What is Easter? Here's Everything You Need To Know About the Gift-Giving Holiday

(Photo : Pexels / George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com)
Easter started out as a primarily religious holiday and has become a more festive celebration that includes chocolate eggs and children playing around. But how did this memorable day come from being mainly holy to turning into a gift-giving holiday?

Easter is a religious holiday that Christians worldwide celebrate in honor of the day that Jesus Christ was resurrected and has become a day filled with children waking up at dawn and rushing downstairs in anticipation of what the Easter Bunny has brought.

But what is Easter, and how did it become a gift-giving holiday for children? One parent theorized that in the beginning, parents would fill their Easter baskets with treats, such as jellybeans, peanut butter eggs, and hollow chocolate bunnies.

History of Easter

However, they later struggled to keep their children's teeth healthy, so instead of candy, they filled baskets with small, inexpensive toys. Many moms dedicate their time, and money, to the gifts for their kids, with some spending a large amount and others being conservative, as per Pennlive.

But historically speaking, Easter, unlike Christmas, has no fixed date on the calendar and instead is celebrated on a specific day of the second week of April, which is called Good Friday. This day falls during the spring and is the third day after the crucifixion and burial of Christ.

The holiday is significant because it remembers the time when Christ sacrificed himself for the sins of humanity. The Lord's resurrection proved that he was indeed the Son of God who defeated evil and death before ascending to heaven.

According to the Hindustan Times, Easter is known to be a day of feasting and celebration where people attend prayer services, decorate and distribute Easter eggs, and play traditional games, including egg rolling, egg tapping, and egg decorating. The Easter egg represents new life and fertility, similar to the Easter lily, which is used for decoration in Churches.

Festivities of the Holiday

However, the eating of chocolate eggs is a fairly recent tradition and started in France and Germany in the 19th century. The Easter bunny is said to bring chocolates for boys and girls who have been good, just like what Father Christmas does.

The famous mascot of the holiday originated in Germany and was first referred to in German literature of the 17th century. Customs during the Easter holiday vary from country to country, with some churches starting festivities with a midnight mass on Holy Saturday or Easter Eve.

Many religious people who recognize Lent today sacrifice something for the holiday, ranging from chocolate and reality TV to bad habits such as cursing or gossiping. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. However, it used to begin as a somber period when it was first recognized.

Now, much of Lent, except for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, are considered times of celebration in anticipation of the resurrection. Another popular thing during this holiday is Easter bonnets, which were popularized by the song "Easter Parade" by Irving Berlin.

These items became famous in the New York City Easter Parade when the song was written in the 1930s, and some celebrators still wear them today. The looks of the bonnets can vary from being a basic to all-out Royal Ascot Day-Esque finery, as per Parade.