The Evolution of Easter
Coming to America
As celebrated in the Western world today, Easter is a cheerful marriage of Pagan, Jewish and Christian history, blending together elements from each faith with the creative talents of the entire world. However, the path to this current incarnation of Easter involved a long, arduous road.
When did Easter come to America?
This melting-pot holiday came to the U.S. from Europe via the German emigration to Pennsylvania during the 1700s. The Pennsylvania Dutch introduced Americans to the Easter Hare (in their language, the Oschter Haws) and the tradition of the Easter nest. German children would make a nest from their everyday caps and bonnets, and then would lay the nests outside on Holy Saturday evening, hoping that the Oschter Haws would find their nests and leave a selection of colored eggs.
It wasn’t until after the Civil War that the celebration of Easter achieved mass popularity and was celebrated visibly. Easter had always been an occasion to break out Sunday best dress because it was a prime time to baptize newborns and newcomers into the church. After the civil war, American women and their daughters added colorful flowered hats in recognition of the holiday.
Many felt this focus on fashion was a sign of improper pride that should not be associated with Easter, and at times the tradition of the Easter bonnet was frowned upon by the church. The Easter Parade on 5th Avenue in New York, originally founded by those who wanted to lavishly display their Easter fashions, was also spurned by the church.
Why do Christians call it Easter?
The celebration of Easter was originally labeled Pascha by the Christian church; a name that is derived from the Jewish word Pesach (Passover). Sometime between the years 116 and 126, the Christian church first referred to the event as Easter - a name made official by the Council of Nicea in 325. Eastern churches that still wanted to observe Pascha refused to align with the new thinking, and many subsequently lost their status with the Roman Church.
On the surface, the name Easter seems to be a derivative of the word “East” (which is where the sun rises) but that explanation has to be stretched a bit to become the “risen Son of God.” The only appearance of the word “Easter” in the Bible is disputed as a mistranslated reference to Passover, and most scholars believe it has nothing to do with Christian history. They prefer to accept the word’s Pagan ties.
