Popular Easter Traditions

Spring is here– which means that Easter is quickly approaching.  This year, Easter is on April 21, 2019.  As you decorate and prepare for the holiday, you might wonder how the Easter Bunny came to be a symbol for Easter, or why we decorate eggs and eat bird-shaped marshmallows, also known as Peeps.  This article will explore the origins of popular Easter traditions.

Easter Bunny Tradition
The tradition of rabbits and bunnies representing Easter is believed to originate from early pagan customs.  Around the spring equinox, pagans celebrated the renewal of life and fertility by venerating the goddess of spring, Eastre.  Eastre, sometimes spelled Oestre, was associated with birth and newborns, and since rabbits are prolific breeders, the bunny eventually became a symbol for the spring Eastre festival. 

It is believed that around the 17th century, Christians in German and elsewhere began to blend elements of the pagan Eastre festival with the Christian holiday marking the resurrection of Jesus.  In Germany, the tradition of Oschter Haws (“Easter Hare”) began and eventually spread elsewhere and later evolved into the tradition of the Easter Bunny that we all know today.

Easter Egg Traditions
In the United States, we also have the traditions of decorating eggs and having eggs hunts for Easter.  Since ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of new life and birth, and it was natural for eggs to become the symbol for Easter.  The German legend of Oschter Haws also evolved to become a mythical egg-laying hare who would leave colored eggs for well-behaved children at Easter. 

Children would make nests out of their bonnets and wait to see if the Oschter Haws left them any colored eggs behind.  It is widely believed that German immigrants in the fledgling American colony of Pennsylvania brought the tradition of the Easter Bunny and colored eggs to America in the 1700s. 

Easter Baskets and Candy Traditions
Similar to colored Easter eggs, the tradition of Easter baskets filled with sweets and candy has its origins in the German Oschter Haws legend.  Children would decorate their bonnets and hats with hay to make a nest for the Easter Bunny to lay his magical eggs.  Over time, the tradition evolved into Easter baskets filled with goodies such as chocolate bunnies, egg-shaped jelly beans, and the iconic Peeps.  After chocolate, marshmallow Peeps are the best-selling Easter candy.

Hot Cross Buns Tradition
The tradition of baking and eating hot cross buns on Good Friday before Easter is thought to date back to the 12th century when a monk baked rolls with a cross marked on the top to mark the holy day.  These sweet bread rolls made with raisins or currants and spices.  The cross is meant to represent the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the spices symbolize the spices used to embalm Christ’s body.

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