Vicariate of Kuwait: Easter Symbols

Reflections for the Easter Season. Vicariate Apostolic of Kuwait. All Rights Reserved.

EASTER LILIES ...

The lily is a symbol of purity because of its whiteness and delicacy of form. It also symbolizes innocence and the radiance of the Lord's risen life. It is called the Easter lily because the flowers bloom in early spring, around Easter time. The lily has become the mainstay of Easter floral arrangements and church decorations.

EASTER EGGS/CHICKS ...

The egg symbolizes the beginning of life or the universe. Christians adopted this tradition and the egg became a religious symbol - it represented the tomb from which Jesus broke forth. The various customs associated with Easter eggs were not recorded in Western Europe until the 15th century. Speculation is that missionaries or knights of the Crusades were responsible for bringing the tradition of coloring eggs westward. In medieval times, eggs often were colored red to symbolize the blood of Christ. The Chick is another Easter Symbol that represents new life or rebirth. The Chick breaking out its shell is a symbol for Jesus' ressurrection, when the rock was moved and he emerged from the tomb.

LAMB ...

Among Eastern Rite Christians, especially the Greek Orthodox, lamb was considered the primary Easter symbol. Jesus was seen as the sacrificial lamb. This lamb known as the Pascal lamb, was borrowed from the Jewish feast of Passover, also a spring feast. For our Jewish freinds, the lamb of Passover was sacrificed and its blood was placed on the doorposts of the Hebrew slaves. The homes were then passed over by the angel of death immediately before the Exodus. Passover was a feast of liberation and promise. Early Christians saw that the Lord himself was the Passover lamb. In the person of Jesus, Christians experience liberation and promise!

HOT CROSS BUNS ...

Many people around the world bake and eat hot cross buns during the Easter season. This is the only time of the year when these special buns are made. In the old days, people ate hot cross buns because they believed that the buns would keep them healthy all year.

EASTER BUNNY ...

Rabbits and Hares were long associated with fertility and throughout Europe symbolized abundant new life. The Easter Bunny however is NOT a religious Easter symbol. Our current associations with the "Easter Bunny" probably came out of Germany where bunnies made from bread and candy emerged in the 1800s. Children readily accepted the mythology surrounding the "Easter Bunny". Next to a visit from the Santa Claus, few events brought children more pleasure than a visit from the "Easter Bunny". They believed that if they were good, the "Easter Bunny" would lay a nest of colored eggs. Soon the custom spread in America of building the "Easter Bunny" a nest. This nest later changed to the Easter baskets which are so common today.

Reference: Hallmark Archives, etc.

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