It’s Good Friday and we are excited for Easter Sunday! Because just thinking about those chocolate bunnies and fun family Easter a is activities is enough to get our adrenaline running. This year, Easter falls on Sunday, March 31st. But have you ever wondered why the date changes every year? As a matter of fact, do you know exactly why the Christian holiday is celebrated in the first place? These questions may seem obvious, but there might be a lot about Easter that you don’t know! That’s why we’re listing this Friday’s Top 10 fun and interesting Easter facts. Some of which you may already be familiar with and others that might just surprise you.
From the Home office in EASTER, TEXAS, here are the
Top 10 Things You May Not Know about Easter
10. The Easter Bunny legend began in Germany
Have you ever wondered where the Easter Bunny story originated?
We can say that the story of rabbits bringing eggs doesn’t make a lot of logical sense, so there must be a reason why every year children rush to see what treats this mythical creature has left for them. But just like Santa Claus has no Christian significance to Christmas, the Easter Bunny also has no real connection to this holy day. The origin of the Easter Bunny dates back hundreds of years, beginning in pre-Christian Germany. Here, the hare was said to be the symbol of the Pagan Goddess of Spring and Fertility. As Christianity spread across Europe, Pagan traditions were blended with Christian holidays, which saw the Easter Bunny lay a nest of colorful (today, chocolate) eggs for children who were well-behaved on Easter Sunday.
9. The holiday was named after the Anglo-Saxon Goddess, Easter
Next in our guide to Easter facts is around the question: why is Easter called Easter?
According to scholars, this Christian holiday was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess, Eostre, who was depicted as a Fertility Goddess and a Goddess of Dawn and Light. She was honored at Pagan festivals celebrating the arrival of spring, further highlighting the blend of Pagan traditions with Christian holidays.
8. More than 1.8 million Cadbury Cream Eggs are produced every day
Another fascinating Easter fact for you, Cadbury’s makes 500 million Creme Eggs every year! If you piled them on top of each other, it would be 10 x higher than Mount Everest. The Birmingham factory produces 1.5 million Creme Eggs every day, and the Cream Egg is the most popular egg-shaped chocolate in the world.
7. The act of painting eggs originates from a Ukrainian tradition
For countless generations, Ukrainians have been decorating eggs as a calling out to the Gods and Goddesses of health and fertility. This traditional act of pysanka (“pih-sahn-kah”) is made by using wax and dyes, but this colorful custom didn’t take off until Ukrainian immigrants came to the U.S.
6. The world’s largest Easter egg weighs in at 5000 lbs
Standing 31ft tall and 18ft wide is the world’s largest Easter egg. Found in Vegreville, Alberta, Canada, the egg weighs a hefty 5000 lbs and took 12,000 hours to complete. Named the Vegreville Pysanka, the world’s largest Easter egg is actually more of a jigsaw than a sculpture, as it is made from 3500 pieces of aluminum.
5. Pretzels used to be associated with Easter
When we think of Easter, chocolate, hot-cross buns and eggs usually spring to mind. But did you know that pretzels are also an Easter snack?
Pretzels are associated with Easter because the twists resemble arms crossing in prayer. From the 1950s, it was tradition for Germans to eat a pretzel and a hard-boiled egg for dinner on Good Friday.
4. Easter is celebrated on the Sunday after the full moon following March 21st
Ever wondered why Easter Sunday changes date every year? It’s down to the lunar calendar and the position of the moon. Easter in fact falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that takes place on or after March 21st, which is said to signal the start of spring.
3. 70% of Easter candy purchased is chocolate.
76% of Americans think the ears of a chocolate bunny should be the first to be eaten.
2. Holy Week is the celebrated during the week leading up to Easter.
It begins on Palm Sunday, continues on to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and then finally, Easter Sunday.
And the #1 Friday’s Top 10 Things You May Not Know about Easter…
1. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Easter Sunday marks Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus was crucified, his body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers and an massive stone was put over the entrance. On Sunday, three days after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene visited the tomb to find that the stone had been moved and Jesus’ body had gone, HE IS RISEN!
So there you have it! There’s definitely more to Easter Sunday than Easter eggs, and we’re not just talking about colorful dyed eggs either.
While to many around the world, the day is still one of the most important Christian days of the year, to others, it’s a good excuse to get the family together to enjoy some wholesome fun and eat a fancy meal.
Have a wonderful Easter Weekend,
David
Payment Lynx Daily 