Easter, a religious-based holiday, is celebrated by many families worldwide, whether they are religious or not. It is a time where people come together and feast as a reminder of Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection. It is also a known commercial event nowadays due to the high sale rates of holiday greeting cards and candy.
Here are eleven interesting facts about the beloved Easter holidays to get you in the springtime holiday spirit.
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Easter’s date is calculated using a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar instead of a fixed date found in the Julien or Gregorian calendars. That is why Easter and other similar holidays are considered to be “moveable feasts.”
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Easter’s name comes from an old English term for the month corresponding to April, called “month of Eostre.” It was an English month named after a goddess called Eostre, who had feasts celebrated in their honor for that month.
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Being associated with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the egg is also an ancient symbol of rebirth and new life.
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The Easter egg custom originated in Mesopotamia in the early Christian community. In honor of the memory of Christ’s bloodshed at his crucifixion, eggs got stained the color of blood.
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The Easter egg is also a popular symbol of new life in folk traditions in Poland and other Slavic countries. There, eggs get intricately colored and decorated in a batik-like process known as pisanka.
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Cadbury’s famous chocolate-making company sponsors annual Easter egg hunts in over 250 national trust locations in the UK.
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Every Easter Monday, the US president holds an annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn for young children to partake in.
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Although the Easter bunny’s exact origins are unknown, it is believed that German immigrants brought the concept to America in the 1700s.
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In Australia, children wait for the Easter bilby to treat them since the rabbit is considered a pest there.
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Another reason rabbits are associated with the Easter theme of birth and renewal is their being known avid procreators. The springtime is also a time where meadows are brought to life and filled with baby bunnies.
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Traditional Easter foods tend to be very symbolic. During Passover, a Jewish tradition, lamb is commonly served. The phrase “Lamb of God” is a reference to Jesus’s death and its sacrificial nature.
Easter is a beautiful symbol of new life and the perfect time to get together with friends and family and feast, whether you’re religious or not.