Easter History and Facts

Easter is a Christian Festival that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On the third day after Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion, now called Easter Sunday, He rose from the dead. Mourners went to His tomb to collect His body. However, He was not there and they were greeted by an angel who said 
"He is Risen".

The cross is a symbol of His crucifixion and Resurrection.
Hot cross buns, a cake or biscuit eaten by many during this season,
are also, symbols of these events.
The lamb is another symbol associated with Jesus.
He is often referred to, in scriptures, as the, 
'Lamb of God',
 who sacrificed his life for all mankind's eternal life.

Lights, candles and bonfires
mark celebrations in many countries.
Roman Catholics often put the candles in the church out on
Good Friday and light them again with the Pascal Candle
or Easter Candle, on Easter Day.

Eggs are a symbol of the new life that returns
to nature at Easter Time. The custom of exchanging eggs
began long before Easter was celebrated.
It was a custom of the Egyptians and the Persians.
They exchanged eggs decorated in Spring colors.
They believed Earth hatched from an egg
which contributed to this custom.
Early Christians used red colored eggs
to symbolize the Resurrection.
In England they began writing messages
and dates on their eggs and exchanging them
with friends and loved ones.
In the 1800's, candied eggs were made.
They were open on one end and a scene was put inside.
They were used as table centerpieces.

Rabbits symbolized new life and rebirth
in ancient Egypt.
They considered it a symbol of the moon
as the moon determines the date of Easter.
The Easter Bunny's visit is based upon a German Legend.
The legend goes that a poor woman decorated eggs
for her children to find during a famine.
At the moment they found them,
they looked up to see a big bunny hopping away.

Of course, the real Easter Bunny
comes to visit many of you
and on Sunrise Island, it is the Sunnie BunnieZZ©
who prepare baskets for the critters of Lettuce Bee Woods
 and it is Grampaw who delivers them.

The song on this page Sandi Patty's   "Via dolorosa"

More Easter Pages

Poetry

Serious poem about Christ in Gethsemane*