Easter is the Christian festival that marks the time in history when Jesus Christ was sentenced to die on the Cross by Pontius Pilate who was a Roman governor.
But centuries later Constantine the Great (who was Emperor from AD 306 to 337) was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. His conversion was the first step in making Christianity a European and indeed a world religion.
Constantine played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christianity in ancient Rome. He did this by decriminalising Christian practice and stopping the persecution of Christians
throughout Europe.
But Constantine needed to find ways to encourage his subjects to stop following their pagan holidays and instead to use those holidays to celebrate events from the Christian calendar, such as the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
He therefore adopted the symbols of ancient Pagan Spring Festivals from e.g. northern Europe and Britain to represent the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is believed to have occurred at the time of the northern hemisphere Spring.
The ancient Pagan Festival’s name, Eostre was therefore adopted and has become what we call Easter today.
Why do we have Easter symbols?
Symbols like pastels, eggs and rabbits have their roots in ancient Pagan celebrations for the Goddess Eostre and represented spring, birth and fertility.
Pastel colours as symbols for spring:
Associated with Ostara, the Pagan equinox festival, pastel colours suggest the gentle and blossoming nature of spring. As new shoots and spring flowers emerge with the lengthening days – so spreads Christianity.
These specific pastel colours
were also commonly used in decorations, altar cloths, and even clothing during Ostara.
Eggs as symbols of rebirth:
Eggs have long been associated with fertility and new life, and in Christianity, Easter eggs represent Jesus’ resurrection with the empty shell being a metaphor for Jesus’ tomb.
Rabbits as symbols of fertility:
The Easter bunny, or more accurately, the Easter hare, was originally a figure in German folklore. The prolific breeding habits of rabbits further solidified their association with fertility and new life.
The hare is credited with hiding painted or dyed eggs for children to find.
Commercialisation:
Over recent decades, Easter has become increasingly commercialised (notably by Cadburys Chocolates), with factories pumping out chocolate Easter eggs, bunnies, and other Easter-themed items like carrots!
Lilies, lambs and buns?
These are also symbols found in early pagan Festivals.
Lilies: Lilies, particularly white lilies, are associated with purity and new life, and are often used in Easter decorations. White lilies are often called Easter Lilies.
The botanical name for Easter Lilies is Lilium longiflorum, endemic to the Ryukyu Islands in SW Japan, while Lilium formosanum, is a closely related species from Taiwan, and is treated as a variety of Easter lily. It is a stem rooting lily, growing up to 1 m high.
Lamb: The sacrifice of lambs was often carried out to appease the Gods in pre-Christian times. The lamb has come to be a symbol of sacrifice and purity and is another symbol that has both ancient pagan and later Christian roots.
In some traditions lamb is eaten at Easter feasts.
Hot Cross Buns: The cross, while a Christian symbol, can also be seen as a representation of the four quarters of the moon, the four seasons,
and the wheel of life, which are all pagan concepts. Easter maintains this symbol through the baking of Hot Cross Buns.
Easter became a global Christian festival, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.
How then have bunnies, buns and eggs come to be associated with this religious event? The answer lies in pre-Christianity with many of the themes of Easter rooted in Pagan traditions.
Easter falls at a time of the year known as the Spring Equinox when the length of the nights in the Northern Hemisphere becomes identical to the length of the days.
