creation stories including those of China, Japan, Finland and parts of
Africa. When today's children hunt for Easter eggs they are re-enacting
one of man's most ancient rituals.
Eggs were a primitive symbol of fertility; but Christians saw in them a
symbol of the tomb from which Christ arose, and continued the Pagan
practice of coloring, giving and eating them at Easter.
The hare or Easter bunny was no ordinary animal and as such was the
symbol and companion of the Goddess Eostre. Like the Easter egg, the
Easter bunny, now an accepted part of the traditional Easter, came to
Christianity from antiquity. The hare is associated with the Moon in the
legends of ancient Egypt and other peoples. It is the Easter Hare
(Bunny) which is said to lay the brightly colored eggs of the festival.
The custom of sunrise services on Easter Sunday can be traced to ancient
spring festivals that celebrated the rising Sun.
The Easter parade which is held after church services in many cultures
is another survival from long ago. Before there were courtiers or
fashion pages there was a lively superstition, dear to princesses and
peasant maidens alike, that a new garment worn at Easter meant good luck
throughout the year. For centuries, even in pagan times, it had been the
custom to put on new clothes for the Spring Festival.
The lily, an old and important link between Christianity and ancient
time has always been a part of the Easter celebration. Today the lily
represents the purity and peacefulness of Jesus, his life and his
teachings. In ancient times the lily was a symbol of fertility and
sexuality.
