How to Celebrate Easter: The History, Symbolism, and Traditions of Easter
The Easter season (or Eastertide), like Christmastide, often gets overlooked and many of the festivities end the day after Easter Sunday, even though Easter is actually a 50-day season. The inverse is also true; many churches essentially celebrate only Easter all year long, diluting the meaning of the celebration. As I’ve stated previously in this guide, if we are always in times of feasting, we lose sight of the big picture. The ebb and flow of the seasons are essential to feasting in full, and this is why I advocate for celebrating the full 50-day Easter season, arguably the most important holiday in Christianity. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 19:
“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. … If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.”
In this post, I will share an overview of how to celebrate Easter, along with its history, symbolism, and traditions.
Overview of Eastertide
The seasons of Lent and Easter take place each spring at varying times depending on the lunar calendar. The season of Lent lasts 40 days, or 6 weeks (not counting Sundays, which are considered “mini-Easters”). It begins with Ash Wednesday and culminates with Easter Sunday. The season of Easter begins on Easter Sunday and lasts 50 days, includes the celebration of Christ’s Ascension (40 days after Easter) and ends with Pentecost (literally “fiftieth day” in Greek).
The Easter season is an excellent time to focus on several essential doctrines of the Christian faith, including the significance of the resurrection and what it means for us as Christians, the implications of a bodily resurrection and ascension, and the theology surrounding us as embodied souls. It is also a time to dwell on the triumphant victory of our Risen King over death, sin, and the devil. He who went in as a sacrificial Lamb rose victorious as a roaring Lion! This points us toward His second coming.
Easter Symbolism
Several symbols or mascots are associated with Easter, including eggs, chicks, rabbits, lambs, and the lily. While all of these can symbolize new life (relating to the resurrection), some have more practical ways of becoming associated with Easter.
Eggs in particular became a popular food to be eaten on Easter, due to its prohibition during the Lenten fast. Eggs were hard-boiled to preserve them during the fast. Early Christians would dye their eggs bright red to represent the blood of Christ, and when the egg was opened the pure white inside was revealed, representing our redemption and also the empty tomb. Since chicken eggs were commonly used for this, baby chicks became associated with Easter as well.
Lambs are associated with Easter due to its significance in the Jewish Passover meal, as well as its connection symbolically throughout the Bible to Jesus Christ.
As rabbits are known for their rapid rate of reproduction, they became a symbol of Mary the mother of Jesus (due to the immaculate conception of Jesus). Merging the symbols of the rabbit and eggs (both seen as representations of fertility), the Easter Bunny was developed by German Christians as a character who laid eggs and delivered them to children on Easter (similar to Santa Claus at Christmas). This practice was commercialized into how we see Easter celebrated secularly today.
Special Days and Traditions
The following are some special days that are observed during Easter, each with their own special traditions that are observed.
Since everyone was up all night for the Saturday Easter Vigil (see this post for more information), it was natural that Easter worship began at sunrise on Sunday morning. Many churches today continue to celebrate Easter with a sunrise service. Traditionally, the pastor greets the congregation with a joyous “Christ is risen!” and the congregation responds with “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” This is the first time the “Alleluia” is spoken or sung since the beginning of Lent, during which it was omitted from the liturgy.
Now that the Lenten fast was over, Christians would celebrate after a sunrise worship with a communal feast, which has turned into today’s Easter brunch. Lamb or ham are popular meats to eat during this meal. Other Easter foods include Easter bread (from Germany, “Osterbrot”), which is made with raisins and almonds and served with butter, and resurrection rolls, which are sweet buns baked with a marshmallow in the middle. Once they are baked, the marshmallow melts, leaving a hole in the middle of the roll, representing the empty tomb.
Also due to the fast being lifted (and their association with spring), eggs have historically been a central part of several Easter games and activities. These include Easter egg hunts (hiding either boiled eggs or plastic eggs filled with treats and having children search for them), egg rolling (essentially an egg race, where participants see whose egg can roll the fastest down a hill, typically done on Easter Monday), and hiding Easter baskets filled with treats (typically treats that were abstained from during Lent).
The Ascension of Jesus is celebrated 40 days after Easter, always falling on a Thursday (although it is sometimes celebrated in churches on the following Sunday). References to observing Ascension Day date back to the 4th and 5th centuries, and it is thought that its observance may even have originated in apostolic times. The most common celebration of the day is with a vigil.
Pentecost takes place 50 days after Easter (10 days after Ascension Day) and commemorates the time when the Holy Spirit appeared to the disciples by tongues of fire, as recorded in the book of Acts. It is a celebration of the work of the Holy Spirit as well as the beginning of the early Christian church, and the day is celebrated as the “birthday of the Church.” The color red and the symbol of a dove are prominent on this day, being representative of the Holy Spirit and of fire.
The liturgical church year is split into two halves. The first half, from Advent through the season of Easter, celebrates the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pentecost marks the beginning of the second half of the liturgical calendar, which is focused on the Church and reminds us of our worldwide connection to other believers. This season is known as Ordinary Time, which lasts until the season of Advent begins at the end of November or beginning of December.
I hope the background I’ve given you has invigorated you to see the purpose and joy behind celebrating both the Lent and Easter seasons, and that you see the value and significance in celebrating a full, 50-day Eastertide.
My Lent & Easter Celebration Kit provides an intentional way to celebrate both the 40-day season of Lent and the 50-day season of Easter with those you love.
The Lent & Easter Celebration Kit is a digital PDF download that includes a guide detailing the importance of celebrating both seasons, how they have traditionally been celebrated in the past, and suggestions on how to celebrate it intentionally today. It also includes two printable sets of devotional cards. The first set is for Lent and is meant to be used beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday. Each card includes two scripture passages (one a prophecy and the other its fulfillment in the Passion Narrative) along with a hymn. The second card set is for Easter and is meant to be used starting on Easter Sunday and ending on Pentecost. Each card includes a scripture passage, hymn, and a question for further study and discussion.
This kit is perfect for those looking to incorporate the Church Year into their lives and can be used year after year. Not just for families, the celebration ideas are appropriate for all ages and life stages; they are meant to be adapted to fit your lifestyle.
This makes a great weekly Lent and Easter devotional and is not year-specific, so you can reuse it every year!
I also have several other posts on the Church Year and how to celebrate it, including posts on the season of Advent, the season of Christmas, and the season of Lent.
