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Christians celebrate Easter to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The story of Easter can be found in Matthew 26-28. While chocolates, jelly beans and fluffy stuffed animals have become icons of this spring celebration, the holiday's symbols are rich in tradition and meaning.

The lamb reminds us of the Jewish celebration of Passover, which occurs each spring. In biblical times, the Jews sacrificed lambs to atone for their sins. In John 1:29, Jesus is called the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world because his death on the cross parallels the sacrificial lamb used in the Passover ceremony.

An egg represents new life because many birds and other animals hatch from eggs in the spring. People can find new life through a relationship with God made possible by Jesus' death on the cross (1 John 5:12).

The cross symbolizes Jesus' death by crucifixion as a sacrifice for our wrongs and to give us eternal life (John 11:25).

However, the rabbit is a secular (not religious) symbol of the season. During the spring equinox, the Saxons in Northern Europe celebrated a festival called "Eastre" or "Eostre" dedicated to the goddess of spring. Her symbol was the rabbit, which is also a fertility symbol.

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/MomSense magazine. Click here for reprint information on MomSense.

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