Since the birth of Christianity, the celebration of Easter has been richly and diversely influenced by numerous pagan and non-Christian traditions. From Easter egg hunts to Easter parades, many of the ways Easter is celebrated today stem more from secular customs than actual religious practices.
In fact, even the Easter egg itself has been linked to a time long before Christianity. A hangover from a pre-Christian past, the use of eggs in festivals and celebrations of the vernal equinox dates back 3,000 years to the Zoroastrians of Persia who celebrated Nowruz and the vernal equinox with a feast of eggs. Similarly, to the pagan Anglo-Saxons, Babylonians, and ancient Egyptians, eggs symbolized both rebirth and germination and were considered not just a humble food, but a sacred symbol to be enjoyed around the vernal equinox. Of course, today the Easter egg is as important as ever. But instead of just preserving or hard-boiled eggs, chocolate and candy eggs are enjoyed and plastic and decorative eggs are filled with candy and jelly beans. In many places, painting and decorating Easter eggs is another popular, non-religious way to mark the passing of the winter season.
Like Santa Claus, the Easter bunny is another great popular and secular character related to a Christian holiday but with deep pagan roots. According to legend, the character of the Easter bunny was born with the Anglo-Saxon pagans. According to tradition, Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, captured a bird, took away its ability to fly, and flung it into the heavens as the constellation of Lepus the hare. In return, she gave the rabbit great speed and the ability to lay eggs once a year again. And although this pagan legend became intertwined with the Christian practice of exchanging eggs at Easter, and was brought to the US by the Christian Pennsylvania Dutch in the 18th century, it is believed that the Easter bunny was, in fact, originally a character purely pagan.
Of course, one of the biggest traditions that has remained popular for the last few decades, if not centuries, is the Easter egg hunt. While some scholars and researchers suggest that the tradition was established during the early days of Christianity when Christians feared persecution if seen openly celebrating Easter, others argue that it simply grew out of a general interest in making popular egg-swapping popular. more fun for christians. kids. Regardless, today Easter egg hunts take place in homes, neighborhood parks, businesses, and shopping malls across the country. And whether you celebrate Easter as a Christian or not, an Easter egg hunt is certainly a great way to get outside and enjoy that first breath of spring air.
In addition to the Easter egg hunt, some people also enjoy Easter egg rolling competitions. In the United States, Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth president, started the popular tradition of rolling Easter eggs. Having heard of Easter egg tosses in other countries, he quickly set out to create Washington DC’s first Easter egg toss outside the Capitol in 1814. And aside from a hiatus during the civil war, the tradition has continued to this day. Now held every Easter Monday on the White House lawn, it’s the only time of year any tourist can walk on the White House lawn, provided they’re accompanied by a child. Also, there is a great opportunity to try a variety of Easter sweets and other delicacies.
And finally, another distinctly American tradition has been the Easter parade. While many Christian countries, especially Catholic countries like Italy and Spain, have a long tradition of holding pious parades as part of Holy Week religious activities, in the US the Easter parade took on a secular air. Adapting the old European practice that Easter was a time to buy new hats and new clothes, people all over the country used to take the opportunity to parade in their finery on Easter Sunday. The great New York Easter Parade was a major cultural event and enjoyed a heyday from the 1880s through the 1950s. secular. Participants parade in elaborate Easter hats and bonnets along Fifth Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets enjoying warmer temperatures and the start of a new spring season.
No Comment