Easter Traditions

Easter is one of those special holidays that we look forward to. In fact, it is not only a Christian holiday, but it is one that is fun for non-religious individuals. Kids of course, focus on The Easter Bunny and the goodies he will bring. But where did our Easter symbols, icons and traditions come from?

The truth is that although many simply say commercialization has resulted in the way we celebrate, there are other bases for the things that have become associated with Easter. According to research conducted online, the holiday was originally a pagan festival. Easter or ‘Eastre’ was a celebration of the return of spring. In those early times Christian missionaries worked to convert the individuals that celebrated the spring. In order to spread Christianity in a way that was better received the holy days were designed to coincide with existing celebrations. This resulted in a continuance of the pagan feasts, but they were celebrated in a Christian manner.

Conveniently enough the spring celebration happened near the same time that Christians celebrated the Resurrection of Christ. It was a simple step to move from one celebration to the other and to change the celebration from “Eastre” to Easter.
This is also where the roots of our modern day Easter Bunny began. The pagan festival paid tribute to the goddess ‘Eastre’ who was symbolized by the rabbit.
The egg is not a new concept either. From ancient times eggs have symbolized rebirth. And decorating and exchanging eggs was a sign of hope and friendship.
As generations have come and gone, we have built on these early traditions and thus, we have embellished some elements and let some lose their importance. The religious among will always see Easter as a Christian holiday. But just like Christmas, Easter is celebrated by almost everyone.

The Easter eggs are an important component of decorating an Easter Basket, but they are mostly just enjoyed for their beauty and the fun of the egg coloring. Plus, kids everywhere use the beautiful eggs as objects to hide in order to play games on Easter.

The Easter Bunny is becoming almost as popular as Santa Claus. Because he brings candy and other treasures to children on Easter most kids want to insure that he knows what they want. This has resulted in a tradition of writing letters to The Easter Bunny. The letters are designed to inform the Bunny of special treats the child would like to receive and even to let him know how good they have been. Kids hope to receive a personalized letter from The Easter Bunny in return. And many do.
Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving, most families have their own particular holiday traditions. This may focus on gifts and decorating, but an important element of each of these holidays is food. Easter Dinner is usually a festive occasion – a time when family gathers to eat a scrumptious meal together.

Whatever you do on Easter and other holidays, I suggest that you begin some traditions of your own. Either follow some that are commonly practiced or create something new. When my children were young we made a tradition of visiting the zoo on Easter. Of course, as the kids grew up they found other things to do on the holiday, but now that tradition is again practiced with my grandkids.

Create some fond memories and some traditions that will be special and unique to your family. Make the most of the time you have with your loved ones!