Rev Jen 10 Easter Traditions.

Rev Jen 10 Easter Traditions. Easter celebrates Jesus’ resurrection but the word “Easter” is from the Anglo-Saxon “Eostre,” the pagan goddess of spring and rebirth. Lots of today’s Easter customs have pagan origins – the Easter bunny and chocolate eggs are not in the Bible!

1. The Easter Bunny is an old pagan symbol of fertility/new life/Spring/renewal.

2. Hot Cross Buns, decorated with a cross, remember Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday; the spices and dried fruit represent the spices used to prepare his body for burial.

3. Eggs are also an old pagan symbol of new life. For Christians, the hollow chocolate Easter egg represents Jesus’ empty tomb, his resurrection to new life.

4. The tradition of painting/decorating Easter eggs dates to the 13th century - eggs were stained red in memory of Christ’s blood, shed at his crucifixion.

5. Egg Rolling races at Easter remember the stone blocking Jesus’ tomb being rolled away.

6. Easter Egg Hunts remember Mary and the disciples searching for Jesus in the Garden, their surprise at finding his empty tomb.

7. Lamb is traditional Easter food because Jesus is the “Lamb of God”. Lamb recalls the Jewish Passover/Exodus from Egypt, when lamb was eaten and doorposts painted with their blood, so God would “pass over”/spare them from the plagues.

8. Easter Lilies symbolise purity and new beginnings. Bulbs emerging from the ground symbolise the new life of Christ’s resurrection. Trumpet shaped flowers represent the ‘last trump’ that will announce Jesus’ return.

9. Outdoor Easter sunrise services, lighting a bonfire, brazier and Easter Candle remember the women and the disciples going early to the garden on Easter morn.

10. ‘Flowering’ a bare cross with spring flowers in church symbolises Jesus’ resurrection. ‘He is Risen!’is the traditional Easter greeting... ‘He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!’

‘Walking in a garden, at the break of day, Mary asked the gardener where the body lay; But he turned towards her, smiled at her and said: 'Mary, spring is here to stay, only death is dead.’