Easter Eggs and Easter Bunnies

t h e . d r e a m e r · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 5:42 pm Post subject: Easter Eggs and Easter Bunnies

:::::The Origins of Easter Celebrations:::::
The meaning of many different customs observed during Easter Sunday have been buried with time. Their origins lie in pre-Christian religions and Christianity. All in some way or another are a "salute to spring," marking re-birth. The white Easter lily has come to capture the glory of the holiday. The word "Easter" is named after Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A festival was held in her honor every year at the vernal equinox.

People celebrate the holiday according to their beliefs and their religious denominations. Christians commemorate Good Friday as the day that Jesus Christ died and Easter Sunday as the day that He was resurrected. Protestant settlers brought the custom of a sunrise service, a religious gathering at dawn, to the United States.

:::::Who is the Easter Bunny?:::::
Today on Easter Sunday children wake up to find that the Easter Bunny has left them baskets of candy. He has also hidden the eggs that they decorated earlier that week. Children hunt for the eggs all around the house. Neighborhoods and organizations hold Easter egg hunts, and the child who finds the most eggs wins a prize.

The Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit. Long ago, he was called the" Easter Hare." Hares and rabbits have frequent multiple births so they became a symbol of fertility. The custom of an Easter egg hunt began because children believed that hares laid eggs in the grass. The Romans believed that "All life comes from an egg." Christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Why we dye, or color, and decorate eggs is not certain. In ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia eggs were dyed for spring festivals. In medieval Europe, beautifully decorated eggs were given as gifts.

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In German tradition, celebrating Easter with Easter eggs and bunnies are a big thing. It also means the beginning of spring where all the children can come out and hunt in the fields for Easter eggs. During this time, a lot of houses are decorated with daffodils being one of the first few flowers that blooms at the beginning of spring.

Easter eggs come in many various colors and design. Some are really an art. Usually in a German house, we will have an Easter tree but nowadays only a few still practice this tradition.

Here is a picture of my Easter tree:

Some of the eggs are painted by me - the funny looking ones. Usually we will have birds sticking on the branches too but mom couldn't find where she kept that box.

In order for the Easter bunny to come and bring you presents, we kids believe we have to do something for Easter first. Of course we have said our prayers for it is Jesus Resurrection, but most importantly for kids, we have to help decorate the eggs. Here was what I found in my cabinet when I woke up:

S! · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 5:52 pm Post subject: wow!

wow, cool hx! ::sigh:: i didn't even receive any surprise on easter morn!
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you made up your mind to leave it all behind

NiCA-ChAN · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:32 pm Post subject:

we just make easter kards!! leeell,im trying to build 3 easter cards for my family but it's really hard work but I finish it!!! Icon_emotions16

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Love is a mysterious thing like inside a box...
Love is where we express our feelings for somebody...
Love is where we send gifts like flowers, chocolates for them to feel our feelings for them...
Love is when a relationship build and build until it became pure...
That's my meaning of love. What's yours and who's your valentines?

Shilpa · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:37 am Post subject:

we don't really celebrate easter but i eat a few chocolate easter eggs!! Icon_emotions16

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~~*Shilpa*~~

SmileyC · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 6:10 am Post subject:

Once my dad gave me a BIG Ester Egg for me to eat. And I mean it's the Chocolate kind.
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Click the pic to go to my blog XD