a soft sandy beach so our visitors need a deckchair. It was a complete fiasco that they were not available.”

While our notable Easter stories stretch back many decades, it was a tale from 2012 which received perhaps the biggest response.

When we called up Father Phil Ritchie, from All Saints Church in Hove, for his Easter message he responded with this.

“The problem with the church is that we stay inside our building and occasionally come out and say ‘Why don’t you come to our church, it’s cool and funky’.

“To be honest, it’s not.

“I would love more people to come at 10am on Sunday and I would welcome them to All Saints.

“For Christians this is the most important day of the year. All life and all hope flows from it.

“But there are plenty of ways to celebrate without coming to a draughty Victorian building. So why not stay at home, have a lie in, have sex and eat some chocolate.”