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The ABCs of Easter: Traditions You've Always Wondered About

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Friday, April 18, 2014
April: Why is Easter in April this year but March other years? In many locations, like the U.S., Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. That's why the dates range over about a month, with April 25 being the latest possible date.
Bunnies and baskets: Where did the Easter Bunny tradition come from? German children in the 16<sup>th</sup> century <a href="http://www.recess.ufl.edu/transcripts/2007/0405.shtml" target="_blank">were the first</a> to hear tales, coming from a Pagan tradition, of a hare that delivered multi-colored eggs once a year. Over the next century, children began hunting in their yard to find the treats the bunny had left. The tradition of baskets, however, hits closer to home. Pennsylvania Dutch children set out hats as a kind of nest to protect their eggs, and this evolved into Easter baskets.
Children: </p> <p> What's with the tradition of rolling eggs on the White House lawn? </p> <p> This tradition is all about the kids, and they've worked pretty hard to keep it alive. Originally held on the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/2012_Easter_Egg_Roll_Fact_Sheet.pdf" target="_blank">grounds of the U.S. Capitol</a>, the event saw youngsters turned away because of a new law in 1878. The children instead went down the block to see if the White House would give them the same treatment. President Hayes told his guards to let them play, and the tradition has been rolling along ever since. </p>
Decorating eggs: </p> <p> Why eggs? Why color dyes? Why Easter? </p> <p> <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/49566/5-theories-about-why-we-dye-eggs-easter" target="_blank">Attempts at an explanation</a> , both religious and secular, are diverse. Perhaps the most vivid is a legend involving Mary, mother of Jesus, at her son's crucifixion. As she asked the soldiers at the cross to show mercy, her tears fell on the basket of eggs she was holding and stained them a bright color. </p>
Eggs: </p> <p> Wait a second...an egg-laying bunny? </p> <p> It's one of those things that you can't think about too hard or you realize it doesn't make much sense. But eggs and bunnies, believe it or not, have been linked since well before Cadbury came into being. A <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/21411/where-did-easter-bunny-come" target="_blank">spring festival in the Pagan tradition</a> honored the goddess of fertility, and two of her symbols were...you guessed it, bunnies and eggs. </p> <p> Bunnies, with their high reproduction rate, and eggs came to symbolize rebirth and, over time, the rebirth of Jesus Christ. What's more, the church <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter/infographics/easter-by-the-numbers" target="_blank">banned consumption of eggs</a> during Lent for centuries, so Christians considered it a treat when they got to eat them again on Easter. </p>
Fifth Avenue: </p> <p> Why are giant bird-hats a thing? </p> <p> While it might evoke memories of the title song in the 1948 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040308/" target="_blank">Judy Garland film</a>, the Easter Parade in New York City is even older than that. Ladies and gentlemen have been showing off their bonnets, both pretty and pretty garish, since the <a href="http://www.midmanhattan.com/articles/aEaster03.htm" target="_blank">middle of the 1800s</a>. </p> <p> Legend has it high society started the parade because they were dressed in their Easter best and wanted to stroll down Fifth Avenue to be seen after church. Bystanders gathered to observe the fashions of the day, and competition to catch attention eventually escalated into today's spectacle. </p>
Germany: </p> <p> One German town rolls flaming wheels down a hill. Why? </p> <p> Though this tradition is always carried out on Easter, it's associated with the end of winter. The light from the fire represents the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8603685.stm" target="_blank">coming light of summer</a>. Each wheel that reaches the valley is supposed to <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1987-04-18/news/vw-974_1_easter-eggs" target="_blank">bring luck</a> for next year's harvest. </p>
Ham: </p> <p> Why do we eat ham for Easter? </p> <p> If you think you put a lot of effort into baking that Easter ham, be glad you don't live in Colonial times. For them, Easter fell during the time of year when the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols/videos/holiday-foods-easter-ham" target="_blank">pigs they had killed months earlier</a> were finally cured enough to eat. We'd want to make a holiday tradition of it, too, if ham was that hard to come by. </p>
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The ABCs of Easter: Traditions You've Always Wondered AboutApril: Why is Easter in April this year but March other years? In many locations, like the U.S., Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. That's why the dates range over about a month, with April 25 being the latest possible date.
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