Easter

This holiday is always celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox (March 21st) and can fall on any date between March 22nd and April 25th.

Customs and traditions for the period beginning Shrove Tuesday till Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday) can be found above under LENT.

Many Pagan religions in the Western Hemisphere had a major celebration at or following the Spring Equinox. These religions had a Spring Goddess who breathed life back into the World by banishing Winter and by encouraging things to grow and living things to mate.
This Goddess went by many names, the Scandenavians called her Ostra, the Anglo-Saxons called her Eostre, and those from the area which is now known as Germany, called her Eastre. Her name was derived from the ancient word for Spring : "eastre". Her holiday, the Eostara, was held on the Vernal Equinox Full Moon. The Church doesn't celebrate full moons even if they do calculate by them, so they decided Easter should be on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon, after the Vernal Equinox. The Catholic Church was so adament about not incorporating lunar Goddess symbolism that they added a further calculation. If Easter Sunday itself falls on the Full Mooon, then Easter is postponed to the following Sunday instead.
As the Pagan Spring time festivals occured at the same time of the year as the Christian Resurrection of Christ, many of the Pagan aspects of the original celebrations were incorporated into the new Christian festival. Both being a celebration of re-birth.

Rabbits and Hares

The Easter Bunny has become the most favorite Easter symbol. He is of German origin and was first used as a symbol of Easter in the 16th centuary and is said to lay eggs on Easter Day. However, it is the hare and not the rabbit , that should be treated as the true symbol of Easter.
Since ancient times, the hare has been a symbol for the moon in Egypt. It belongs to the night when it comes out to feed and is born with it's eyes open. As the Egyptian word for hare was "un", which also meant "open" and "period", the hare became associated with the idea of periodicity, both lunar and human, and so became a symbol of fertility, the renewal of life and the returning of Spring.
In Northern Europe, the hare was considered to be a sacred companion to the Goddess of Spring, Eostre and therefore was not to be hunted. According to legend, Eostre, changed a bird into a hare. Not forgetting his old habits however, the changed hare kept on building nests and filling them with eggs!
And this fertility factor may be the reason why the rabbit is more familiar as an Easter symbol than the traditional hare. Rabbits are more prolific!

There is a latin proverb "Omne vivum ex ovo" which means "All life comes from an egg", and world wide, there are many legends about the whole universe being created out of an egg. So, it is not surprising that in almost all ancient societies, eggs have been held as an emblem of life. The exchange of eggs at Spring time was already centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf, or if you were a peasant, coloured brightly by boiling them with leaves or petals of certain flowers.
For centuries, eggs were listed among foods forbidden at Lent, so having them at Easter marked the end of a lengthy period of self-denial. It was beleived that if eggs laid on Good Friday were cooked on Easter Sunday, they would promote fertility of trees and crops and protect against sudden deaths.
There are several other superstitions connected with the eating of eggs. Some believe it is unlucky to break open the smaller end of an egg first , and the discovery of a double yolk inside is considered to be very lucky indeed! Discarded egg shells however should never be burned because doing so will cause the hens to stop laying.

The Easter Rabbit or Hare brings Easter Eggs to many children in Europe and America. The Easter Egg Hunt is a traditional part of Easter morning, with the children searching the garden for eggs that the Rabbit left overnight. Often these days, Easter Eggs are made from chocolate and especially in Britain, these are given in preference to the coloured hard boiled variety.

Old English Rhyme
Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns!
One a penny, two a penny
Hot Cross Buns!
If you have no daughters
Give them to your sons
One a penny, two a penny
Hot Cross Buns!

Hot cross buns are made especially for Easter and are documented to have exisited before the Christian Easter celebrations. These were made as cakes from wheat which was used in Pagan Spring festivals. The Ancient Greeks made a similar type of bun with horns dedicated to Apollo, Diana, the moon, and Hecate. The shape of the bun was said to represent the moon whilst the four quarters divided on the top of the bun represented the four quarters of the year. The buns were traditionally made on Good Friday in the Christian church with the dough kneaded for the Host and were marked with a cross to indicate this.
Bread and buns baked on Good Friday will never go moldy, and will have healing properties. Centuries ago, Good Friday bread was kept for a year, with pieces grated off and given to the sick whenever necessary, another loaf being baked the following Good Friday . A Hot Cross Bun kept from one year to the next protects the house from evil forces and fire. Sailors beleived that hot cross buns would protect against shipwreck if taken to sea.