Easter is timed to coincide with the Sunday that follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21), and as such, can fall on any day between March 22 and April 25. It is not mere coincidence this most Christian of celebrations corresponds with the beginning of Spring: the deliberate linking of Son and sun is a motif throughout Christian literature. (Even though the words ’son’ and ’sun’ are not homophonous in other languages, Jesus, the son of God, is frequently associated with light and sources of light—such as the sun—in literature.) In Easter, Christian and pagan beliefs are brought together as resurrection—both of Christ and of the slumbering countryside after its long winter’s nap—and are celebrated in a festival that reaffirms the triumph of life over death. Elements of both belief systems bubble to the surface in this holiday, combining into a melded whole wherein both chocolate bunnies and solemn Easter services play a part.
The name for this holiday comes from much older times whose customs we’re now not all that familiar with. Many old religions had a Spring Goddess, a special deity who breathed life back into the world, both by banishing Old Man Winter and by encouraging growing things to grow and living things to mate. She went by many names. The Scandinavians called her Ostra, the Anglo-Saxons Eostre, and those who lived in the region that is now Germany knew her as Eastre.
All manner of rabbits are said to lay eggs on Easter Day. The hare itself is revered in lore—even in pre-Christian times, it was seen as a holy creature associated with fertility and the returning Spring. Important divinations about the character of the coming year were made from studying its movements. In northern Europe, the hare was considered sacred to Eastre, and therefore was not to be hunted.
The Easter Bunny is of German origin. He shows up in 16th century literature as a deliverer of eggs, in his own way a springtime St. Nicholas bent on rewarding the good. (Colored eggs were left only for well-behaved good children, you see.)
Eggs are very obvious symbols of resurrection and continuing life. Early humans thought the return of the sun from winter darkness was an annual miracle, and saw the egg as a natural wonder and proof of the renewal of life. The egg is also the ultimate symbol of fertility. As Christianity spread, the egg was adopted as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection from the tomb (a hard casket from which new life will emerge).
For centuries, eggs were listed among foods forbidden during Lent, so having them at Easter was a special treat that marked the end of a lengthy period of self-denial. The candy Easter eggs of modern times hark back to eggs used for a more serious purpose. Hardboiled eggs were dyed red in memory of Christ’s blood, then given to children as a talisman to preserve their health over the ensuing twelve months. This custom survived in slightly altered form almost until the present—it wasn’t that long ago one would find beautifully decorated Pace eggs kept year-round in British households for luck. The protective qualities of the scarlet-dyed egg are still invoked in parts of Europe to guard fields and vineyards from lightning and hail—one of these eggs will be buried on the property for that purpose.
Eggs themselves have their own lore, applicable both at Easter and other times. Breaking the smaller end of the egg betokens only disappointment of one’s hopes—with that supposedly lying in store, it makes sense to smack it open at the larger end. The discovery of a double yolk within is cause for terror or celebration depending on which school of thought is followed—some say it presages a wedding, others a death. Once the egg is consumed, its shell must be broken up lest a witch use it to gain power over the person who ate from it. A witch might also make a boat from an intact shell, then set sail in it and wreck ships at sea. Discarded eggshells should never be burned because doing so will cause the hens to cease to lay.
Easter lilies come by their name because of their shape (like Gabriel’s trumpet; another resurrection motif), color (white, symbolizing purity), and because they grow from bulbs, thus consequently seem to spring from the earth unbidden after the long months of winter. Incidentally, the lily was associated with the Virgin Mary, hence its common name, Madonna lily….
One curious belief has to do with “Lady Day,” March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady. For many centuries this date was reckoned throughout most of Christendom as the first day of the year.
The dark months were scary months, a time when everyone knew evil forces were lurking just out of sight. The winter solstice (December 21) was seen as an especially vulnerable time, with the fabric drawn between our world and the world of malicious spirits becoming rent, allowing the harmful ones to slip through to perhaps claim a victim or two. Though the bad things were around all winter, at this particular juncture, they were said to be out in force.
It became custom to hold a loud, cheery celebration at that time, in hope that the din would convince the lurking evil that there were just too many humans gathered in this one place to take on. Charms and rituals became part of the tradition surrounding this party as a further way of protecting loved ones from evil. Divination rituals further became worked into the fabric of things because the fragility of the curtain between the two worlds might allow for a glimpse from this side into the wonders of that which would be—chances were if those holes were letting evil spirits through, we might be able to peep back through them to see into their world and learn something from it….
Evergreens are symbolic of enduring and renewed life, which is why we decorate our homes with them at Christmastime. The fetching in of green branches is a magical rite to ensure the return of vegetation at winter’s end. Our modern day Christmas tree is the centerpiece of this belief.
Although these days when we think of decking the halls only Christmas trees, holly, and mistletoe come to mind, our ancestors decorated their homes with all those, plus ivy, rosemary, bay, laurel, and anything else that still showed green. Our choices have become standardized in a way theirs didn’t because we modern types observe the ritual without understanding what underpins it whereas our distant forefathers didn’t lose sight of the concept that a plant’s greenness was what counted….
Holly is celebrated in lore for its protective powers, being said to be especially effective against witches and lightning…. Holly is seen as a masculine plant and ivy a feminine one, leading to them being united at Christmastime….
Like holly, mistletoe is presumed a powerful charm against witches and lightning. At times it’s also been said to be a cure for poison, epilepsy, barrenness, and whooping cough.