Easter — along with all of its decorative eggs, delicious ham dinner and cheerful baskets — is hopping down the bunny trail quicker than the legendary speedy hare. This year, the Christian holiday will fall this Sunday April 9th so get that shopping done if you haven’t already. While the central story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is likely familiar to those who celebrate, there’s a lot of us who might not know about the unique traditions and meaningful symbolism that surrounds this special Sunday. Like Christmas and, to some extent, St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day, a day that started off as a solely religious observation has taken on tons of secular meaning, so plenty of people who aren’t regular churchgoers enjoy other aspects of the festivities as well. Between the adorable bunny rabbits, spring-forward decorations and large amounts of chocolate, the celebration has evolved over the years with a whole host of customs both new and old.
So as we always do in David Letterman fashion, from the home office in Eggville, Mississippi, Here are Top 10 Facts You Might Not Know about Easter
10.Easter baskets have special symbolism.
The woven treat containers represent birds’ nests and new life, especially when filled to the brim with eggs. Plus, they’re a pretty utilitarian way to gather those goodies on your Easter egg hunt.
9.There’s a reason you probably eat ham for Easter dinner.
Historically, most early Easter celebrants would have eaten lamb for this special occasion since the holiday has its roots in Jewish Passover. But these days, many American Easter dinners now feature ham instead, because of the timing of the holiday. Years ago, hams cured over the winter months would have been ready to serve in the early spring.
8. Easter lilies are a relatively new tradition.
These beautiful blooms first originated in Japan and arrived in England in the late 18th century. The United States only caught onto the trend after World War I. The transition from dormant bulbs to delicate flowers brings to mind hope and rebirth, two important themes of the Easter celebration.
7. Easter eggs have medieval origins.
Think Easter egg hunts are a strange tradition? Listen to this medieval children’s game: A priest would give one of the choir boys a hard boiled egg, and the boys would pass it amongst themselves until the clock struck midnight, when whoever was holding it got to eat it. We hope they at least got some salt and pepper to go with it.
6. Easter clothes used to be considered good luck.
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 became the basis of the modern, and decidedly less elitist, Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival in New York.
5. Easter eggs date back way before Easter.
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.
4. Eggs are dyed to represent the blood of Jesus Christ.
Well, at least that might be one of the reasons, which stems from early Christians in Mesopotamia. There isn’t a concrete reason behind the tradition, but that’s one of the theories. They also look pretty — and kids might be more likely to eat a dyed hard-boiled egg than a plain one!
3. Good Friday is recognized as a holiday in only 12 states.
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.
2. We can thank Germany for the bunny.
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.
And the #1 Facts You Might Not Know about Easter is …
1. PRETZELS – In the old days, pretzels were associated with Easter.
Why? Because the twists of this salty treat resemble arms crossing in prayer. We say it’s time to bring back this savory snack to the sweets-filled holiday because life is all about balance.
So go ahead and sit down for a delicious brunch this weekend or gather the kids for some fun Easter crafts, Maybe these fun facts will even make great fodder for conversation, insightful Instagram captions or even factoid card tucked into the Easter baskets to give them a little something extra this year.
Have a Great weekend and a Happy Easter,
David.
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