The meaning of many different customs observed during Easter Sunday
have been buried with time. Their origins lie in pre-Christian
religions and Christianity. All in some way or another are a "salute
to spring," marking re-birth. The white Easter lily has come to
capture the glory of the holiday. The word "Easter" is named after
Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A festival was held in her
honor every year at the vernal equinox.
People celebrate the holiday according to their beliefs and their
religious denominations. Christians commemorate Good Friday as the day
that Jesus Christ died and Easter Sunday as the day that He was
resurrected. Protestant settlers brought the custom of a sunrise
service, a religious gathering at dawn, to the United States.
Today on Easter Sunday children wake up to find that the Easter
Bunny has left them baskets of candy. He has also hidden the eggs that
they decorated earlier that week. Children hunt for the eggs all
around the house. Neighborhoods and organizations hold Easter egg
hunts, and the child who finds the most eggs wins a prize.
The Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit. Long ago, he was called the"
Easter Hare." Hares and rabbits have frequent multiple births so they
became a symbol of fertility. The custom of an Easter egg hunt began
because children believed that hares laid eggs in the grass. The
Romans believed that "All life comes from an egg." Christians consider
eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Why we dye, or color, and decorate eggs is not certain. In ancient
Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia eggs were dyed for spring festivals. In
medieval Europe, beautifully decorated eggs were given as gifts.
Egg Rolling
In England, Germany and some other countries, children rolled eggs
down hills on Easter morning, a game which has been connected to the
rolling away of the rock from Jesus Christ's tomb when he was
resurrected. British settlers brought this custom to the New
World.
In the United States in the early nineteenth century, Dolly
Madison, the wife of the fourth American President, organized an egg
roll in Washington, D.C. She had been told that Egyptian children used
to roll eggs against the pyramids so she invited the children of
Washington to roll hard-boiled eggs down the hilly lawn of the new
Capitol building! The custom continued, except for the years during
the Civil War. In 1880, the First Lady invited children to the White
House for the Egg Roll because officials had complained that they were
ruining the Capitol lawn. It has been held there ever since then, only
canceled during times of war. The event has grown, and today Easter
Monday is the only day of the year when tourists are allowed to wander
over the White House lawn. The wife of the President sponsors it for
the children of the entire country. The egg rolling event is open to
children twelve years old and under. Adults are allowed only when
accompanied by children!
Traditionally, many celebrants bought new clothes for Easter which
they wore to church. After church services, everyone went for a walk
around the town. This led to the American custom of Easter parades all
over the country. Perhaps the most famous is along Fifth Avenue in New
York City.
Good Friday is a federal holiday in 16 states and many schools and
businesses throughout the U.S. are closed on this
Friday.