Isn’t it funny how it is with any holiday.  Name any celebration, and you can bet there are a few crazy traditions that go along with it.  We don’t know where most of these rituals come from or why they even exist–they just do. This is just the way things have always been done, and so it goes.  Even still, with Easter right around the corner, we thought you might like to know where some of the more commonly known Easter symbols came from and how they hopped their way into the celebration of this favorite springtime holiday. 

Most people know that Easter is a significant holiday to Christians. Easter marks the day that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead after having been crucified and buried away inside a tomb. But what does this have to do with bunnies, chicks, lambs, and eggs? Believe it or not, many of the most common Easter symbols and traditions that we associate with Easter ironically stem from old pagan rituals and ceremonies that go deep into history, even long before the advent of Christianity. 

Oestra: In ancient days, there was a goddess of fertility, new life and springtime whose name was Oestra.  Every year during the spring at the time of the Vernal Equinox, the pagan people would hold various festivities, feasts and rituals in order to worship Oestra.  The symbol associated with Oestra was the rabbit, largely because it is well known for its prolific ability to reproduce and has abundant fertility.

Egg Laying Bunny? Around the 13th century, eggs were also an important symbol representing fertility, new life and rebirth–all things that were significant during springtime and the celebration of Oestra and all that she represented to these early pagan people. Later on in history as Catholicism spread throughout Europe, the symbols of eggs and bunnies were incorporated into the religious celebration of Easter.  By the 1500’s, tales and legends of an egg-laying bunny were being told throughout Germany. In the late 1600’s the first actual story of such a talented rabbit was published.  When German people immigrated to the United States, of course they brought with them their traditions and stories.  One of these obviously was that of the Easter Bunny.

Lamb:  The lamb has often been a Christian symbol closely associated with Jesus Christ.  In the ancient Hebrew religion, the lamb was often used as a sacrifice to God. In this sense, since Christians believe that Jesus’ life was sacrificed in order to obtain eternal life for humanity, Jesus became known as “the lamb of God”.

Chick:  The baby chick obviously has many close associations with Easter as well as springtime.  Some say also that the chick breaking out of the eggshell symbolizes Jesus Christ coming out of his rock tomb during his resurrection.  The baby chick represents rebirth and new life.

Butterfly:  The entire life process and metamorphosis of the butterfly has religious connotations to Christians.  The caterpillar and subsequent cocoon it forms around him symbolizes death as well as burial.  When the butterfly emerges in it’s winged form this symbolizes the resurrection of Christ or rebirth.

Pretzels:  Pretzels go all the way back to the 5th century where they were made by monks and then were subsequently given out to the poor just before Easter.  During later years, pretzels were the only type of bread eaten from Wednesday through Saturday during the week prior to Easter.  The twisted dough that forms the shape of the pretzel is thought to represent the folded and crossed arms in a prayer position, which is a reverent nod to Easter.

The Cross:  For Christians, the symbol of the cross represents Jesus Christ’s victory over death. 

Have you ever wondered who dreamed up the idea of Easter Eggs?  What about the Easter Bunny in that funky Easter Bunny costume — where did that tradition come from?   With Easter just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to explain a little bit about the history of some of the more common Easter traditions.

Easter Bunny-Tradition states that on Easter this wily rabbit brings baskets full of Easter eggs and toys to children.  Although this custom has been around for a very long time, as it turns out, the Easter bunny has its roots as a pagan rather than a religious symbol.  In Ancient days, long before the Christian holiday of Easter was even celebrated, pagan villagers adopted this hare as a figure of their own holiday as it represented to them the beginning of new life.

Pagan cultures of long ago often celebrated the various seasons and the many different things associated with each of them. In the spring, the world began to come to life again with plants and flowers growing and blooming.  These ancient people celebrated this renewal of life and were thought to believe that these rituals would assist in the perpetuation and fertility of crops, animals and even human beings.  The Saxons worshiped a maiden goddess of fertility known as Eastre, and she was frequently glorified during a springtime village gala. (As a side note, Halloween also has its roots as a pagan celebration associated with harvest time.)

When Christian missionaries came to convert these pagan people to Christianity during the second century, these celebrations eventually were adapted to become Christian holidays rather than pagan holidays.  The festival of Eastre was near the time of Christ’s resurrection, so as time went by, the holidays were assimilated into one celebration, and of course, the Easter Bunny came along for the ride.

Easter Eggs-Eggs have been the symbol of rebirth since ancient days as well.  It seems only natural that a springtime holiday would have the symbol of an egg associated with it, as the earth does appear to be somewhat reborn during the springtime months. The tradition of dyeing eggs during springtime celebrations has been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Christians adopted the custom of decorating eggs and used the eggs to symbolize the ideals of rebirth and resurrection.  In the 600’s, Pope Gregory the Great actually made it illegal to eat eggs during Lent (the 40 days before Easter) so that when Easter finally came and it was then again okay to eat eggs, the eggs seemed like a very delicious and special treat.  Over the years it has become a custom all over the world to decorate eggs around the time of Easter. 

Knowing a little bit of history about your favorite holidays makes it even more fun and enjoyable.  Now when you bite the ears off that chocolate bunny or munch a peanut butter filled chocolate egg, you can think about the long history involved to make that Easter fun happen!