Easter History and Traditions

By 200 AD, Christian beliefs were gradually being accepted by many in society.  When the age-old spring festivals came around, Christians chose to celebrate as a time to remember the crucifixion and miraculous rebirth of their savior. 

Christianity tells us that Jesus Christ was ordered to be put to death by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in 30 AD.  Nailed to a cross, Christ suffered horribly and three days later rose from the dead into heaven.     

Coincidentally, the Resurrection took place during Passover, a Jewish celebration commemorating the exodus of the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt.  Christians of the day had roots in Judaism and for a while Easter and Passover were celebrated together. 

During the 4th century, Christians began to observe Good Friday, the day of Christ's crucifixion.  In 325 AD, the council of Nicaea established that Easter was to be celebrated on the Sunday on or after the first full moon of the spring equinox.  Around this time Good Friday and Easter became Christian holidays and Passover solely Jewish.   

Easter is the final event in a period of religious observances.  Lent, a time of penitence including some fasting, is 40 days prior to Easter and starts with Ash Wednesday.  The day before is widely and wildly celebrated around the world as Mardi Gras and Carnival.  "Mardi Gras," French for Fat Tuesday, is a raucous day of feasting before the solemnity of Lent.  Then Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, representing Jesus' return to Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday symbolizes the Last Supper of Christ followed by Good Friday and Easter Sunday. 

German settlers in the Pennsylvania Dutch community are documented as bringing some Easter traditions to this country in the 18th century and the festivities grew in popularity after the civil war.  Probably the most sacred holiday for Christians around the world, Easter is a divine celebration of life eternal.

The tradition of an egg symbolizing the spring season and renewed life is one that spans many cultures. Believed to be a custom in ancient Egypt, Greece, and China, to name a few, people gave eggs as gifts at spring festivals. 

An old myth was that the Sun was a bird that was hatched from an "egg world," and in another version the world emerged from a "Universe egg." 

Often times the color of eggs and the way they are used have certain significance. Some Orthodox Christians still practice a tradition of baking red-colored eggs into bread, with "red" being symbolic of Christ's blood and bread the staff of life.  The egg-encrusted bread is brought to midnight mass for a blessing, and on Easter morning it is given to a friend or family member, usually a Godparent. 

Polish folklore tells of a man who was bringing a basket of eggs to sell at the market on Good Friday.  When he saw Christ struggling with the cross on his back, the man put down the basket to help him.  Upon retrieving his basket, the eggs had miraculously turned into glorious colors.
 
For a time, eggs were forbidden during lent.  People would hard-boil eggs to save them until they could be eaten and given as gifts on Easter.  Now a fun custom for children, dying eggs probably started as a way for families to teach children about the spiritual meaning of Easter.  And as for the Easter egg hunt, what child's interest wouldn't be peaked with the promise of an adventure.   

The rabbit, known for its fertility, symbolizes the birth of spring, and "Eastra," a goddess honored at ancient festivals, took the form of a rabbit. The giant bunny that hops into our homes and fills baskets with candy is another story! 

The Easter bunny is believed to have originated in German literature around the early 16th century with a tale that involved a large bunny who laid eggs around springtime.  200 years later when the German's immigrated to America they brought the Easter tradition of "Osterhase" with them.  Children would make nests in their hats and bonnets and the folkloric rabbit would lay colored eggs in them.  As the ritual developed decorated baskets replaced the homemade nests. 

Germans have been making bunny-shaped confections and pastry since the 19th century.  Somewhere along the way chocolate candy eggs and bunnies found their way into the baskets making the custom of the Easter Bunny extra sweet for kids.

What seems like a modern excuse for a shopping spree is somewhat of a societal rite of spring. 

Dating back to the middle ages, many cultures would strut their new fineries on their way to church or visiting friends on Easter Sunday.  A more spiritual meaning of this ritual is that it represents the procession that followed Christ carrying the cross. 

The Atlantic City Easter parade, started in 1860, was a grand promenade.  Back in the day, people would dress in elegant hats and brand new clothes to take their customary stroll down the boardwalk. Fifth Avenue in New York City enjoys its fair share of fashionable traffic on the holiday, as well as The Easter Parade in Dupont Circle, Washington D.C., which started in 1952.  And Irving Berlin's 1933 song, "Easter Parade," romanticized the tradition on Broadway in the musical "As Thousands Cheer," on the big screen in the 1942 movie, "Holiday Inn," and in the same titled movie "Easter Parade" in 1948.

Perhaps the most time-honored tradition for children in Washington D.C. is the White House Easter Egg Roll. 

Dolly Madison is usually credited for initiating this Easter Monday event somewhere around 1809-1817.  Originally families with young children would roll Easter eggs, colored by the children of the President and staff, across the lawn of the Capitol.  As this activity took its toll on the grounds, the tradition stopped in 1876. 

There is a cute little tale of how children armed with Easter baskets confronted President Rutherford B. Hayes about the cessation of the event.  The President and his wife were charmed by the kids and reinstated the tradition in 1878. Since then, children accompanied by an adult roll eggs on the lush South Lawn of the White House unless poor weather conditions or wartime cause it to be cancelled. 

Presidents, First Ladies, and celebrities have attended this event where children hunt for eggs and collect candy in addition to the Easter Egg Roll. As a souvenir, each child receives a wooden egg signed by the President and First Lady.