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Have you ever wondered why we do what we do at Easter? Why do many of us eat ham and dye eggs? How are these traditions related to Christ's resurrection?

For Christians all over the world, Easter is a time of great joy and great pageantry. Some aspects of our Easter celebrations stem directly from the biblical account of Christ's death and resurrection, while others do not. Like all holidays, Easter's traditions have a rich history.

Eggs are often identified with Easter. Long a symbol of fertility and immortality, the egg reminds Christians of the rock tomb from which Christ arose.

In medieval times, eggs were traditionally given to all servants at Easter. It is said that King Edward I of England (1307) distributed 450 boiled Easter eggs, dyed or covered with gold leaf, to members of the royal household.

Today, in most countries the eggs are stained with plain vegetable-dye colors. The Syrian and Greek faithful present each other with crimson eggs in honor of the blood of Christ. Ukrainians create intricate designs with checkerboard and rhombi patterns, dots, wavy lines, and intersecting ribbons. Blessed by the priest at Easter, the artistically-rendered eggs become symbolic heirlooms.

In Austria, artists design striking patterns by fastening ferns and tiny plants around the eggs, leaving a white pattern after the eggs are boiled. Common symbols in the designs include the sun (good fortune), rooster or hen (fulfillment of wishes), stag or deer (good health), and flowers (love and charity).

Egg-specking is a sport all over Europe. Eggs are rolled against each other on the lawn or down a hill. The egg that remains uncracked is the winner. In Washington, D.C., there is an annual celebration of egg rolling on the White House lawn on Easter Monday.

Although rabbits have long been a symbol of spring, chocolate bunnies are a relatively new phenomenon. Easter bunnies made of pastry and sugar first became popular in southern Germany at the beginning of the 1800s.

The Whole Earth Holiday Book connects the rabbit and colored eggs with the story of a poor woman who could afford no sweets for her children on Easter. She colored some eggs and hid them in a nest for her children to find. During the hunt, the children spotted a large hare in the bushes. They told their friends the bunny had left the eggs, and so the Easter bunny story began.

The Easter bunny shows up in many European Easter traditions. However, it is not the only animal believed to bring colored eggs. Swiss children believe a cuckoo brings the eggs; Czech children wait for a lark. German children have a lot of options—hoping that a rooster, a stork, a bunny, or a fox will bring their treats.

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