The most important Easter symbols and their meaning
The days of Easter and Easter Monday are wonderful moments of aggregation, where the whole family gathers and celebrates in joy with the closest friends! And when there are children, everything magically becomes more fun and colorful. But how to entertain them when you are in the company of other people? Here are some super smart ideas for you to make games in just 3 minutes! Bring paper, scissors and markers.
Easter: history and meaning
Why do we celebrate Easter in Italy and in different parts of the world?
Etymologically, the term Passover means "passage" and has distant roots that go back to the Jewish tradition.
Originally the Jewish people (of which Jesus was a part) honored the harvest through this festival: spring was the period in which the first fruits of the earth were seen sprouting. Subsequently, the meaning of Easter changed, going to represent the liberation of Israel from the Egyptians' shiavitù, which took place thanks to the well-known passage through the Red Sea. The Easter period had become a hymn to new beginnings.
For those who believe in the Christian faith, this holiday celebrates the day of the resurrection of Jesus, who was killed on the cross on Good Friday and resurrected 3 days later, on Sunday. Hence the passage from death to life that the Savior traveled to save humanity.
Easter never falls on the same day of the year because the Church has established that it is always celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Said so it seems a bit difficult, but in substance we can say that it never falls before March 22 and after April 25 (in the course of history there have been few exceptions).
When does Easter fall in 2021? This year is celebrated on Sunday 4th April.
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The symbols of Easter and the most common traditions
Easter is a time full of symbolism, both religious and pagan.
Even for children this festival has a very specific value: you discover it from an early age and make it your own according to the traditions of each family.
In Italy, Easter is a very heartfelt holiday, second only to Christmas, since there is a famous saying that says "Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you want!". This mainly means that in spring it is possible to celebrate the anniversary even with friends and not necessarily with relatives.
Nonetheless, the tradition of seeing parents or grandparents at Easter is still firmly established. More popular in young families is the celebration of the day after Easter, Easter Monday! On this day, green light for picnics and barbecues in the countryside.
What does Easter represent for you? If you think of chocolate eggs, dove, lamb and rabbit, you are like all of us! But do you know their connection with Easter day? And why are they used to decorate the table? Are there other less known ones?
Let's see together the most interesting particularities regarding the symbols of Easter.
The Easter egg or the chick
The image of Easter most known to all. Why?
Thinking about it, the egg is a very powerful symbol that metaphorically represents rebirth. It has a perfect shape, oval and without a beginning and an end and is therefore a clear reference to eternity.
For Christians, but also for other religions, the egg is the symbol of the perfect Easter. It can be painted in chocolate or papier-mâché, it doesn't matter, because eggs are found every year on Easter greeting cards, in shops to buy or as a decoration to beautify the table.
What was the original meaning of this first symbol?
In ancient times, real eggs were mainly hen's; colored and decorated were part of the pagan traditions. Being an "image of life that is born or reborn, the" oval is at the origin of the world: it was thought that it contained the sprout of life. The Romans and other ancient cultures introduce it as a gift to be exchanged in conjunction with spring periods, such as was a symbol of fertility and infinity.
Today the egg is also the gift that all children expect to receive on Sunday morning, from parents, uncles and of course from grandparents!
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The lamb
It is a metaphor for the passion of Jesus and his sacrifice because it was "sacrificed like a lamb". In the Christian tradition, lamb is eaten at Easter.
In ancient times it was one of the most popular breeding animals and therefore it could be easily found to be consumed during the Easter banquet.
The Dove
Representation of peace and salvation, but also of purity and love.
The dove binds itself to the Christian Holy Spirit who is painted as a white dove descending from heaven.
It is also a typical Easter cake to finish off meals during Holy Week: in the shape of a dove, it can be sprinkled with sugar or icing.
Combined with this Easter symbol there is also the olive tree which however is more present on the day of Palm Sunday, when the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is celebrated.
The bunny
The white rabbit refers to the hare, which at the time of the coming of Christ was considered as one of his representations. It means renewal and fertility of nature.
This allegory is more widespread in the Nordic countries and in America: the former have a stronger link with the pre-Christian pagan celebrations and the latter because tradition created the famous Easter Bunny that is still a magical bearer of colored eggs and gifts to smaller than home.
The paschal candle and the fire
This sign is extremely bright and symbolizes the Resurrection.
The light of the candle illuminates the darkness and illuminates all men; for this reason, the candle is the symbol of Jesus who is the light of the world. Fire is the highest expression of the victory of light over darkness and allegorically speaking, of life over death.
In Christian rites, when Holy Week has arrived, on Easter night, a fire is lit outside the Church, around which the faithful gather. This fire takes the name of new fire and is used to light the candle and start a procession that symbolizes the new people of God following the risen Jesus.
