History of Easter Symbols |
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In Roman Catholicism, Easter is a day that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Easter Sunday, third day after Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. When the mourners went to His tomb to collect His body, He was not there and they were greeted by an angel who said “He is Risen”. The festival of Easter is shrouded in many symbols like |
decorating eggs, Easter egg hunts, Cross, Easter lily and the Easter bunny, to name just a few, are all familiar icons. But in the midst of excess entertainment and commercialization, we rarely bother to consider the history of Easter symbols. So, here’s your chance to glean some insight into the history of Easter Symbol.
Of all the Easter symbols, Easter Bunny is the most loved one!!! Rabbits and Easter Bunnies owe their origin in Pagan traditions where they symbolized fertility and new life. This has to do with the fact that rabbits are known to be the most fertile animal so they symbolize abundance. Another legend says that origin of Easter rabbits lies in the mythology of Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring from whom the holidays are named. Eostre reportedly kept pet rabbits who, amazingly, laid colored eggs. It was also believed that the earthly symbol of “Eostre” was hare. And she was worshipped by her earthly symbol. However, the original Easter bunny was supposedly a hare. According to a European legend, hare is a symbol of moon because hares are nocturnal animals. Hares never close their eyes and watch the other animals throughout the night. The hare is intricately related to Easter because the date of this festival depends on the full moon.
The Cross is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations throughout the world. A cross signifies the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ as opposed to Resurrection. However, at the Council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325, Constantine decreed that the Cross was the official symbol of Christianity. An empty Easter symbol cross, on the other hand, is indicative of the resurrection of Lord Jesus that represents the victory of goodness over evil spirit and life over death.
Easter egg as a symbol of rebirth and fertility has been used since ages. Before the egg became closely entwined with the Christian Easter, it was honored during many rite-of-Spring festivals. In Pagan times beautifully colored, blessed, exchanged and eaten as part of the rites of spring. In the springtime as the sun returned from darkness as an annual miracle the egg in a similar manner miraculously bursts forth with life. As Christianity became popular the egg was adopted as a symbol of Christ's Resurrection from the tomb.
These are some of the Easter symbols that are intricately associated with the festival of Easter.
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