EASTER FACTS AND FOLKLORE: From Hallmark
Easter is considered by many Christians to be the most important religious holiday in the church year. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion more than 2,000 year ago. Many people start the Easter day by attending sunrise church services.
For many people, the holiday traditionally represents new life, both in a religious sense and in the arrival of spring. The name Easte comes from the Teutonic goddess, Eostre or Eastre, the deity of both dawn and spring and the pagan symbol of fertility.
The egg has become closely associated with the holiday a a symbol of fertility and resurrection. Many cultures, including the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, dyed eggs for their spring festivals. One of the most famous U.S. holiday customs associated with the Easter egg is the White House Easter Egg Roll. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House grounds for the event, although records exist of egg-rolling events as early as Abraham Lincoln's administration.
Easter is always observed on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. The exact date is the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox. Easter falls on March 31 this year.
Because of their association with fertility, rabbits also became symbols of Easter. The concept of the Easter rabbit is thought to have originated in Germany....Long ago, American children built nests of leaves and sticks in their gardens or barns for the Easter Rabbit to fill with colored eggs. (Today the traditional nest for the eggs is the Easter basket).
