Happy Spring! Happy April!
Here in our neck of the woods, the vernal equinox (Spring) is in full bloom…literally. Along with the Bradford pear trees, Eastern Redbud, daffodils, and tulips, a sticky, hazy green pollen sticks to everything!
However, that aside, Easter will arrive in seventeen days. While many people list Christmas and Thanksgiving as their favorite holidays, Easter has always been my favorite. There’s the traditional ham or lamb dinner, chocolate bunnies, and Easter baskets for the little ones, of course. The holiday is low-key, giving folks time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.
And for many, Easter has been observed since the 2nd century as a way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As it turns out, there is so much that makes this holiday what it is today — religious and otherwise.
Easter Lily
The Easter lily is both a pagan and Christian symbol, closely connected to Easter from either side. In the pre-Christian Roman tradition, the white lily was also associated with Hera, the Queen of Heaven. According to her myth, the white lily came from Hera’s milk.
Likely from there, the lily later became associated with Mary in the Roman Church. Lilies were also often mentioned in the Bible, although the wild Middle Eastern lilies at the time weren’t exactly the same flowers as the modern Lilium Longiflorum white lilies we often use on Easter.
Easter Eggs
Throughout most of Christian Europe, the pagan symbols of the spring hare, the egg, and chick were quickly adopted as symbols for the Christian Easter. The colorful ritual of decorating eggs also has an intriguing origin. As part of the Lenten season leading up to Easter, early Christians abstained from eating food from animals as the Lenten fast. Yet chickens continued to lay eggs, so eggs were hard-boiled, then decorated to celebrate the Easter season but were not eaten until Easter.
Easter egg decorating became a high art in Europe, especially in eastern Europe and Russia, that immigrants brought to America. The name of these Easter eggs contains part of their story. Pysanky (or pysanka in the singular form) is rooted in the Ukrainian verb “to write.” In this case, that refers to the pretty patterns you would scrawl across the eggs. Ukrainian Easter eggs often feature intricate designs and symbols, such as flowers, animals, and geometric shapes, each with its own significance.
There are a few different origin stories for how this cultural tradition began. According to Pysanky for Peace, the practice comes from ancient Ukrainian peoples who worshiped the sun as the source of life on earth. During pre-Christian times, they believed birds were the sun God’s chosen creations, so eggs decorated with nature symbols became integral to spring rituals. With the acceptance of Christianity, the egg took on new meaning as the rebirth of man.
The Easter Lamb
As the Bible calls Jesus “the Lamb of God”, it’s no surprise that the Easter lamb is a major sign of Easter. This Paschal Lamb symbolizes Jesus Christ himself and his sacrifice for all humanity on Easter.
Many Easter traditions from Eastern Europe to the US celebrate Easter with a lamb-based dish on Easter Sunday evening, after the end of Lent.
Easter Bunny
Like many Easter traditions, the Easter Bunny evolved out of ancient fertility and spring celebrations. Rabbits breed like, well, rabbits, and give birth in the spring. So, in places where the fields became overrun with baby bunnies, it was natural to incorporate the rabbit as a symbol for spring and, eventually, Easter.
Another legend tells of a poor German woman who loved children. She would hide brightly colored eggs in her garden as Easter treats. One year, while the children searched for them, they noticed a hare hopping past and believed that the animal had left the eggs.
Easter Egg Rolling
Given the egg’s symbolic significance representing the rock before the tomb, egg rolling became a popular children’s Easter activity in America in the 1800s, recreating the rolling away of the rock in front of Christ’s tomb. According to the White House Historical Association, some historians credit First Lady Dolley Madison (yes, her name is spelled correctly!)with first proposing the idea of a public egg roll around 1810. There are also accounts of informal egg rolls staged by the children of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson on the White House lawn. The 1878 event hosted by President Rutherford B. Hayes on the South Lawn, however, stands as the first official White House Easter Egg Roll.
Easter Outfits
How many of us remember dressing up to the nines on Easter Sunday? Girls in frilly spring dresses with little gloves and purses? Boys in pastel suit jackets and bow ties? Purchasing a new holiday outfit may seem like a 20th-century commercial invention, but even early Christians followed the practice of wearing new clothes for Easter. It was the one time of year when, if you had new clothes, you wore them. You dressed in your finest to go to church as a manner of honoring the resurrected Savior. In America, stores soon latched onto the idea that creating Easter outfits and sales during the season would help them sell fancy bonnets or suits.
Fueled by the popularity of Irving Berlin’s song, Easter Parade, as well as the resulting movie featuring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, locals and visitors alike descended on New York’s Fifth Avenue to show off their new attire, eventually leading to the creation of the famous Easter Parade.
Easter Egg Trees
It’s only in recent years that miniature Easter trees have become popular in North America. This Easter tradition from Germany is a favorite. Beautifully decorated Easter eggs are hung on branches in a vase in the home or on trees outside, adding a splash of color to spring’s palette.
Until this research, I never knew I was ahead of the curve on this tradition. From the time my children were babies, I’ve decorated a tree outside our home. Using plastic eggs (to endure the elements, e.g. ice/snow/wind/rain…you get the picture!), I would thread a ribbon through a hole in one end of the egg then loop them over the bare branches. Here is this year’s masterpiece!!!
Easter Bread
Easter bread comes in dozens of different shapes, types, and sizes – some sweet, some salty, some large, and others – bite-sized.
Hot cross buns, soft pretzels, Eastern European kozunak bread, and various other types of bread are all very much associated with the different Easter traditions.
Here is my Easter Bread made with the recipe handed down from my grandmother.
As with Santa Claus—who came first from the pagan Father Winter, then morphed into the Christian St. Nicholas—the Easter bunny and Easter chick had pagan origins that then became symbolic to the Christian faith. But the Christian symbolism associated with all three and the historical context behind them is, sadly, little known by most in modern America. It is worth remembering that all three are associated with birth and rebirth, sharing gifts and bringing joy, and peace and good will.
Happy Easter!
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Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Jo-Ann Roberts was fascinated by America’s Old West and always felt she was destined to travel on a wagon train following the Oregon Trail. With her love of history and reading, she began reading historical romance during high school and college. Victoria Holt, Jude Deveraux, and Roseanne Bittner were among her favorites. Influenced by her father, she fell in love with John Wayne, James Garner, and her all-time favorite, James Stewart and grew up watching Wagon Train, Bonanza and Rawhide.
A firm believer in HEA with a healthy dose of realism, Jo-Ann strives to give her readers a sweet historical romance while imparting carefully researched historical facts, personalities, and experiences relative to the time period. Her romances take her readers back to a simpler time to escape the stress of modern life by living in a small town where families and friends help one another find love and happiness.
When she isn’t creating believable plots and relatable heroes and heroines, Jo-Ann enjoys spending time with her husband, children and grandson. She also enjoys baking, quilting and eating way too much chocolate.
After 38 years in public education in Connecticut and Maryland, she’s now calls North Carolina home.
Fascinating Easter traditions.
Going to church for Easter service was always a favorite.
Welcome, Denise. I agree, the pageantry and the message of Easter are always uplifting. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
The weather was terrible so Mom and Dad hid eggs for the Easter hunt indoors. There was the egg not found for 2 weeks inside the record player… Lessen learned : count eggs.
Welcome, Kate. Oh, my goodness! While it may not have been funny to experience the stench, it certainly made an impression on you. What a good story to include in a contemporary romance!! Thanks for stopping by P&P.
Easter baskets on easter morning.
Welcome, Kim. A visit from the Easter Bunny and the treats he left were certainly part of the Easter morning celebration. Our baskets were left by the back door. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
Hey Jo-Ann! Loved this article on Easter! My Mom was big on Easter mornings. My brothers and I had our pictures made in suits and my pretty Easter dress before heading to church. And we had years of this. I loved the early ones where Mama made our dresses with the same fabric. And of course, the Easter baskets filled with goodies at the kitchen door where the Easter bunny brought them in and left!
Happy Easter!
Welcome, Tracy. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the blog. What wonderful memories you have of festive Easter celebrations. How fun to look back at the photos and see everyone dressed in their new clothes. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
We used to get new outfits for Easter and I loved the patent leather shoes.
Welcome, Debra. That was a highlight for us, too. We had white gloves with pearl buttons, white wicker purses with flowers on the top. My mom always had a corsage. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
My favorite tradition was dyeing Easter eggs.
Welcome, Linda R. My mom would boil the eggs on Good Friday and refrigerate them. On Holy Saturday, she’d drop little colored discs into a cup, then add water and vinegar. She made us wait until all were thoroughly mixed. I wonder if they still make those discs for coloring eggs. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
Thank you for sharing the symbols of Easter. I liked the gathering of the family for Easter Dinner,
Welcome, Sharon J. I’m pleased you liked the blog. Easter dinner was a favorite for me as well. Being Italian, we had homemade lasagna, ham, spring vegetables, fresh rolls, and Easter Bread. Desserts were usually Italian cookies or pizzelles, a waffle-like round cookie. Thank you for stopping by P&P.
J.
Always getting new clothes to wear to the special church services and a huge dinner awaiting at Grandma’s house – usually a Clove spiked ham with pineapple!!
Welcome, Teresa F. Along with the new outfits, we had white or black Mary Janes, white gloves with pearls, and white wicker purses. Being Italian, we had homemade lasagna, ham, spring vegetables, fresh rolls, and Easter Bread. Desserts were usually Italian cookies or pizzelles, a waffle-like round cookie. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
I always enjoyed doing an Easter egg hunt, whether at home or at my Grannie’s with our cousins, It was always a fun!
Welcome, Sabrina. Having cousins was always the best. I was blessed to have a multitude of them on both sides of my family. Great memories! My mom would boil the eggs on Good Friday and refrigerate them. On Holy Saturday, she’d drop little colored discs into a cup, then add water and vinegar. She made us wait until all were thoroughly mixed. I wonder if they still make those discs for coloring eggs. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
Getting a new dress to wear to church on Easter Sunday and dyeing real eggs with mom, and finding them after they were hidden.
Welcome, Connie Lee. I loved getting a new outfit with shoes, little white gloves, and a new straw purse. Dyeing eggs was always fun. My mom would boil the eggs on Good Friday and refrigerate them. On Holy Saturday, she’d drop little colored discs into a cup, then add water and vinegar. She made us wait until all were thoroughly mixed. I wonder if they still make those discs for coloring eggs. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
When I was a kid, we always dyed and decorated eggs. We would use a wax crayon to write names on them, and every family member would have their own egg with their name on it. For the very last egg, we would mix all of the dye colors together in one cup and dye one egg with it. It usually ended up a muddy brown color, but it was the “prize egg” and whoever found it got a special treat. The tradition continues today with my kids.
Welcome, Kim. Oh, gosh! I remember the wax crayon. What fun to carry on the tradition with your children. Dyeing eggs was always fun. My mom would boil the eggs on Good Friday and refrigerate them. On Holy Saturday, she’d drop little colored discs into a cup, then add water and vinegar. She made us wait until all were thoroughly mixed. I wonder if they still make those discs for coloring eggs. Thanks for stopping by P&P
Welcome, Kim. Oh, gosh! I remember the wax crayon. What fun to carry on the tradition with your children. Dyeing eggs was always fun. My mom would boil the eggs on Good Friday and refrigerate them. On Holy Saturday, she’d drop little colored discs into a cup, then add water and vinegar. She made us wait until all were thoroughly mixed. I wonder if they still make those discs for coloring eggs. Thanks for stopping by P&P
Sunrise Easter service, new clothes and family dinner.
Welcome, Kathy. Such precious traditions and memories. I went to my first sunrise Easter service the Easter we went to the Outer Banks. It was breezy and cool, but so wonderful. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
I always loved getting my new Easter dress each year. Loved the little white gloves and matching shoes and hat. As I had my own children, it was fun to coordinate the family outfits- usually around my daughter’s dress. Now that the children are grown- we have granddaughters to buy those frilly dresses for.
Welcome, Danielle. So many fun memories for you to look back on. I remember dressing my children in new outfits for Easter. My own memories were of black Mary Janes, white gloves with pearl buttons, and a white straw purse. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
I live in the desert of Arizona, and we always went out on the desert and watched the sunrise and then hunted Easter eggs.
Welcome, Joye. Oh gosh, a sunrise Easter in the desert! The sun rising on the landscape must be spectacular. I’ve been to Arizona twice–Tucson and Flagstaff. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for stopping by P&P.
J.
One of my earliest Easter memories is that my maternal grandparents (both of whom passed away before I was five) would buy my three older sisters and I dresses for Easter. I still like getting a new dress for Easter!
Welcome, Trudy. What a sweet memory you have of your grandparents. I imagine you think of them when wearing your new dress each Easter morning. Thanks for sharing your memories and stopping by P&P.
J.
As a child I loved the Easter egg hunts with all my cousin and siblings but now as an adult I love the Sunday church sermon, and the true meaning of Easter,
Welcome, Laura. I believe the message of Easter is the main reason this is my favorite holiday. Having cousins was always the best. I was blessed to have a multitude of them on both sides of my family. Great memories! Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
Our current Easter Tradition is to go out to the lake as a family and just fish and relax. Since majority of us are adults, my sister will hide glow in the dark eggs and we will hunt them. They contain letters that spell out a prize. Once you complete the word the prize is yours.
Welcome Kerah. What an original, fun idea for an Easter Egg Hunt!! And relaxing at the lake makes for a special celebration and wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing and stopping by P&P.
J.
Looking for the colored eggs on Easter Morning is one of my favorite memories from when I was younger.
Easter egg hunts we always had a big one at my grandmother’s house with all the cousins
Sunrise services at church and tham an Easter breakfast afterwards was a childhood memory for me. It seems like the Easter breakfast is not done anymore. Happy Easter! He is risen!
Dying and hiding eggs for my kids and then going to church. We would have ham and potato salad for lunch.
My favorite Easter memory is attending church with my grandparents. My grandmother made dresses for my sister and I.
My favorite is Easter dinners with my family. I also loved doing Easter egg hunts with my kids and giving Easter baskets to them as well. Easter services with my family were also lovely. So many precious memories.
Going to my Grandparents house.
Welcome, Bridgette. Holidays with grandparents hold such special memories. They get to spoil grandkids not only on holidays but every time they get the chance. Thanks for sharing and stopping by P&P.
J.
When my siblings and I were very young and growing up up at home, our mom and our dad would buy us an Easter outfit the whole thing including a hat for the girls. There were 6 if ys 3 boys and 3 girls. We would all get an Easter basket or a bucket-(full of toys and goodies) for the guys and then they would take us Easter egg hunting at the Horse Racetrack that was in our town and they sponsored the Easter Egg Hunt every Easter, it was so much fun. We would also go to Church services and later on our mom would fix us a Delicious Easter an early Easter Dinner. Such Beautiful memories from way back then. 🙂
Welcome, Alicia. What special memories your parents created for you at Easter! Thank you for sharing and stopping by P&P. Happy Easter!
J.
My grandmother was an artist and for many years she would hand paint a wooden Easter egg for each of her grandchildren as a gift. The first two were pretty “simple” having just a duck on one and a bunny on the other, but as we got older, she would make them more personalized to us. One year, when my brother, sister, and I were taking piano lessons, she painted a bunny playing a piano on the wooden egg. 🙂
Welcome, Bridget. What a wonderfully thoughtful gift your grandmother gave you! I imagine whenever you display them at Easter, you think of her with love. Thank you for sharing and stopping by P&P.
I always enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs when I was young. As an adult I have liked coloring the eggs and baking Easter related cakes and cookies.
Welcome, Jackie. Great memories to cherish and look back on. Dyeing eggs was always fun. My mom would boil the eggs on Good Friday and refrigerate them. On Holy Saturday, she’d drop little colored discs into a cup, then add water and vinegar. She made us wait until all were thoroughly mixed. I wonder if they still make those discs for coloring eggs. Thanks for stopping by P&P
Easter egg hunt
Welcome! Hunting for Easter eggs has to be a child’s favorite holiday activity…along with the goodies inside. Thanks for sharing and stopping by P&P.
My family doesn’t gather for Easter any longer. Our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations are very laid back and so close together that we sort of let each family do their thing.
My favorite Easter memories are when my boys and their cousins gathered at Grandma and Papa’s house for the Easter egg hunt! It was so exciting watching the kids look. They each had their own color to find so the older kids couldn’t pick up all the easily found ones for the smaller kids. We all had a good laugh when some of the older kids didn’t find one or two of the eggs and Grandma couldn’t either!
Welcome, Carrie. What fun memories for you and your boys. The idea of each child having their own color is genius…it certainly leveled the playing field!! Thank you for sharing and stopping by P&P.
I love going to my extended family’s house to visit on Easter, and we’d always get chocolate bunnies and jelly beans to eat.
Welcome, Melanie. Enjoying the holiday with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents makes for a special memory. Not to mention the chocolate bunnies and jelly beans! Thanks for sharing and stopping by P&P.
My favorite Easter Memory was when Mom Dad and I went to my Sister Andrea and her Husband’s church that Easter Sunday and I remember when the pastor had the Children’s Sermon and I remember thinking WOW I have never heard an Easter Children’s Sermon that told the story of the true meaning of Easter while also at the same time he told you still could have all the fun of the Easter Bunny not only did that Pastor have all of those kids up front with him listening and mesmerized but also had everyone else listening like it was a sermon for adults only this Pastor had a way of putting things and talking to children in a way they understood
Welcome, Crystal. What a wonderful Easter memory! How kind of the pastor to give a sermon just for the children in a way they could understand the glories of the Resurrection. Thank you for sharing and stopping by P&P.
J.
Thank you for an interesting post. Have a wonderful Easter.
I was the oldest of 6 and funds were often a bit tight at our house. We didn’t get Easter baskets, but I enjoyed what my mother did. She got one of the large (about 8 oz.) filled chocolate eggs for each of us. I haven’t seen them available for a long time (I did find one on Amazon today.). I loved the fruit and nut nougat filling. She got different fillings for us. She would write our name with frosting on the eggs, one for each of us. Easter Eve she would hide them around the house. Next morning after church and breakfast, we would hunt for the eggs. If we found someone else’s, we left it alone and didn’t tell them. It was fun and the large eggs lasted a pretty long time for some of us. I would slice off a piece in the evening to eat while doing my homework. It is a fun variation that sort of combines the egg hunt and basket in one.
Welcome, Patricia B. I’m pleased you enjoyed the post. Our mothers always knew how to make holidays special without spending a lot of money. I don’t think it was ever about being the biggest or best, but whatever they did was done with a lot of love. Thanks for sharing and stopping by P&P.
When I was much younger, this church I went to did a big Easter play every year. They even had Jesus rise to heaven. The first time I saw it, I was amazed! The next year, my whole family all had parts in it.
Welcome, Joannie. It is wonderful to participate in the celebration of the Resurrection! I love the pageantry of the Easter story. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
Thanks for the interesting post!
I have many favorite memories: shopping for Easter outfits with Mom; baking Easter goodies and delivering to Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles; going to church & enjoying a sumptuous meal afterwards. And guests spending the weekend! Ahhhh memories…
Welcome, Lynn. What wonderful memories to cherish. Dyeing eggs was always fun. My mom would boil the eggs on Good Friday and refrigerate them. On Holy Saturday, she’d drop little colored discs into a cup, then add water and vinegar. She made us wait until all were thoroughly mixed. I wonder if they still make those discs for coloring eggs. Easter dinner was always a feast. Being Italian, we had homemade lasagna, ham, spring vegetables, fresh rolls, and Easter Bread. Desserts were usually Italian cookies or pizzelles, a waffle-like round cookie. Thanks for stopping by P&P.
J.
My mom always found an unfounded egg later