Learn Italian: La Pasqua è una bella festa. - Easter is a beautiful holiday.

Yes! In Italian, definite articles (il, la, etc.) are often used before the names of major holidays, unlike in English. So we say la Pasqua for 'Easter' and il Natale for 'Christmas'.

Why does bella come before festa? I thought Italian adjectives usually come after the noun.

You're right that most adjectives come after the noun. However, a small group of common adjectives describing beauty, age, goodness, or size (like bello, buono, and vecchio) are exceptions and usually go before the noun.

Doesn't festa mean 'party'?

It does! Festa translates to 'party' for events like birthdays, but it is also the standard word for a 'holiday' or 'celebration'. Since Easter is a national and religious holiday, it is called una festa.

Why does the word è have an accent mark?

The accent mark is crucial because it tells us the meaning. With the accent, è means 'is' (from the verb essere). Without the accent, e simply means 'and'.