Cracking the tradition of hiding Easter eggs

Cracking the tradition of hiding Easter eggs – Come Easter Sunday, eager children wake up to see if the Easter Bunny has visited their homes. For many families, Easter would not be the same without an annual egg hunt. From chocolate confections to money-filled plastic shells to colorful, hand-decorated hard-boiled eggs, the Easter Bunny (and his parental helpers) hide eggs all around. #EasterEggs

Cracking the tradition of hiding Easter eggs

Cracking the tradition of hiding Easter eggs - Come Easter Sunday, eager children wake up to see if the Easter Bunny has visited their homes. For many families, Easter would not be the same without an annual egg hunt. From chocolate confections to money-filled plastic shells to colorful, hand-decorated hard-boiled eggs, the Easter Bunny (and his parental helpers) hide eggs all around. #EasterEggs
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As with many traditions, people may engage in the festivities without really understanding the origins behind the fun. It can be interesting to unearth just how such egg hunts were hatched.

As with many religious traditions, Easter egg coloring and hunts trace their origins to pre-Christian societies. These societies developed rituals surrounding nature, the seasons and more. Some traditions were adapted to link them to the Christian faith. Eggs held associations with new life and spring. However, early Christians turned the egg into a symbol of the Resurrection and the empty shell became a representation of Christ’s tomb. Eggs also were important components of the Easter holiday, as they were prohibited (like meat) during Lent. But on Easter, fasting ended and eggs were a part of Easter celebrations, particularly for the poor who couldn’t afford meat.

Check out You’ve Been Egged, A Free Easter Printable!

There are two widely known accounts of the origins of Easter egg hunts. The religious version has Protestant reformer Martin Luther organizing hunts for his congregation. The men would hide the eggs for women and children to find, which mirrors Resurrection accounts in the Bible in which women discovered Christ’s empty tomb. Another account traces the tradition to the Dutch tale of the “Oschter Haws” (“Osterhase” in German), which was a hare that laid eggs in the grass. Children would build and decorate nests for the eggs and wait to see if they would be populated, according to Discovery.com. This tradition became popular in America with the arrival of Dutch and German settlers in Pennsylvania in the 1700s.

Learn about the Truth about Easter Eggs and the Easter Bunny!

By the 20th century, decorated Easter nests were replaced with baskets, and Osterhase was more affectionately known as the Easter Bunny, who chose to leave eggs as well as treats and candy. Easter celebrations continued to marry both the religious and secular to form many of the customs that are known widely today.

Easter egg hunts are enjoyed by the young and old on Easter. They’re a key part of celebrations. Just remember to find all those hard-boiled eggs in a timely fashion.

Easter Blog Posts

Below is a list of blog posts that relate to Easter. Be sure to check them all out!

Easter Blog Posts
Easter Posts Easter Blog Posts Complete Blog Post List for Easter
  1. 1 Cross, 3 Nails, 4 Given Church Sign
  2. 8 Things Jesus Accomplished on the Cross
  3. A-Z of Easter, The
  4. Amber Alert: Jesus Christ is Missing
  5. Arise My Love by Newsong
  6. Ascension
  7. Ash Wednesday, Day of Ashes
  8. Body of Christ
  9. Breakfast Pizza
  10. Broken Egg
  11. CEO Christians Church Sign
  12. Colors of Easter
  13. Cracking the Tradition of Hiding Easter Eggs
  14. Create and Hide Unbreakable Easter Eggs
  15. Cross Acronym
  16. Cross of Jesus
  17. Cross Tree
  18. Dogwood Tree
  19. Drive-Thru Easter Egg Hunt
  20. Dye Eggs with All Natural Ingredients
  21. Easter celebrations in the era of social distancing
  22. Easter Egg Trunk Hunt
  23. Easter Finger Puzzle Printable
  24. Easter is Canceled
  25. Easter Lilies Can Kill A Cat?
  26. Easter Monday
  27. Easter Story Snack Mix Printable
  28. Easter Sweet Treats Makes Easter Special
  29. Easter Symbols
  30. Easter Trees
  31. Easter Word Search Printable
  32. Egg Rolling
  33. Emoji Easter Story Printable
  34. Empty Egg
  35. Forgiveness
  36. Free Easter Printables
  37. Good Friday
  38. Happy Easter “Resurrection Day”
  39. He is Risen Display
  40. Hiding Easter Eggs
  41. History of Easter Bonnets
  42. Holy Monday
  43. Holy Saturday
  44. Holy Thursday
  45. Holy Tuesday
  46. Holy Wednesday
  47. Hot Cross Buns
  48. If Jesus Had An Obituary
  49. Importance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
  50. It’s Not About the Bunny Church Sign
  51. Jelly Bean Prayer Printable
  52. Jesus Shows His Scars
  53. Lazarus Saturday
  54. Legend of the Donkey’s Cross
  55. Legend of the Sand Dollar Printable
  56. Legend of the Three Trees
  57. Let kites soar: A Lenten tradition takes flight
  58. Life Savers
  59. Make Easter Eggs Last
  60. Maundy Thursday
  61. Meaning Behind Easter Lilies
  62. No Bones About It – Jesus Is Alive!
  63. Palm Sunday
  64. Passover
  65. Resurrection Bracelet
  66. Resurrection Rolls
  67. Searching for Christ
  68. Shrove Tuesday
  69. Silly Rabbit, Easter is for Jesus
  70. Son of God Movie Review
  71. Spy Wednesday
  72. Stay-At-Home Spring Printables for Kids
  73. Stitching Easter delights with Sewing
  74. Sweating Blood Prayer
  75. Telelestai
  76. That’s My King Dr. S.M. Lockridge
  77. Trail to the Empty Tomb
  78. Truth About Easter Bunny & Easter Eggs
  79. That Tomb Is Still Empty, Easter Story Told by Two Kids
  80. Unique Easter Traditions from Around the Globe
  81. University of Tennessee Rock painted with an Easter Message, The
  82. What if the Resurrection Happened Today
  83. What’s So Good About Good Friday?
  84. Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?
  85. Words of Forgiveness by Saving Darkness
  86. You, Sin, Christ – A Simple Illustration
  87. You’ve Been Egged Printable

Article compliments of MetroCreative. TF204828 – First published March 30, 2020. Last updated or republished March 22, 2021.

About the Author

Author: Steve Patterson

A Christian Blogger that enjoys blogging about the Bible, Theology, God, Jesus Christ, Christian Music, Family, Cats, Odd Holidays, sewing and much more. I have been blogging since 2004, however, I have been blogging on Courageous Christian Father since 2012. I enjoy listening to Christian Music. I am married with 1 daughter, 2 step-sons and a step daughter.

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