Traditions & History Of Easter
Easter, also called Resurrection Sunday or Pascha, is a Christian holiday commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus. This celebration of life is considered a “moveable feast” and is always held on a Sunday from March 22 and April 25. This holiday has a rich history dating back to the second century, and many traditions have also been developed over the course of these centuries.
HISTORY
Easter is a holiday of great historical and cultural significance.
The Passion Week (also known as Holy Week) which is considered the week before Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday, or the Last Supper), Good Friday (the day on which Jesus was crucified), and Easter Sunday (the day on which he rose). Easter Monday is also celebrated by some cultures, with its own traditions and events. These days detail and commemorate the path Jesus took from the streets of Jerusalem to his death on the cross and his resurrection on the third day. Each day is filled with different customs and services.
Biblically, the celebration of Easter began in Egypt with the Passover. Exodus 12 recounts how the Israelites were saved from death through the sacrifice of a lamb, whose blood would be painted on their doorposts. This would be the way the Angel of Death would know which houses to pass over, sparing the lives of the first-born sons of their families during the last plague sent by God on the Egyptians. After the Hebrews were set free from their bondage in Egypt, they continued to commemorate and remember this event, honoring God for their salvation. This was symbolic of what was to come when Jesus, through His sacrifice and blood, saved mankind from his sins and transgressions; we were doomed to die under the bondage of sin and death, but Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, paid the price for our transgressions by covering the doorposts of our hearts with his blood.
TRADITIONS
This holiday, just like any other, has many traditions linked to its meaning, significance, and history.
The egg is one of the most common symbols of Easter. For many cultures, the egg is a symbol of creation, spring, and rebirth. Even in the seder dinner eaten during Passover, a hard-boiled egg— symbolic of God’s loving-kindness and desire to redeem His people— is eaten along with all the other symbolic elements. Later on, the egg took on a new meaning: the uncracked egg was the tomb of Jesus Christ. St. Augustine described Christ’s resurrection from the dead as a chick bursting from an egg. Eggs helped people understand a new theological truth—the resurrection of the dead, and a new religion—Christianity—built around the first Resurrection. The Easter egg became a symbol for the rebirth of all mankind at the resurrection on the Last Day thanks to the price Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. "Easter eggs'' were shared as a joyful symbol of this Christian hope, of life and joy eternal and everlasting.
Painting Easter eggs is a treasured custom during this paschal holiday, and there are several tales and narratives of how it became a tradition. Eastern Orthodox and Catholic histories tell one of these stories. Mary Magdalene and the other women went to the tomb where Christ was buried to finish anointing his body. With them, they carried boiled eggs, which were a common food in those times. When they arrived at the tomb, they discovered that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled away; it was empty! When they met the risen Lord, their eggs turned red as a sign. Another tradition tells another tale: Mary earned an audience with the emperor, Claudius Tiberius, and greeted him with “Christ has risen.” The emperor, hoping to mock her, replied that Christ could no more rise again than the eggs she had brought with her could turn red. At that moment, the egg in his hand turned blood red, leaving him speechless. These stories are the reasons why many icons painted in the Byzantine Catholic style show Mary Magdalene holding a red egg. Symbolically, the red represented the blood Jesus shed on the cross for the sins of many, while the egg represented his resurrection and victory over death. Ever since, painting eggs has been a treasured custom to many.
Easter egg hunts are yet another beloved custom. In England, in medieval times during Lent, it was forbidden to eat eggs. On Easter Sunday, when the fast ended, people could again eat eggs, which were a big part of this celebration. Poorer people, who couldn’t always afford meat, depended on eggs for their protein. Eggs were often distributed during this time. However, the idea of an Easter egg hunt is a German tradition. It is said that Martin Luther organized egg hunts for his congregation. The men would hide eggs for the women and children to find, considered a nod to the story of how the women were the first to find the tomb empty and see the risen Lord. The tradition of holding an Easter egg hunt was popularized by Queen Victoria, being of German heritage, and so it spread to other parts of Europe and the world.
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
Easter is the most important Christian festival; it is when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His resurrection is the cornerstone of Christianity. The Bible tells us that when God created the world, it was perfect, and He called it good. But when mankind rebelled fell from glory, sin entered the world. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death." God is holy and perfect, and He can not let sin go unpunished. But, in His mercy, he allowed the Israelites to sacrifice animals in their places. These sacrifices were a visceral symbol of the devastating results of their sin and selfishness.
God, in His love for all people (not just the Israelites), gave His own Son to be sacrificed once and for all for people of all nations, so that whoever believed in him would not die, but have eternal life. John, one of Jesus’s disciples, wrote that “this is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins,” (1 John 4:9-10). He died on the cross in our place, taking upon himself the sins of the world, so that we may have life eternal in him. And he rose from the dead, symbolizing the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him.
We have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to bear that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the eternal Son of God who walked our Earth without sin, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. He offers all who believe in him eternal life, because Jesus is “the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26).