Easter is one of the most important festivals of Christians, celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after being crucified and executed on the Cross. This year, Easter falls on April 16, 2017.
On this day, people give each other gifts in the shape of eggs, rabbits, eat delicious meals with ham - symbols that have been indispensable for thousands of years. So what is the origin and meaning of these symbols?
1. Easter and the Egg
An ancient primitive symbol of Easter. Every time on this occasion, everyone gives each other eggs decorated by themselves, to wish relatives and friends the best things in life.
Since the beginning of civilization, people have always considered eggs as a symbol of reproduction and rebirth. Westerners believe that this Earth was originally hatched from a giant egg. The role of the cultural symbol of eggs in life is increasingly important.
The custom of exchanging eggs was also present in many major civilizations. Archaeological studies have proven that the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians had a custom of decorating eggs as gifts from at least 5,000 years ago. Perhaps for these reasons, eggs are recognized as an indispensable symbol of Easter - the day that celebrates the rebirth of Jesus.
2. Easter and the Rabbit
First, with its dizzying fertility, in cultures, rabbits are also considered a symbol of fertility, strong vitality. But more importantly, the image of the rabbit is associated with a legend about Ostara (also known as Eastre).
This is the goddess of spring, who is named after the name of Easter. It is said that the god Ostara once brought spring to Earth late. This causes animals and everything to suffer from the cold. When Ostara arrived, I accidentally saw a bird dying because its wings were frozen. Out of pity, Ostara rescues him, turns the bird into a rabbit and keeps it with him as a pet.
Ostara also grants rabbits the ability to lay eggs and the ability to run very fast. God wants the rabbit to give gifts to children in the spring. However, later on, the magic rabbit accidentally angered Ostara. It was thrown into the sky by the god and turned into the constellation Lepus.
A year, rabbits are only allowed to come down to earth once in the spring to give lovely eggs to the people on earth. Since then, the image of rabbits carrying eggs has become a special feature of Western Easter.
3. Easter and Jambon
Besides the image of rabbits and eggs, the traditional ham has never been absent from the tables of Christians around the world at Easter. For Catholics, pork is considered God's food.
The ancient Westerners believed that the time of the Blood Moon (the first full moon of autumn) was the best time to harvest crops, marinate reserve pork. They think that if they do so, there will be enough food for the whole cold winter. When spring comes, they will use up all the food they have left and celebrate Easter, in which bacon is used to make ham. Perhaps that's why ham has become a traditional dish on the dinner table every Easter.
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