Here we are, the day before Easter Sunday. Here in America, Christians will go to church in the morning, usually followed by a meal later in the day, and ABC’s annual four and one-half hour airing that evening of the classic movie “The Ten Commandments”.
Cue Edward G. Robinson as Nathan:
Where’s your Moses, Naaaooow?
So, how did Easter Traditions begin? And, where did they come from?
The origins of our Easter Traditions are quite fascinating, per infoplease.com:
According to the Venerable Bede, Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named “Eostremonat,” or Eostre’s month, leading to “Easter” becoming applied to the Christian holiday that usually took place within it. Prior to that, the holiday had been called Pasch (Passover), which remains its name in most non-English languages.
(Based on the similarity of their names, some connect Eostre with Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and fertility, but there is no solid evidence for this.)
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.
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, including the Ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, used eggs during their spring festivals.
…Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and in Greece painted eggs bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Hollow eggs (created by piercing the shell with a needle and blowing out the contents) were decorated with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious figures in Armenia.
Germans gave green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday, and hung hollow eggs on trees. Austrians placed tiny plants around the egg and then boiled them. When the plants were removed, white patterns were created.
…Hares and rabbits have long been symbols of fertility. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where 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.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.
After their baptisms, early Christians wore white robes all through Easter week to indicate their new lives. Those had already been baptized wore new clothes instead to symbolize their sharing a new life with Christ.
In Medieval Europe, churchgoers would take a walk after Easter Mass, led by a crucifix or the Easter candle. Today these walks endure as Easter Parades. People show off their spring finery, including lovely bonnets decorated for spring.
In honor of the holiday, I composed the following list:
The Top 10 Reasons I Miss an Old-Fashioned Easter
(Or, the Ruminations of a Cantankerous Old Man)
Being an **ahem** older American, an empty nester, if you will, I have found my mind wandering back to memories of Easters past. Here is a list of those memories I’d like to share with you…in no particular order.
- I truly miss the smell of boiled eggs and vinegar of Good Friday.
- I miss dyeing eggs. Paas rules!
- Why did my parents always hide my Easter Basket in the top of their closet?
- Why did my Daddy always cut the yard on the Saturday before Easter?
- Somewhere, there is an Easter picture of me wearing a crew cut, a blue and brown plaid sports coat and a blue bow tie. No. That wasn’t last year, I was in First Grade.
- Who grieves for all of the ear-less Chocolate Bunnies?
- Why did we always have deviled eggs with our Easter meal? Wasn’t dyeing the eggs enough?
- The is nothing like the smell of an Easter Ham in the oven.
- When you’re a parent/grandparent hiding Easter eggs, you suddenly gain a new found respect for what your parents went through.
- Why didn’t the preacher just go ahead and wish everyone a “Merry Christmas” to cover those he wouldn’t see again until next year?
Happy Easter, everyone!