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6 Myths and Legends About Easter Traditions: Easter Myth: The Easter Bunny

The document discusses several myths and traditions associated with Easter. It describes how the Easter bunny tradition originated from a pagan fertility goddess sometimes accompanied by a hare. It also explains that Easter gets its name from Eostre or Ishtar, goddesses of spring and fertility. Common Easter traditions mentioned include eating hot cross buns, ham, and decorating/hunting for dyed eggs, as well as how the date of Easter is calculated based on the moon's phases and the vernal equinox.

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Ioana Andra Uliliuc
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52 views

6 Myths and Legends About Easter Traditions: Easter Myth: The Easter Bunny

The document discusses several myths and traditions associated with Easter. It describes how the Easter bunny tradition originated from a pagan fertility goddess sometimes accompanied by a hare. It also explains that Easter gets its name from Eostre or Ishtar, goddesses of spring and fertility. Common Easter traditions mentioned include eating hot cross buns, ham, and decorating/hunting for dyed eggs, as well as how the date of Easter is calculated based on the moon's phases and the vernal equinox.

Uploaded by

Ioana Andra Uliliuc
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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6 Myths and Legends About Easter

Traditions

1/6
Easter Myth: The Easter Bunny
The Easter bunny is often considered a part of Easter because of the notable
ability of bunnies to proliferate. However, there are roots back to the actual
name of Easter. A goddess of fertility, Eostre, (who may have been one of the
inspirations for the name Easter) is said to have been accompanied by a hare.
Although many sources debate this connection. The tradition of the bunny was
brought to the U.S. by German settlers to Pennsylvania.

2/6
Easter Myth: The Name Easter
Some traditions connect this name with Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian
goddess of love and fertility, or Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring.
Doubtless, the Christian holiday was modeled after pagan celebrations of
spring and fertility. However, its traditions also closely mimic Passover, and
the last supper is believed by some to be a Passover Seder. European names
still use this root for what they call Easter; in Spanish it is Pasqua, French call
it Paques, and the Italian name is Pasqua.

3/6
Easter Tradition: Breads
Hot cross buns and other breads marked with an X to symbolize the cross are
a tradition on many Easter tables. Different sweet breads are also used all over
the world. Try these: Choreg (Armenia), Paska (Ukraine), Babka (Poland),
Tsoureki (Greece). Also try a traditional Italian Easter Bread (shown above)
with eggs baked right in. These bread are conspicuously risen breads which
may also show a desire for Easter traditions to be different from Passover
which includes unleavened breads.

4/6
Easter Tradition: Ham
The tradition of eating ham most likely came from the slaughter of an animal
before fall and then preserved in salt over the winter, sometimes buried near
the sea. 67 percent of Americans serve ham at their Easter dinners, according
to pork.com, and this typically breaks any meat fast that is undertaken during
Lent.

5/6
Easter Tradition: Eggs
The star of Easterpainted, dyed, gilded in silver and gold, blown empty and
hung on treesis the egg. Legends abound about this symbol of life. Around
the world they are brought to church, given as gifts, hidden for the benefit of
children and even rolled on the White House lawn.

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Easter Tradition: When It Falls
Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it changes depending on a few things. The
council of Nicea 325 determined that it would occur after the full moon
following the vernal equinox on the next occurring Sunday, unless this
happened to interfere with Passover, in which case it should be the Sunday
after that. Got it? It can occur anytime between March 22 and April 25.
Sometimes, Easter can falls on May. For example, 1 st of May 2016, right next
year.

the Easters schedule between 2014-2030


2014 - 20 April
2015 - 12 April
2016 - 1 May
2017 - 16 April
2018 8 April
2019 - 28 April
2020 - 19 April
2021 - 2 May
2022 - 24 April
2023 - 16 April
2024 - 5 May
2025 - 20 April
2026 - 12 April
2027 - 2 May
2028 - 16 April
2029 - 8 April
2030 - 28 April

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