Easter Basket Traditions and History

Easter baskets are a symbol of the holidays. What would Easter be without baskets filled to the brim with treats like chocolates and jelly beans, all usually in the shape of an egg or rabbit? Also, these candies can be hidden in hollow plastic eggs in a variety of colors. If I was lucky, there would be Easter egg hunts where I could search for hard-boiled, colored, or plastic eggs filled with chocolates of every shape and flavor imaginable. Have you ever wondered where the idea of ​​Easter baskets originated?

Easter as a holiday is the result of the combination of many different cultures and religions. The story of the Easter basket has a similar lineage. Some of the origins are from ancient pagan customs, some come from a Judeo-Christian background.

The vernal or spring equinox was a special time for ancient cultures. They were very dependent on the success of their crops and livestock for a living. They celebrated the seasons and prayed to different gods in the hope that their fields would be fertile. The spring equinox is a time when day and night are the same time. This was a sign that the long, hard winter was over and that spring was a time of renewal and rebirth.

Middle Eastern cultures, such as the Hebrews, Arabs, Babylonians, and Assyrians, had special traditions, such as taking the first seedling of the new crop to temples to be blessed. This was in the hope that God would be happy and bless his crops that year. One of the most significant connections of Easter with these ancient religions is that the date is based on astrological signs. Easter occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. This first moon was a signal for farmers to make sure they planted the first seeds of the season.

Easter baskets grew out of modern traditions and the symbology of Christianity. For Christians, Easter represents the resurrection of Christ. Lent is the season that precedes Easter and lasts forty-six days before Easter Sunday. This season of Slow kicks off on Fat Tuesday. This is the last time to party before the Lenten season. During the Lenten season, Christians believe that you should give something up and fast until after Easter. Fasting may include giving up meat, eggs, and dairy products. The custom of having a large Passover dinner represents the end of the Slowen fast. In older times, this great feast was brought to church in large baskets, hence the connection to the goodies in today’s Easter baskets. This basket was blessed by the clergy just as the ancient Hebrews brought their first seedlings to the temple to be blessed.

So what about that Easter grass? This comes from the tradition of Dutch children waiting to deliver eggs on Easter Sunday. They would deposit these eggs in birdhouse nests much like the purple, yellow, or green plastic grass nests that can be found in modern Easter baskets. This Easter, by ordering a special Easter basket for friends and family, you now know that you are participating in a tradition that has been passed down for many thousands of years.