When I wrote yesterday’s post about Easter, I was not, initially, anticipating dedicating a second post to the topic. Without sounding ignorant, I honestly did not realize just how much history there is to the holiday known as Easter, and because I was seriously lacking in my Easter knowledge, I figured there are plenty of other folks who are also unaware and therefore could benefit from a second post.
I could be entirely misinformed in trying to gauge an interest in this topic, but either way, you’re getting more Easter history. Again, this information comes from goodhousekeeping.com.
“Old superstition held that if you wore new clothes on Easter, you would have good luck for the rest of the year. In fact, it was so widely believed that upper-class New Yorkers would literally strut their stuff coming out of attending Easter mass at well-heeled midtown churches. This tradition become the basis of the modern, and decidedly less elitist, Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival in New York.
“There’s evidence showing that Easter eggs originated from Medieval Europe and Christians may not have actually been the ones to start the tradition of giving eggs. They’re a symbol of fertility and rebirth in many cultures around the world.
“Scholars believe that Easter was named after a festival celebrating Eostre and the coming of spring. Her sacred symbols are thought to have been the hare and the egg, which is why they feature prominently in Easter symbolism too.
“Occurring two days before Easter Sunday, Good Friday commemorates Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, but it isn’t a federal holiday. Only certain states officially observe it, include New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee.
“The idea of the Easter bunny delivering candy and eggs originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, with the first written mention of this tradition dating back to the 16th century. Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania brought the bunny to the United States in the 1700s and the rest is delicious history,” the website explains.
If you’ve enjoyed reading about the history of Easter, feel free to read the entire Good Housekeeping article, linked above, as there is still quite a bit of information I didn’t include in these past two posts.
Photo by Jennifer Burk on Unsplash
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