I'm not a Christian, but I am very interested in knowing the connection between celebrating Easter and the Eastr Egg, what doe the Egg stand for?and why is it used as symbol for Easter celebration?
2007-04-09 07:47:19 · 14 answers · asked by fatima 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Easter
the rabbit was a favored symbol of a goddess of fertility, Ester, that was worshipped before christianity. pagan holidays are sometimes kept, to make newcomers to the religion (back in the day) comfortable - easter is a holiday that actually celebrates that spring is here and crops can grow again
as well, the rabbit reproduces quickly, and seemed an endless source of life - they just keep on coming.
also, the egg represents fertility and birth.
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many times in the past i have told the following story to people that i know, when they ask me, "jim, why are there rabbits and eggs at easter?"
i explained to them how important a food source the egg is. i mean really, a chicken can lay so many eggs without having a male there, and they're not going to end up ...being anything. so many can be made in such a short time..
well, when god took away jesus, and let the romans take his life to show the world how much christ would give, people got scared. what if god took away their favorite food source?
well! people started running through the streets yelling "Hide the f-cking eggs! Hide the f-cking eggs!" and since they didn't know where to hide the eggs from the christian god, they figured that since rabbits don't lay eggs, the eggs could be hidden under the rabbits
well! the rabbits didn't really know what to do with the eggs. i mean, they can't really sit on them properly or anything. and they don't have refridgeration to keep the eggs from spoiling. so the rabbits would play mean tricks on helpless children by leaving eggs in hidden places in the house.
this leads to the origin of the easter egg hunt, where people were frantic to find the eggs before they spoiled, so that their yards and houses didn't stink up the neighborhood
2007-04-09 15:30:21 · answer #1 · answered by Jim 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is NOT the symbol of the stone by the tomb, if it were a Jesus symbol it'd be a Jesus symbol year round, not only when there's competition.
Rabbits and eggs are both symbols of the fertility goddess Eostre/Ishtar/Ostara. Her symbol is also the moon, in which some cultures see a rabbit instead of a face. Eggs also symbolize the moon and are the ultimate symbol of creation and new life. The basket is a symbol of the womb in which this new life is carried.
The feast day is pagan and was widely celebrated way before the time of Jesus. Like pretty much all holidays, it was adopted by Christians to help get more converts. However, since the point is to celebrate new life and the hope of continuance, Christian symbols of a Resurrection day and the old pagan symbols mean the same thing. Just like Christmas, we are all celebrating the same thing, just using different symbols.
2007-04-09 09:21:09 · answer #2 · answered by KC 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Basically the Easeter Bunny comes from ancient pagan symbolism relating to Spring and procreation. The traditions of pagan people were often adopted by the early church as a method of converting them to Christianity. In this sense the custons and culture of the poeple was preserved while they were taught about Christ. In this sense too the Easter Egg, which was traditionally eaten, came to represent the tomb of Christ and, when broken open, the resurrection. Early eggs were often coloured red symbolizing the blood of Christ. The Easter Bunny came to deliver the eggs and this explained very well in an earlier answer. Needless to say however Easter, althought not to the degree of Christmas, has become more of a "commercial" holiday than a religious one.
2016-05-21 00:38:45 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What modern Americans think of as Easter is a bastardization of two holidays. The Christian event is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. The other holiday is a pagan holiday for fertility that occured in the springtime.
The Egg is symbolic of fertility.
2007-04-09 07:55:14 · answer #4 · answered by Aaron H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The History of Easter
Easter is a time of rebirth and resurrection. It was first celebrated by the pagans around the vernal equinox, welcoming spring.
Find out why Easter isn't celebrated on the same day each year, which converging traditions that have come to form this Christian holiday and the history behind the Easter bunny.
2007-04-09 09:00:27 · answer #5 · answered by Sweet n Sour 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The egg is a symbol of fertility and it originated from paganism, long before Christianity. It's used around this time because it is the beginning of spring, which is a time of ferility.
2007-04-09 07:55:20 · answer #6 · answered by Veridian 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it goes back to ancient roman times, which was based on greek mythology.
Ultimately, the egg was a symbol of fertility.
--That Cheeky Lad
2007-04-09 20:58:25 · answer #7 · answered by Charles-CeeJay_UK_ USA/CheekyLad 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
easter egg is the symbol of new life which commonly starts in spring.
2007-04-09 07:54:13 · answer #8 · answered by jo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has something to do with being Reborn, like Jesus rose from the dead, and Eggs/ chickens being born from the egg. As in which came first chicken or the egg.
2007-04-09 07:57:00 · answer #9 · answered by Jeanette 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I believe it has to do with new life. Life starts with an egg.
2007-04-09 09:43:40 · answer #10 · answered by Godlover 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋