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Easter Traditions and Symbols
We all know the story of
Easter and the Resurrection but there are many more symbols and traditions that
surround the holiday. We thought you might like to know a little about how
these Easter traditions came about.
The Easter Holiday
Long before Easter became
the holiday it is today, the spring festival was celebrated by the people around
the world. Although associated with the sun and the Vernal Equinox, the
celebration was originally based on the lunar calendar.
As Christianity grew and spread throughout the world, people began to adopt,
modify, or take over existing non-Christian festivals and turn them into the
Christian celebrations. The Romans used this method of cultural absorption for
centuries as a way of expanding the Empire. Given the fact that Christianity had
its roots in Roman ways, it is not surprising that the same technique was used
to spread belief in Christ.
It seems probable that around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries
seeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe noticed that the Christian
holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus roughly coincided with the
Teutonic springtime celebrations, which emphasized the triumph of life over
death. Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols.
The Easter Bunny
Of all the symbols of
Easter, none is more common than the Easter Bunny. The first documented use of
the bunny as a symbol of Easter appears in Germany in the 1500s; although the
actual matching of the holiday and the hare was probably a much earlier folk
tradition. In Germany tales were told of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for
children to find. German immigrants to America -- particularly Pennsylvania --
brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked
cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of
making chocolate
bunnies and eggs.
Not surprisingly, it was
also the Germans who made the first edible Easter Bunnies in the Easter Eggs.
In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time
were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter
meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants. In addition,
eggs have been viewed as symbols of new life and fertility through the ages. It
is believed that for this reason many ancient cultures used eggs during their
spring festivals.
The coloring of eggs is a
established art, and eggs are often dyed, painted, and otherwise decorated. Eggs
were also used in various holiday games: parents would hide eggs for children to
find, and children would roll eggs down hills. These practices live on in Easter
egg hunts and egg rolls. The most famous egg roll takes place on the White House
lawn every year.
In the Ukraine Easter egg
decorating has become an art form, Pysanky. Eggs are created by carefully
applying wax in patterns to an egg. The egg is then dyed, the wax is reapplied
in spots to preserve that color, and the egg is boiled again in other shades. (I
would never do this much work but the results are amazing.) Can your Easter
eggs match these?
Easter Cards
Easter cards
arrived in Victorian England, when a stationer added a greeting to a drawing of
a rabbit. According to American Greetings, Easter is now the fourth most popular
holiday for sending cards, behind Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day.
Easter and Spring
Party Planning and
Decorating Ideas from Party411.com
Planning
Guides
Easter and Spring Party Planning Guide
A
Guide to Easter Traditions
A Thought About Easter Baskets
Decorating411
Easter and Spring Decorating411
Creations For You!
Easter and Spring Theme Party Creations for You
Great Easter and
Spring Party
Themes
Happy Easter
Some Bunny
Loves You
Easter
EGGstravaganza
A Creepy Crawly Spring Party
Questions
about Easter and Spring party planning?
Ask the Experts!
Happy Easter, from the
Party Girl and
Party411!
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