Easter is one of the most important holidays of Christianity. But what happened that made it the holiday today, with the eggs and bunnies? In today’s episode of Changing, Donald dives into the holiday history, helping us realize why Easter is so important and why we celebrate it the way we do.
Easter is the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- Following his resurrection, Jesus presented himself in front of Mary Magdalene and other disciples.
- In Luke 24:39, Christ showed them that Jesus was real and that he took upon our sins so we could be cleansed from our mistakes.
- While Easter was celebrated after that point, it didn’t have the moniker we know today.
Why doesn’t Easter have a set day each year?
- Easter Sunday (and related celebrations like Ash Wednesday) are not on a specific date. Typically, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.
- One theory states that this ties back to light, because the full moon's light symbolizes Jesus’s light of the world.
- Another theory considers the Council of Nicaea. At this point in history, different parts of the world used various calendars, with some using the Gregorian and some using the Julian calendar. This could have affected the dates of the celebration.
Common Easter traditions:
- A series of Easter events begins with Lent, a 40-day fast. A holy week, including Palm Sunday, Holy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, (the celebration of the last supper), Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, occurs throughout the holiday.
- For Donald, Jamaica’s heavy British influence meant he celebrated eating Easter Bun, which is essentially a fruitcake.
- The earliest reported observance was in the 2nd century. We assume people did before that, but there’s little documentation.
The name Easter ties to the Spring goddess Eostre.
- While Christians recognized Easter as a Christian celebration, they continued to use the name to designate the holiday as a Springtime celebration.
- Historians don’t know why the tradition of eggs and bunnies started, but it began with German immigrants in the 1700s.
- Rabbits are enthusiastic procreators. So, baby bunnies became associated with birth and renewal. Eggs, in certain cultures, are associated with fertility and rebirth.
- There’s not anything explicitly stating why these associations made their way into Easter celebrations.
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