Although Easter comes from the word Eostre, a German goddess associated with the season of spring, it is primarily the second most important holiday on the Christian calendar after Christmas. Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
What is Easter?
Although Easter comes from the word Eostre, a German goddess associated with the season of spring, it is primarily the second most important holiday on the Christian calendar after Christmas. Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
When is it celebrated?
We will celebrate Easter on April 20th, 2025.
What are the origins of Easter?
Despite its pagan origins, linked to the German goddess Eostre, Easter celebrations were well-established by the 4th century, with prior centuries also observing the holiday.
However, celebrating Easter has evolved, becoming more regimented over different denominations and Judaism.
Symbols and Their Meanings
The Cross- The cross symbolizes the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can often see crosses on and inside churches, and it is an excellent way for Christians to show their faith on Easter and every day by wearing cross jewelry.
How to celebrate with your family: Go to an Easter service or event where someone portrays Jesus on the cross or find a video on YouTube of someone portraying Jesus on the cross. Or, if you have older teenagers (17+ and adult children), watch the movie Passion of the Christ.
The Open Tomb- The open tomb represents Jesus’s resurrection.
How to Celebrate with Your Family: Find a recipe for “empty tomb rolls.” You put marshmallows in dinner roll dough and close it up tightly. The marshmallow represents Jesus in the tomb. As the rolls bake, the marshmallows disappear, signifying Jesus’s resurrection.
Rabbits-Rabbits symbolize fertility and spring. Not to mention, they are adorable animals.
How to Celebrate with Your Family: Visit a rabbit rescue and spend time with some of the cutest creatures on the planet. If you haven’t been around rabbits before, they each have their personalities and quirks. For example, our first rabbit, Boots, was very relaxed and chill. Our second rabbit, Abby, had her version of “rabbitude” but was also very sweet. One of her quirks was that she would get mad if her house was too dirty, but when you went to clean it, she would be mad you were messing up her home.
Lilies-This flower symbolizes purity and rebirth. People sometimes reference lilies to Jesus and connect them to his resurrection. The scriptures also directly parallel lilies to Jesus. Lilies are the perfect example of resurrection because they grow from dormant bulbs into gorgeous flowers.
Some scriptures referencing lilies include:
“Like a lily among thistles is my darling among young women.” (Song of Solomon 2:2, NLT)
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” (Matthew 6:28-29, NLT)
“I will be to Israel like a refreshing rain from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep in the soil like the cedars in Lebanon.” (Hosea 14:5, NLT)
How to celebrate with your family: Buy some bouquets, including lilies, and surprise your friends and family with them. Or see if there is somewhere you can pick your flowers. Or grow your flowers. Don’t forget to take some home to spruce up your kitchen table.
However, if you have cats, don’t bring lilies into your home, as the whole plant is toxic to them.
Hot Crossed Buns—These warm, delicious buns are especially popular during the Easter season. They are often used for Good Friday traditions because they have a cross on them, which signifies the crucifixion.
How to Celebrate with your family: Hot cross buns can be sweet or savory, so choose a recipe that suits your family’s tastes. Make two or three batches to share with friends and family. Have leftover rolls after the holiday? Use them to make bread pudding.
Easter Eggs-Eggs are another symbol of rebirth and renewal. They remind us of Christ leaving the tomb on the third day of his resurrection.
How to celebrate with your family: Eggs are a significant symbol of Easter, and they are so versatile. Have some fun dyeing eggs with your kids and letting them decorate them. You can make deviled eggs. Or you could make homemade chocolate eggs with peanut butter or coconut filling or even hollow chocolate eggs.
Butterflies-These beautiful insects symbolize resurrection. This is perfect because not only do butterflies experience their resurrection, going from larvae to butterflies by having to break out of their cocoon. This is like Jesus’s resurrection and his leaving the tomb.
How to celebrate with your family: Get crafty and make a butterfly centerpiece for your table. You could even make butterfly crafts to display around your house for the Easter/spring season. You could also see if there are any butterfly farms around you and visit them.
The Easter Bunny-It’s said that German immigrants came to Pennsylvania to settle and brought their tradition of an egg-laying rabbit with them. This rabbit was called ‘Osterhase’. In Germany, kids would make colorful nests for Osterhase to put his eggs in.
Eventually, this tradition came to the United States, and rabbit offerings on Easter morning expanded from eggs to chocolates, gifts, etc. People use baskets instead of nests to place the Easter Bunny in the Easter morning bounty.
How to celebrate with your family: If you allow your children to celebrate the holiday, including the Easter bunny, let them decorate their own Easter baskets. Don’t forget to visit to see the Easter Bunny.
Easter Candy- One of the most popular Easter candies is chocolate eggs, which date back to the 19th century. Other popular treats include jellybeans and Peeps.
How to celebrate with your family: Let your kids pick out one special candy treat for their Easter basket and add other fun things instead of an entire candy basket.
You can also buy some Easter candy and have fun baking with it. Buy a Funfetti cake mix and white frosting and decorate with jellybeans on top. You could also bake a cake and frost it with white icing, dye shredded coconut green, and use it for grass. Decorate it with marshmallow Peeps.
Crush your favorite chocolate candy and add it to the brownie mix. Then, frost the brownies with colored frosting and add sugar decorations like you would for a birthday cake.
Easter Parade-New York City’s Easter Parade dates back to the 1800s. This was when the rich people of New York would stroll the streets in their best clothes and hats to show off. During this time, average citizens would show up to watch and see what all the fuss was about.
Today’s parades are much more elaborate than just folks walking around in their best clothes. Floats, music, candy, and the holiday symbol (the Easter Bunny or Santa) are often the focal points.
How to celebrate with your family: Go to your town’s Easter or another city's parade and enjoy.
Traditional Easter Foods—Many traditional Easter foods exist, such as ham, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. Lamb is another traditional Easter food; its roots go back to the Bible.
The Bible refers to Jesus as "the Lamb of God." In Exodus, the people living in Egypt experienced terrible plagues, including the death of everyone’s firstborn sons. During this time, the Israelites painted their doorposts with lamb's blood (from a sacrifice) so that God would “pass over” their homes. The Jews that converted to Christianity continued the tradition of eating lamb at Easter.
Photo Credit: ©SparrowStock
