History of Easter
Easter is considered by many Christians to be the most important religious holiday in the church year. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion more than 2,000 years ago. Many people start the Easter day by attending sunrise church services. Read more about the history of Easter!
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @Hallmark.
For many people, the holiday traditionally represents new life, both in a religious sense and in the arrival of spring. The name Easter comes from the Teutonic goddess, Eostre or Eastre, the deity of both dawn and spring and the pagan symbol of fertility.
The egg has become closely associated with the holiday as a symbol of fertility and resurrection. Many cultures, including the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and Romans, dyed eggs for their spring festivals. One of the most famous U.S. holiday customs associated with the Easter egg is the White House Easter Egg Roll. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House grounds for the event, although records exist of egg-rolling events as early as Abraham Lincoln’s administration.
Because of their association with fertility, rabbits also became symbols of Easter. The concept of the Easter rabbit is thought to have originated in Germany. One story describes a poor woman in Germany who enjoyed giving children Easter treats. One year, she hid brightly colored eggs in her garden. While searching for the eggs, the children spotted a hare hopping by. They thought the hare had left the eggs. Because rabbits are more common than hares in the United States, the Easter hare became the Easter rabbit and then the Easter Bunny. Long ago, American children built nests of leaves and sticks in their gardens or barns for the Easter Rabbit to fill with colored eggs.
Looking for more Easter ideas and inspiration? We have everything you need.
Shop Easter
See allYou may also like
See more-
Gifting Grandparent gift ideas they’ll love and remember
Here are some tips and suggestions for grandparent gifts—what you can give to the persons who give so much to us.
-
Faith Joanne Eschrich: Angels Everywhere
Hallmark Artist Joanne Eschrich's belief in the angels around us inspired her collection for Hallmark Gold Crown stor...
-
Care & Concern How to support friends with anxiety and depression
Advice on what to say and how to support friends with anxiety and depression directly from people who went through it.
-
Care & Concern How to support a friend with cancer or serious illness
What to say and how to support friends with cancer or a serious illness directly from people who went through it.
-
Halloween Halloween treat boxes
Download these fun Halloween printables to make your own little monsters—Halloween treat boxes, we mean.
-
Faith How to be a godparent
Honored? Humbled? Terrified? Here’s a few must-have tips on how to be a godparent whether you’re preparing for a bapt...
-
Breakfast Chinese five spice donuts
With their warm, spicy-sweet flavors, these Chinese five spice donuts will disappear from your breakfast table in no ...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Lemon ricotta bruschetta
Put a little zest in your bruschetta. Our deliciously different lemon ricotta bruschetta offers a tasty twist on trad...
-
Dessert Baby shower dessert: Diaper strawberry tarts
Planning a baby shower dessert or baby's first birthday party? These little diaper strawberry tarts are sure to get a...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Halloween bone breadsticks
These Halloween bone breadsticks are a great example of taking an everyday favorite and reimagining it as a creepy Ha...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Ham and cheese crescent rolls
These ham and cheese crescent rolls are flaky, filled with ham and cheese goodness and a fun alternative to classic d...
-
Dessert Homemade blueberry pie
Homemade blueberry pie provides the perfect finale to a Fourth of July celebration or any other occasion. Bursting wi...
-
Dessert Raspberry buckle
A buckle is so named because the top buckles when it cooks. It is a type of cake with fruit dropped into the batter. ...
-
Dessert Raspberry linzer cookies
Linzer cookies are fruit tarts in cookie form. Our raspberry linzer cookies feature a raspberry jam filling and a dai...
-
Dessert Penguin ice cream bars
To make our fun penguin ice cream bars, you do more assembling than cooking, which makes it a great holiday activity ...
-
Dessert Peanut butter spiders
Looking for a fun, creative and creepy treat for your loved ones this Halloween? Look no further. Our peanut butter s...
-
Drinks White hot chocolate
Warm your insides with our yummy white hot chocolate. With bits of white chocolate, milk, half-and-half, vanilla extr...
-
Dessert Sweet potato custard
Sweet potatoes don't just taste great—they’re good for you, too. So go ahead and dig in to this sweet potato custard!...