Easter traditions

Easter eggs
Of all the symbols associated with Easter, the egg (the symbol of fertility and new life) is the most identifiable. The customs and traditions of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries.

Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given to celebrate the Easter holiday or springtime. The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs or plastic eggs filled with confectionery. These eggs are often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny for children to find on Easter morning.

According to the book "Festivals and Celebrations," Easter eggs were dyed in ancient times by the Egyptians and Persians, who then exchanged them with friends.

If Lent is observed as it was intended to be, eggs are a forbidden food. Centuries ago, when Lent ended on Easter Sunday, it became tradition for people to give decorated eggs as presents to their friends and servants. Over time, the tradition of painting or decorating eggs has continued, particularly with the Ukrainians and other eastern European countries known for their beautiful and intricate designs.

Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were coloured and etched with various designs the Easter eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines. In medieval time eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants.

In Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts. In Germany and other countries eggs used for cooking where not broken, but the contents were removed by piercing the end of each egg with a needle and blowing the contents into a bowl. The hollow eggs were died and hung from shrubs and trees during the Easter Week

Easter bunny
The Easter Bunny, a cute little rabbit that hides eggs for us to find on Easter. In the rites of spring the rabbit symbolized fertility. In a German book dated 1682, a tale is told of a bunny laying eggs and hiding them in the garden.
Rabbits are a powerful symbol of fertility and new life, and therefore, of Easter.

The Easter Bunny, like Santa Claus, has become a popular children's character. At some point, the hare was replaced by the rabbit (some say that this is because it is difficult to tell hares and rabbits, both long-eared mammals, apart).

The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season.

The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have its origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies (made from pastry and sugar) were made in Germany during the early 1800s.

The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the country during the 1700s. The children believed that if they were good Easter bunny would lay a nest of colored eggs. The children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or the garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests. The use of elaborate Easter baskets would come later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.

Easter Baskets
The Easter Basket is thought to originate from a Catholic custom. Baskets filled with breads, cheeses, hams, and other foods for Easter dinner were taken to mass Easter morning to be blessed. This evolved into Easter baskets filled with chocolate eggs, jellybeans, toys, and stuffed bunnies for children left behind by the Easter Bunny.

Hot Cross Buns
According to the book Dates and Meanings of Religious & Other Festivals, hot cross buns used to be kept especially for Good Friday with the symbolism of the cross, although it is thought that they originated in pagan times with the bun representing the moon and its four quarters.

The custom of eating hot cross buns goes back to pre-Christian times, when pagans offered their god, Zeus, a cake baked in the form of a bull, with a cross upon it to represent its horns. Throughout the centuries, hot cross buns were made and eaten every Good Friday, and it was thought that they had miraculous curative powers. People hung buns from their kitchen ceilings to protect their households from evil for the year to come. Good Friday bread and buns were said never to go moldy. This was probably because the buns were baked so hard that there was no moisture left in the mixture for the mold to live on. Hot cross buns and bread baked on Good Friday were used in powdered form to treat all sorts of illnesses.

To check out our egg-citing Easter gift basket selection, click here