Symbols of Easter

The true meaning of Easter, for Christians, is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It signifies his victory over death and offers hope of salvation and eternal life to all believers. Easter is a time for reflecting on Jesus’s sacrifice and the new life He provides through His resurrection. The cross stands as the most recognized and revered symbol of Christianity, representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Easter commemorates Jesus’s death on the cross, which Christians believe atoned for the sins of humanity, offering forgiveness and a path to reconciliation with God. The resurrection provides hope for a future life free from sin and death. The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century, though the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection probably occurred earlier.

Easter is also representative of spring and is a time for renewal, joy, growth and new life. This is represented through the “Easter egg”, which is associated with fertility and new life. The egg also symbolizes the resurrection of Christ, with the hard shell representing the sealed tomb and the cracking of the egg symbolizing His emergence from the grave.

The name Easter comes from the Germanic name Ostara or Eostre, who was the goddess of spring and dawn. Ancient celebrations took place in her honor in the spring equinox to represent the rebirth of nature. Many of the symbols we associate with Easter today come from ancient, pagan celebrations, such as the egg and the rabbit. Both eggs and rabbits are ancient symbols of growth, renewal and fertility. The Easter bunny comes from the German Osterhase tradition of the egg-laying rabbit (or Easter hare). This German tradition was brought to the United States in the 1700’s with the German immigrants.

The lamb is associated with innocence, purity, humility and divine sacrifice. Lamb, especially roasted lamb, is a traditional Easter dinner served in many parts of the world. In the United States, ham tends to be an Easter favorite. I too will be cooking a ham for our Easter dinner. I was also originally going to serve lamb as well, but we have company coming over, and they are not big lamb eaters, so ham it is.

Lilies are also associated Christ’s resurrection. Christian legend has it that lilies grew where Jesus sweat during His agonies in Gethsemane. White lilies in particular stand for innocence and purity, as well as the hope of life eternal. They are said to represent Jesus’ triumph over death.

There are of course numerous other images that are representative of Easter and Christ’s resurrection, but these are some of the most noted and known symbols seen around the world.

So for those of you who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter. And for everyone, have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

And just for fun, here are some Easter bunnies found around my neck of the woods, or should I say, lakes. 🙂

This little bunny was in the window well of our basement.