The History of Easter Holiday Traditions
Why People Dye Eggs and Wait for the Easter Bunny to Bring Candy
Nov 6, 2009
Easter has at different times been a pagan celebration of the equinox, a holy day for remembering the resurrection of Jesus, and a day when children wait for a magical rabbit to deliver baskets of eggs and chocolates. The holiday may have evolved over the years, but the origins of today's traditions come from its ancient past.
Easter's Beginnings and How to Tell What Date Easter Falls on
Before the advent of Christianity, ancient civilizations celebrated a spring festival associated with the Vernal Equinox and the rhythms of the moon. The celebration was based on the lunar calendar, and even today Easter’s date is determined by the moon (the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Vernal Equinox, and if the full moon falls on a Sunday, the Sunday after). The Germanic Saxons are credited with the name Easter, also known as Eostre or Ostara, the goddess of spring and time.
Christianity was spreading through the world, and the early Christians often converted other cultures by taking over or modifying existing festivals. Christian theology was incorporated into the traditions of the “pagan” culture. When the Roman Christians came to ancient Britain they saw that the symbolism of Eostre dealt with renewal and rebirth. The Christian belief of Christ’s resurrection fit closely. Thus Easter got it’s name.
Origin of the Easter Egg Tradition
The tradition of giving eggs for Easter is present in several cultures. Eggs painted with bright colors for spring were given in ancient celebrations before Christianity. In Medieval times, Easter eggs were given to servants from their masters. The egg is a symbol of the renewal of life and fit with Easter’s celebration of rebirth. In the past eggs were wrapped in gold leaf or colored by boiling them with the petal and leaves of flowers.
The History of the Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny also originated with the ancient Anglo-Saxon festival of Eostre. The earthy symbol for the goddess Eoster was the rabbit. The symbol was continued by the Germans, who brought the Easter rabbit to America where it was adopted into common association with Easter by other Christians shortly after the Civil War.
The connection of the Easter Bunny with the eggs did not occur until the nineteenth century. European candy makers wanted to advertise their treats and so created ad campaigns showing the bunny bringing eggs and sweets. Today the chocolate Easter Bunny is a holiday favorite.
In some cultures the egg tradition has mingles with the Christian themes of the holiday beyond a simple symbol of rebirth. Greeks dye Easter Eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Germans give green eggs to commemorate the Last Supper. Armenians decorate eggshells with religious images.
The lily and the cross are two other Christian symbols for the holiday as well as the lamb to represent Christ as a shepherd.
The Easter basket is a tradition that started when the Catholics would take food for Easter dinner to mass to be blessed. The basket tradition also has roots in the Pennsylvania Dutch practice of leaving a basket to be filled with toys and sweets for good children.
Easter has evolved along with the cultures that celebrate it, but it has stayed true to its message of renewal, rebirth and a chance to start again.
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