Hi all! Melissa here. With Easter approaching, I’m reading about Easter traditions. I love understanding from where traditions came and the meaning behind them.
Lent
The 325 Council of Nicaea set the official date for both
Christmas and Easter celebrations, and they also emphasized a 40-day fast
leading up to Easter. Why 40? To emulate Christ’s 40 days of fasting during his
temptation by Satan in the wilderness. Additionally, Moses fasted for 40 days
after receiving the Ten Commandments, Elijah once fasted for 40 days and 40 nights,
Noah was on the boat for 40 days, and the people of Israel wandered the wilderness
for 40 years.
“…as time passed and Christianity became well established, some churches began to gather early in Easter to retrace the steps of the two Marys [who first discovered Jesus’ empty tomb].” Stories Behind the Traditions and Songs of Easter by Ace Collins
Easter Egg
“Many ancient civilizations, including the Persians,
Phoenicians, Hindus, and Egyptians, believed the world began as an egg.” (Ace
Collins)
While the egg was a symbol for many pagan cultures, it is
also perfect for Christianity. The egg has always symbolized the beginning of
life, and Christ’s sacrifice for us was the true beginning of life for humanity,
a chance to be redeemed, a chance to be saved. Before a person is saved, it’s
as if they are living inside a shell—darkness, muted, in many ways blind. Then
we accept Christ as our savior, and we are born again.
The name “Easter”
The name “Easter” may have come from the name Oestre. Oestre
was a pagan goddess with a rabbit head. A rabbit because rabbits symbolize
fertility. “Many European tribes thought that she actually drove winter away and
reawakened the world for its annual rebirth in spring.” (Ace Collins)
Just as Christ drives away evil and reawakens us to be
reborn in Christ.
Easter Bunny
“A legend told of Oestre giving an audience to a bird. The
bird looked into Oestre’s face and was overcome with the beauty it saw in the goddess’s
rabbit-like features. Sensing the special nature of the rabbit, the bird asked
the goddess to transform him into a rabbit… When the bird became a rabbit, it
forgot everything about its former life except how to lay eggs. This bird’s eggs
were then gathered by Oestre and presented to the world’s best children.” (Ace
Collins)
Another association with a new life…being reborn. If we
allow him, God can transform us into something entirely new.
But why is so much pagan tradition included in Christian
holidays? I believe part of the reason is that God “set eternity in the human
heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We recognize deep truth. Ancient people didn’t know
enough to understand the details. They didn’t know anything about Jesus, and many
had no knowledge of the one true God. But they recognized deeper truths. And so
certain traditions have always resonated across humanity.
Happy Easter, everyone.
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