I have the fondest memories of Easter and spring time…
When I was little, this was a time of brand new dresses made by my Mom, new shoes and sometimes even a little hat. I think it was doubly exciting for me because my birthday usually fell right around Easter!
I loved decorating eggs, the Easter egg hunts and all the early signs of spring. These days I go out and check my bulbs to see if they’ve made any progress.
I thought it might be interesting to look at its history:
Easter was originally a pagan festival. The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with an uproarious festival commemorating their goddess of spring time, Eastre. When the second-century Christian missionaries encountered the tribes of the north with their pagan celebrations, they decided to spread their religious message slowly throughout the population. As it happened, the pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. The Saxon name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter.
The Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.
The Easter Egg
As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.
From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers. Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs — those made of plastic or chocolate candy.
So celebrate the rebirth of hope, nurture your new dreams, and watch them grow…
