by Falyn Bonacore
Easter, an annual Christian holiday, is a day devoted to celebrating Jesus’s resurrection. Occurring on the first Sunday following the spring equinox’s full moon, this major religious holiday is celebrated to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament of the Bible. Jesus’s resurrection took place on the third day after his crucifixion and has since been made a holiday that reflects the hope of salvation and honorable death. Christians gather with their families to celebrate Easter which has inevitably led to the formation of holiday traditions and Easter rituals.
It has been suggested that when Easter Sunday arrived in the medieval past, eggs were a significant treat as they had been forbidden during Lent. Representing new life and rebirth, or a symbol of resurrection like that of Jesus Christ, eggs have become a custom at Easter celebrations. We now play with eggs on Easter Sunday in the form of Easter egg hunts to remember their significance in the Christian religion. Parents typically hide eggs around the house for children to eagerly search for, adding further excitement and tradition to the holiday.
To celebrate the end of Lent, Easter baskets filled with delicious candy and chocolate assortments are usually given to children on Easter morning to celebrate the end of their 40-day dietary restraints. As a result, the folkloric figure, the Easter Bunny, rose to prominence and became the “giver” of the sweet Easter treats. Typically symbolizing fertility and energy in the Christian religion, this bunny has been a symbol of pagan traditions that eventually became associated with Easter.
Initially constructed by the Germans, chocolate bunnies have also spread throughout the world to commemorate the Easter holiday. These hollow candies made it easier to create large treats to celebrate the end of Lent without making them hard to eat. Their cute appearance is inviting and rewarding to children while also acting as an Easter promotion and marketing method for global retail stores. These bunnies are not only aesthetically pleasing, they are also associated with Easter’s devotion to the celebration of fertility and the arrival of spring.
Easter serves to celebrate and show gratitude towards the history of Christianity and its values. Foods and animals representing Christ’s resurrection have been incorporated into the holiday to encourage further traditions in families when they gather to celebrate on Easter Sunday. These established rituals continue to provide joy and lend significance to the Easter holiday.