The Origins of Our Easter Traditions

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Every year, millions of people around the world celebrate the traditions of Easter. But do you know where those traditions came from? What do a bunny, eggs, and a basket have to do with Jesus? Why does the date vary so widely? Why is the holiday even named Easter? This article will help clear some of these questions up.

1. The Date

Did you know that prior to 325 A.D., Easter was celebrated on many different days? It might fall on Friday one year, and Saturday the next year. However, in 325 A.D., Emperor Constantine brought together the Council of Nicaea to determine a wide variety of Christian issues. One of the issues they resolved was to always place Easter celebrations on Sunday. They decreed that Easter shall fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. Since the spring equinox is on March 21st, this means that Easter will always fall on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25th.

2. The Name

What does "Easter" mean? It is actually a modern spelling of the pagan holiday Eastre, celebrated by the Germans. This in turn was a day which celebrated the goddess of fertility and springtime, Oestre (or Eostre).

3. Lent

Among Catholics and many other Christian denominations, Easter is the last day of Lent. During the 46-day period of Lent, Christians are expected to fast or make other sacrifices in recognition of the "ultimate sacrifice" that Jesus made. Mardi Gras is the day before this long period of fasting and sacrifice, hence the name "Fat Tuesday".

4. Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny also dates back to the ancient pagan religions of the Anglo-Saxons. Since Easter is a time of rebirth and fertility, they usually used this day to pay tribute to their fertility goddesses. The bunny, rabbit, or hare was generally thought of as the earthly manifestation of fertility. Rabbits are able to reproduce extremely quickly, and humans wished to be blessed with some of that fertility. Although the Germans brought the Easter Bunny to America early in its history, it wasn't until after the Civil War that it was widely incorporated into America's Easter traditions.

5. Easter Egg

The egg has been a symbol of rebirth throughout history and within many mythological traditions. People of ancient cultures used to exchange colored eggs long before the practice was incorporated into our modern celebrations of Easter.

6. Easter Basket

The earliest Easter Baskets weren't baskets, but were actually nests. Dutch children would follow the tradition of filling their caps and bonnets with grass and leaving them out overnight. If they were good, the fertility goddess would lay brightly colored eggs in the nest. This tradition has since been adapted and modified to the modern Easter basket filled with fake grass.

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Easter Traditions in France

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Considered the revered cradle of Christianity, France commemorates Easter with huge cheering and energy. The whole nation of the French flag parties in the Eastertide events and shops are skilfully adorned with chickens, fish, bells and dark and white chocolate rabbits.

Easter Fish

'Poisson d'Avril' (April Fish) is the French Easter fish that appears on April 1st when French kids enjoy in playing a sort of 'April Fool's' prank. They stick fish made from paper to the back of grown-ups.

Flying Bells

Flying Bells or Cloche Volant is a different significant element of France's Easter practices. On Good Friday, French Catholics deem that every church bell in France take off to the Vatican City in Rome, taking with them the sadness and pain of people who grieve the crucifixion of Jesus on that day. The flying bells go back on the morning of Easter Sunday and have with them piles of eggs and chocolates.

Easter Eggs

Kids awaken on Easter Sunday and check the nests they put in the yard or grounds, looking forward to getting well adorned Easter eggs. The game of rolling uncooked eggs on an incline is French tradition during Easter. According to myths, the last egg was the winning egg and represented the stone that is spun over the tomb of Jesus. Having fun with the eggs is one of the much-loved activities of children in Easter. The kids play a game wherein the eggs are tossed in the air and they have to catch them.

Traditional Banquet

In France, people usually cook lamb during Easter. A lot of Christian homes prepare 'Gigot D'agneau' or leg of lamb particularly for this event.

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Easter Traditions & Activities - 10 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Families

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What is Easter, and what are we celebrating on this holiday? As the first syllable of the very word 'holiday' suggests - it is a Holy day. Is there anything necessarily wrong with painting eggs, Easter egg hunts, bunnies, or chocolate? Absolutely not! In fact, such activities often accomplish the very goal of Who it is we celebrate and recognize on this Holy day - the goal of being with and strengthening family relationships. However, much like the majority of holidays, it is certainly easy to get caught up in the commercialization and symbolism of the celebration and forget why, what, and Who the symbols were originally intended to represent. Should Easter be fun? Of course! Should we color eggs, hide candy, and eat a lot of chocolate? Absolutely! But should we not also ensure that it is a Holy day where we think of, learn about, and seek to follow the very Symbol of this Holy day - the Savior Himself. He is the purpose of the holiday, hence the reason it must also be a Holy day.

Below are listed 10 fun and meaningful activity ideas for families and individuals everywhere that will help make Easter fun, memorable, and Holy.

1) Make it Holy-day: Spend at least a few minutes reflecting upon, learning more about, and expressing gratitude for the very reason and Person we celebrate on this Holy-day.

2) Give Easter to a Family in Need: Find a family who may be struggling or who has very little, and make it a memorable and special day for them. Make an Easter Basket for them - buy or make them a gift, a meal, get some chocolate and candies for the kids, etc.

3) Easter Egg Hunt: What would Easter be without one, right?

4) Dying Eggs: Hard broil some eggs, get some food coloring, and color Easter eggs together as a family. (Draw on the eggs with a white crayon before dying them to create designs).

5) Symbolism of Easter: Spend a few minutes each year learning about the symbolic nature of the colors, dying eggs, traditions, rolling eggs, Easter bunny, etc. What do these things really symbolize and represent.

6) Visit Graves: Go to the graves of family or friends and talk about death, as well as the Resurrection.

7) Decorations: Like any holiday, decorate the house (inside and out) with Easter decorations.

8) Worship Service and Scriptural Readings: Attend a religious service, participate in the Passover traditions and activities, read scriptural passages from the Bible, etc.

9) Meaningful Easter Egg Hunt: In addition to hiding candies in the Eggs, hide scriptural passages inside some eggs. Then, as the kids eat candies, read some of the scriptural passages and remember the significance of the day and holiday.

10) Family Day: Just spend time as a family together. Share a meal, play games together, and enjoy just being as a family.

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Weaving Easter Traditions Into Easter Cupcake Decorating Ideas

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When many of us think of Easter Traditions we think Easter eggs, hot cross buns, Easter bunnies. It's true that these have all become part of Easter without realizing their significance. Have you ever asked the question "what do bunnies have to do with eggs and Easter?" As I show you some Easter cupcake decorating ideas I will attempt to explain what the tradition behind the symbol.

The Easter Bunny

For thousands of years the rabbit has been a symbol of fertility. The Goddess Eostre (also known as Eastre among other variants) was the Great Mother Goddess of the Anglo-Saxons. The Saxons worshiped her through her earthly symbol of the rabbit. The name of the goddess was derived from the ancient word for spring.

Having started as a pagan festival predating Christianity the bunny tradition was brought to America by the German immigrants in the 1500 and 1600. The immigrants would tell tales to their children of the Easter Hare who had laid eggs for children to find. Cakes were also baked in the shape of bunnies.

Easter bunny cupcake decoration idea. Ice your cupcake with a pastel shade of pink. With white icing make two cheeks, placing them just below half way. Use a jelly bean for the eyes and nose and small marshmallows cut and shaped for the ears. To make the pink inner ear, dip the cut side of the marshmallow into pink sugar. The final touch is to pipe two or three whiskers from the cheeks.

The Easter Egg

As with the Easter bunny the Easter egg also predates Christianity. In many cultures the egg symbolizes rebirth, new life and fertility and is used in Spring festivals.

In Medieval times eggs were not allowed during Lent which traditionally ends on Holy Saturday -- the day after Good Friday. Eggs laid during the forty day period of Lent were often boiled or preserved and the egg became a mainstay of Easter meals.

Many traditions have developed around the Easter egg with the coloring of eggs becoming an established art -- the most elaborate decorations coming from Eastern Europe. These days there are many chocolate eggs with colored foil to represent the painted egg. Eggs are used as holiday games such as the Easter egg hunt and the egg roll. The most famous of these is the egg roll which usually takes place on the White House lawn each year.

Easter egg cupcake decoration idea number one. Ice your cupcake with smooth paste such as glace (water) icing and pipe designs or use edible paint. You can also two or three different color icings without actually mixing them but to make a marble effect.
Idea two -- bird's nest of eggs. Ice your cupcakes with chocolate frosting making the edges a little raised. Grate chocolate or sprinkle chocolate hail to represent the bird's nest. In the hollowed centre place mini chocolate eggs or candies that look like eggs.

The Hot Cross Bun.

It may come as a surprise that once again the sweet fruit yeast bun with the cross is thought to predate Christianity having formed part of Anglo-Saxon festivities celebrating the goddess Eostre. The cross is thought to represent the four quarters of the moon.

According to Wikipedia the term "Hot Cross Bun" was first recorded in 1733. Today the hot cross bun has become a part of Easter tradition with the cross standing as a symbol of the crucifixion. Although in our household they are eaten well before Easter the tradition is to serve them on Good Friday.

Hot cross bun cupcake. This is the simplest of the decorating ideas as all you need do is choose your cupcake icing and pipe a cross on it. To make the cupcake look like a spicy bun with fruit you could add the spices and a small amount of current. Why not use chocolate?

Perhaps you have had some surprises when considering the traditions that we have come to associate with Easter. Who knows the creating of new Easter cupcake decoration ideas may become a new tradition.

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