Easter is celebrated in various ways. Traditional religious commemorations include Saturday evening Easter vigils and Sunday morning Resurrection masses. Parents may spend Easter weekend putting the finishing touches on Easter Bunny baskets, and many families favor a combination of traditions.
Since religious as well as secular imagery and traditions have melded to form the Easter most individuals recognize today, a mix of customs may be part of your Easter festivities. Among them will be colored eggs, egg hunts and possibly even egg rolls. Just how was the Easter egg tradition hatched?
Pre-Christian Societies
Before Christianity was as widespread as it is in modern times, many societies associated eggs with spring and new life. Many birds and animals lay eggs early in spring, and these eggs tend to hatch upon the arrival of the warm weather, budding flowers and buzzing insects.
Ancient Persians are believed to have painted eggs for Nowrooz, their new year celebration that would fall on the spring equinox each year.
Eggs also have been part of Passover celebrations. A hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water is served at a Passover seder, symbolizing both new life away from oppression and the Passover sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem, according to Chabad.org.
Lent, Christianity and Eggs
In medieval times, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent, when both dairy and meat were avoided. To reduce waste, eggs laid during Lent were boiled or preserved in some way.
The fast ended on Easter Sunday, and eggs became, once again, important and nutritious staples — especially for poor families that couldn’t afford much meat. Eggs also were given to the church by medieval English villagers and also to the lords of the manor. Royals eventually got in on the act, and decorated eggs were distributed to the household in a tradition that was one of the earliest to include eggs.
Easter Egg Hunts
Come Easter Sunday, eager children wake up to see if the Easter Bunny has visited their homes. For many families, Easter would not be the same without an annual egg hunt. From chocolate confections to money-filled plastic shells to colorful, hand-decorated hard-boiled eggs, the Easter Bunny (and his parental helpers) hide eggs all around.
As with many traditions, people may engage in the festivities without really understanding the origins behind the fun. It can be interesting to unearth just how such egg hunts were hatched.
As with many religious traditions, Easter egg coloring and hunts trace their origins to pre-Christian societies. These societies developed rituals surrounding nature, the seasons and more. Some traditions were adapted to link them to the Christian faith. Eggs held associations with new life and spring.
However, early Christians turned the egg into a symbol of the Resurrection and the empty shell became a representation of Christ’s tomb. Eggs also were important components of the Easter holiday, as they were prohibited (like meat) during Lent. But on Easter, fasting ended and eggs were a part of Easter celebrations, particularly for the poor who couldn’t afford meat.
There are two widely known accounts of the origins of Easter egg hunts. The religious version has Protestant reformer Martin Luther organizing hunts for his congregation. The men would hide the eggs for women and children to find, which mirrors Resurrection accounts in the Bible in which women discovered Christ’s empty tomb.
Another account traces the tradition to the Dutch tale of the “Oschter Haws” (“Osterhase” in German), which was a hare that laid eggs in the grass. Children would build and decorate nests for the eggs and wait to see if they would be populated, according to Discovery.com. This tradition became popular in America with the arrival of Dutch and German settlers in Pennsylvania in the 1700s.
By the 20th century, decorated Easter nests were replaced with baskets, and Osterhase was more affectionately known as the Easter Bunny, who chose to leave eggs as well as treats and candy. Easter celebrations continued to marry both the religious and secular to form many of the customs that are known widely today.
Easter egg hunts are enjoyed by the young and old on Easter. They’re a key part of celebrations. Just remember to find all those hard-boiled eggs in a timely fashion.
Did You Know?
Christians and even many non-Christians likely know that Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Less widely known may be the origins of the name of this significant holiday.
Historians are not certain about the precise origins of the name “Easter.” Some believe the name can be traced to the English monk Bede, often referred to as “St. Bede the Venerable” or “The Venerable Bede.”
According to History.com, in his most famous work, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Bede asserts that the English word “Easter” can be traced to “Eostre” or “Eostrae,” which is the pagan Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring.
Many historians past and present echo this sentiment and believe Eostre is the namesake of Easter. However, others believe “Easter” comes from the Latin phrase “in albis,” which is plural for “alba” (dawn).
That phrase became “eostarum” in Old High German, a language that historians have connected to Old English. Though which camp is correct may never be resolved, there’s no denying that the word “Easter” represents the same spirit of rebirth that Christians celebrate each spring.
