What is Easter?

What is Easter? Why do we celebrate it? And how did the bunny and the egg got involved in the celebration? Is there a connection?

Have this question cross your mind? This were my questions too, and we’ll find some answers to it.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Easter? Some will say that they think of the cross, the tomb, or the risen Savior. Other will say colorful eggs and bunnies, and chocolate bunnies are what they have in mind.

WHAT IS EASTER?

It is the oldest and most important festival of the Christian church . Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb on the third day after his crucifixion.

Easter is also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

My daughter asked me, what the word resurrection means, i told her that it means coming back to life. Jesus came back to life after dying on the cross, after three days.

Easter is the fulfilled prophecy of the Messiah who would be persecuted, die for our sins, and rise on the third day. (Isaiah 53).

For me Easter is a very great day to celebrate the resurrection and the victory of Jesus over sin and death. A day to celebrate our redemption, that Jesus paid all of our sin. That He bears all of our iniquities for us have eternal life with Him in heaven. A day of remembrance to renew our daily hope that we have victory over sin.

WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY! God loves me, I am forgiven, I am free, I am made righteous in the sight of God through Jesus.

However, the feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Celebrated in the early spring, it honored the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre. When the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the holiday, since it fell around the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, was merged with the pagan celebration, and became know as Easter. The meaning of Easter was also changed to reflect its new Christian orientation.

Today, the meaning of Easter, for million of Christians, is that of honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in Him.

WHATS THE CONNECTION OF BUNNY ON EASTER?

I was thinking of that before, why bunnies and eggs on Easter? Why not chicken or turkey or another animal that lay eggs? Bunnies does not even lay eggs. And what’s with egg hunting? Why egg hunting becomes part of the celebration?

The association of rabbit or hare to Easter, came from a pagan celebrations or beliefs. Its because of the hare’s fertility. The Easter Bunny, or “Easter Hare”, is a symbol of fertility, as rabbits have often multiple births. Roman beliefs state that all life comes from eggs. 

The egg itself was defined by early Christians as an Easter symbol of the resurrection of Jesus: the egg symbol was likened to the tomb from which Christ arose.

And people merge the belief of having new life from eggs. And considered egg to be a seed of life and are symbolic to Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

EGG HUNTING ON EASTER

Many children enjoys the egg hunt on Easter Sunday, they look for the eggs left by the Easter bunny . Kids and grown ups hunt for the decorated eggs around the house. Some groups hold Easter egg hunts for children around the neighborhood.

The Easter Bunny legend started long ago in Germany. And was brought to America by German immigrants. It’s widely believed that egg hunts date back to the 1700s, when the Pennsylvania Dutch believed in an egg-laying hare called Oschter Haws (or Osterhase). Because this precursor to the Easter Bunny laid eggs in the grass, children were encouraged to build nests for it to lay in — and to search for the eggs it left behind. Oschter Haws eventually became the Easter Bunny, who isn’t known for its egg-laying capabilities, but the tradition of creating nests — or in the modern day, baskets — and searching for his presents stuck around.

WHY EGGS ARE DECORATED?

During the 13th century decorating eggs started. Eggs were forbidden during the Lent season, and to mark the end of time of fasting and penance, people decorated the eggs before eating them.

Some parents emptied raw eggs or hard boiled them and dyed the eggshells. Others do hand-painted the eggs with very good designs. And now we have plastic eggs that we can hide small treats inside.

Egg hunting becomes a very fun day for kids with treats. Others do treasure hunting too, that makes Easter even more fun.

Like Christmas, Easter has been a commercialized celebration. It offers mostly chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps and other sweet confections.

Easter is the second-best candy holiday after Halloween. Stores have commercial displays of Easter Bunnies, baskets and candies, chocolates and sweet treats.

From decorating eggs to deviled eggs, it is also estimated that about 180 million eggs are purchased each year in the United States for Easter.

WOW, THAT’S A LOT OF EGG!

Now, with all of this information, we know that eggs and bunnies does not have any relation to Easter.

EASTER IS A DAY TO CELEBRATE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US. THAT HE LOVED US SO MUCH THAT HE SENT HIS ONLY SON JESUS TO DIE ON OUR PLACE. TO REDEEM US AND FOR US TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN. A DAY OF RESURRECTION, A DAY OF VICTORY AND FREEDOM FROM OUR SIN.

However you celebrate Easter, don’t forget what it really means. It’s about JESUS defeating sin and death for all of us.

But as parents, we should teach our children about Easter. The true meaning of the Resurrection, why Jesus came and why He needed to die for us. So that kids will not only remember bunnies and eggs and sweet treats on Resurrection day.

LET’S ALL REMEMBER THIS DAY WITH GRATEFULNESS IN OUR HEARTS.