Easter Basket Traditions and History
Easter baskets are a symbol of the holiday. What would Easter be without baskets filled to the brim with candy treats such as chocolates and jellybeans, all of these usually in the shape of an egg or a rabbit. In addition, these candies may be hidden in hollow plastic eggs in a variety of colors. If you were lucky, there would be Easter egg hunts where you could search for boiled, colored eggs or the plastic ones filled with chocolates of every conceivable shape and flavor. Have you ever considered where the idea of Easter baskets originated?
Easter as a holiday is the result of many different cultures and religions combined. The history of the Easter basket has a similar lineage. Some of the origins are from ancient pagan customs, some stem from a Judeo Christian background.
Vernal or spring equinox was special time to ancient cultures. They were very dependent on the success of their crops and livestock to live. They celebrated the seasons and prayed to different Gods in the hopes that their fields would be fertile. Spring Equinox is a time when day and night are equal time. This was a signal that the long harsh winter was over and that spring a time of renewal and rebirth was at hand.
Cultures from the Middle East such as the Hebrews, Arabs, Babylonians, and Assyrians had special traditions such as bringing the first seedling of the new crop to the temples to be blessed. This was in the hope that God would be happy and bless their crops that year. One of the most significant connections of Easter to these ancient religions is that the date is based upon astrological signs. Easter occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon following Spring Equinox. This first moon was a
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