Holidays & Celebrations: Easter Symbols

Easter Eggs

When the time approaches for Easter celebration, the first thing that strikes our mind are Easter eggs. In the catalogue of Easter symbols, Easter eggs occupy the top most position. Eggs symbolize fertility. For many decades, there has been a trend of exchanging Easter eggs among friends and relatives. Easter egg decoration is the favourite fun activity of kids during Easter week. In fact every Easter, Easter egg-colouring competitions are held.
It is at Easter that ladies prepare yummy recipes and in this special menu, chocolate Easter eggs are always a must. During the Easter festivity, Easter eggs make a place for themselves everywhere, then be it Easter table decorations or Easter delicious recipes. These days Easter eggshell ornaments are very in. People embellish their houses with handmade painted Easter eggs.
In the ancient times, these Easter eggs were very brightly coloured, giving a warm welcome to the spring season. The colour of Easter eggs also has its own significance. For example a red Easter egg symbolizes the blood that Jesus Christ shed for the goodness of mankind. The green colour represents holiness. There is a social message attached to different coloured Easter eggs, which if followed, can take the life of man to the path of success.

Easter Bunny

When the spring season heads its way towards us, the first thought that strikes our mind is undoubtedly the Easter festivity. And when the talk is about Easter, it is definitely incomplete without the mention of Easter bunny and Easter eggs. Most of us are ignorant about the origin of the Easter bunny. Easter bunny is a symbol associated with fertility and the reason behind is that, it has a very quick speed of reproduction.
There are many legends associated with the history of Easter bunny. Some legends suggest that this grand festival Easter got its name from the Anglo- Saxon goddess called Eostre, who was always seen along with her pet bunny rabbit. It's astonishing to know that, it was the very bunny of this goddess that had laid the first coloured eggs. Easter bunny has become famous for starting the tradition of Easter egg hiding. Thus, the kids' favourite game of Easter egg hunt can be attributed to Easter bunnies.
Today, Easter bunny occupies the most dominant position amongst all symbols of Easter. In the contemporary times, Easter bunnies are found sailing smoothly virtually everywhere. The gift galleries are stocked with cute bunny rabbit stuff toys. Not only are they adorning homes, but have become the source of flourishing business for confectionary shops too. Chocolate bunny rabbit cookies and cakes sell like real hot cakes during the Easter spring season. This symbol of Pagan times, Easter bunny, symbolizes new life.

Easter Candles

To celebrate the resurrection of Lord Jesus, Easter candles are lighted in churches. These decorative candles for Easter symbolize Jesus' return to life. They are associated with new life. Among the Easter candles, the most famous one is the Paschal candle. These paschal candles comprise engravings of the cross and the Greek letters alpha and omega that signify that the Lord is omnipresent.
The beeswax, out of which the Easter candle is prepared, represents the purity of Jesus Christ, its wick signifies humanity and the flame is indicative of the Jesus' divine nature. These decorative Easter candles not only adorn the house but also have a social message attached to them. This explains the reason why beautifully decorated Easter candles are selling like real hot cakes in the market.
The trend of embellishing the house with homemade Easter candles is very in. They are inexpensive and enable you to tantalize your senses and come up with some creative ideas. Making candles at home is great fun. Easter bunny candles are among the kids' favorite crafts. So light the candles and let the light of Jesus come into your house.

Easter Cross

The Easter cross has a lot of significance for the Christian community. A cross symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, reminding us of the blood that Jesus shed in lieu of the sins committed by mankind. It is a sacred symbol that signifies faith. An empty Easter symbol cross, on the other hand, is indicative of the resurrection of Lord Jesus that represents the triumph of goodness over the evil spirit and life over death. Thus as a symbol of Easter, the cross is indicative of both crucifixion and resurrection. If, on one hand, it signifies sacrifice, then on the other hand, it is a symbol of new life.
Different kinds of crosses are famous among various Christian groups. For example among Catholics and Protestants, the Latin cross is in usage and Eastern Orthodox churches have adopted the Greek cross. Crosses of different lengths can be spotted but six to seven feet long looks real impressive. It is used for prayer purpose during the Lent season. But on Good Friday, the cross, usually a wooden one, is covered with black, a colour for mourning for the death of Jesus. Black on the cross is meant to remember the sacrifices of Jesus but before Easter Sunday, the draping in black is removed and the cross is decorated with flowers to honour Jesus' return to life. Thus, the Easter cross has a lot of significance for Christians.

Flowers: Easter Lilies

The Easter lily is a symbol associated with motherhood. A symbol of Easter, the white lily signifies purity and hope. There are many legends related to the Easter lily flower. It's not just a flower meant to adorn house, but it has a lot of significance too. According to Roman mythology, the white Lily is associated with Juno, the queen of gods. It is said that at the time when queen Juno was feeding her baby son Hercules, some milk fell from the sky. The part of it that remained above the earth, paved way for the formation of Milky Way and the rest of it that fell onto the earth, led to the blooming of beautiful white lilies. White lilies are then an outcome of the milk of the mythological queen of heaven, Hera, through which these gorgeous flowers had sprung.

As part of the Easter tradition, to honour Jesus' resurrection, churches are decorated with beautiful white lilies. At homes, they find a special place for themselves in colourful flower baskets. Also, they serve as wonderful Easter gifts, heading their way to splendid flower bouquets. Since the white lily symbolizes purity, it is often associated with mother Mary. This explains the reason why the paintings for Easter picture saints presenting gorgeous white lilies to mother Mary, while congratulating her for being the mother of Jesus. Thus, the Easter lily is a sacred flower that marks the commemoration of Jesus' return to life.

Holly and its Pagan and Christian Significance

In a pre-Christian era holly's affirmation of life in death gave it a religious significance. At the dead moment of the year, the druids were said to deck their shrines with it as a symbol of rebirth, and during the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was close in date to Chritsmas, people sent gifts to their families and friends with sprays of holly.Christians were unable to resist the pagan attachment to the tree so they simply entwined the the evergreen foliage into their own rituals. Yet if one looks at the constituents parts of holly it seems designed as a Christian symbol. The red of the berries evoke the blood of Christ, the white flowers suggest his virgin birth and the prickly leaves, his crown of thorns.Holly wood was eventually incorporated to the cross itself, and holly saplings were said to have sprung up wherever Christ's feet touched the earth. Small wonder that we still decorate our homes and churches with those indestructibly green leaves.

The Heart and Other Symbols of Love

The heart as the symbol of love

The heart sign appears as a symbol in all the major cultural spheres. In the Christian trilogy of faith, hope and charity, heart stands and for charity as the anchor cross stands for hope. It also appears with a religious or positive meaning among Aztecs, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Celts, and Taoists.
In ancient Greece the heart sign (together with the flower) was related the lyre, the attribute of Eros, the god of sexual love, around 600-400 B.C. Later, the attribute of Greek Eros, his Roman counterpart Amor, and even Cupid (Latin = desire) was changed to the bow and arrow. On a Greek amphora from around 500 B.C. one can see heart used as leaves of a wreath placed on the head of Dionysos, the god of wine and feasting.
The heart has long been used as a symbol to refer to the spiritual, emotional, moral, and in the past also intellectual core of a human being. Since the heart was once widely believed to be the seat of the human mind, the word "heart" continues to be used poetically to refer to the soul, and stylized depictions of hearts are extremely prevalent symbols representing love. However, more realistic depictions of human hearts tend to have macabre connotations of death and violence, quite unlike the concepts associated with the poetic and symbolic heart. This discrepency is a common source of dark humor.
Many classical and medieval philosophers and scientists, including Aristotle, considered the heart the seat of thought, reason or emotion, often rejecting the value of the brain.
Shape is typically colored red, suggesting both blood and, in many cultures, passion and strong emotion. It and diamonds are the two red suits in most playing card decks.

Other Love Symbols:

* Wine and candles: Usually used with romantic settings, for intimate celebrations, anniversaries, especially if associated by other love symbols.
* Rosemary: Also used as a symbol for fidelity and remembrance.
* Mistletoe: During Christmas season, standing under it, gives anyone the opportunity to kiss you.
* Wedding rings: Represent permanency, "until death do us part", and also for union or togetherness.
* Roses: Red roses symbolise Love and Passion. White roses symbolise virginity and purity. Yellow roses symbolise jealousy and infidelity.
* Jasmine: Strongly scented, white flower used as a Hindu symbol for Love.
* Osram Ne Nsoroma: The Adinkra (West Africa) symbol representing love consisting of a star (the woman) and the moon (the man).
As a result of this, the heart-shape symbol is the best icon that can symbolise Love. And the facts brought by history, makes it more appreciated. So the next time you fall in love, give your heart the true justice it deserves.

The lady who started the diamond wedding tradition

* Mary of Burgundy starting the tradition

The tradition of giving a diamond engagement ring as a promise for marriage began in 1477 with Archduke Maximilian of Austria presenting a gold ring set with a diamond as a token of his love to Mary of Burgundy. During that era, diamonds were viewed as charms that could enhance the love of a husband for his wife. Even Cupid's arrows were said to be tipped with diamonds and thus an unequaled magical power.
Mary, called Mary the Rich (13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482), was the only child of Charles the Bold (Carlos el Terrible), Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Isabella of Bourbon. Her mother died in 1465, but Mary was on very good terms with her stepmother Margaret of York, whom Charles married in 1468.
Mary of Burgundy was born in Brussels, at the castle of Coudenberg. Her godfather was Louis the Dauphin, in exile in Burgundy at that time; he named her for his mother, Marie of Anjou. Reactions to the child were mixed: the baby's grandfather, Philip the Good, was unimpressed, and "chose not to attend the [Baptism] as it was only for a girl"; his wife, Isabella, was simply delighted at the birth of a granddaughter.
As the only child of Charles the Bold, Mary was heiress to a vast and wealthy domain and her hand was eagerly sought by a number of princes. The first proposal was received by her father when she was only five years old, to marry the future Ferdinand II of Aragon.
Though Mary had many suitors for her hand, she selected the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. The marriage took place at Ghent on 18 August 1477. By marrying Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of the Archduke of Austria, she became Archduchess Mary of Austria.
Five years later, the 25-year-old Duchess met her death by a fall from her horse on 27 March 1482. She loved riding, and was falconing with Maximilian when her horse tripped, threw her, and then landed on top of her, breaking her back. She died several days later, having made a detailed will. She is buried in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges.
Three children had been the issue of her marriage. In 1493, Maximilian married secondly Bianca Maria Sforza but had no children by her.

* Significance and importance of diamonds

The root of the word diamond is "Adamas," the Greek word meaning unconquerable and indestructible.
Wearing a diamond ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates far back to ancient Egypt, where it was believed that the vena amoris (the vein of love) ran from that finger directly to the heart.
Diamonds have been sought the world over, fought over, worshipped and used to cast love spells from the earliest of times. It actually wasn't until the discovery of diamond mines on the African continent in 1870 that diamonds became accessible to a wider public, increasing demand and influencing design.
For thousands of years, some form of magic was attributed to diamonds for Kings, Queens and their subjects. Diamonds stood for wealth, power, love, spiritual and magical powers. In battle, ancient Kings wore heavy leather breast plates studded with diamonds and other precious stones. The Greeks believed that diamonds were teardrops of the Gods and the fire in the diamond reflected the constant flame of love. Romans considered diamonds to be fragments of tumbling stars.
Diamonds were deemed to possess magical qualities of the Gods and hold powers far beyond the understanding of common men. Because of these beliefs, warriors on the battlefield avoided Kings and others who were fortunate enough to posses breast plates embedded with magical diamonds.
The smallest betrothal ring on record was given to two year old Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII. When she became engaged to the infant Dauphin of France, son of King Francis I, in 1518, a tiny gold ring, set with a valuable diamond, was fitted to her finger.
By the end of the 1700s, diamond wedding rings had become a common custom in Europe and were recognized as a symbol of eternity and love. It was then that the tradition of engraving the spouse’s name on the inside of the ring began, further making it a symbol of devotion in marriage.
The popularity of the diamond ring as a wedding ring has been fueled by highly successfully mass marketing campaigns by the diamond industry. The famous De Beers diamond company, originally started in the 1880s, gave birth to the advertising slogan, “A Diamond is Forever,” over 60 years ago. Their advertising campaign was one of the most successful in history, creating a mad rush of grooms-to-be to purchase the “must-have” diamond wedding ring.

Roses and their Symbolic Meaning in Literature

In literature, roses often symbolize love and beauty; therefore, they represent ladies, also. Roses are a frequently used flower symbol. From a Christian perspective, a rose is a symbol of heaven and harmony in the world. Furthermore, the rose is considered the flower of the Virgin Mary.

The colour of the rose is often significant.

red for romantic love
white for purity, charm, silence, "You are heavenly", reverence, humility, youthfulness, innocence
pink for youth, early love
yellow for friendship
black for death, twisted relationships (Black Rose)
blue for fantasy, something unattainable

Like other plants, a rose, especially one that is still alive, can also carry overtones of growth, renewal. Roses have thorns which represent the pain or hurt hidden in the beauty, as in "love hurts". Rose bushes can also provide a barrier

The Rose is an important symbol in English literature, especially in romantic love literature. Christianity introduced the rose symbol. But later it assumed secular connotations. In the Elizabethan age, poets in their innumerable lyrics and sonnets used the rose symbol from multiple points of view.
Like the sun, the 'Rose' is an important symbol in literature. Long ago Robert Burns sang : 'My luve's like a red, red rose'. Since then the rose is an integral part of romantic love literature. Chirstina Rossetti wrote about the wonderful rose in the ever poetic style of her own : O Rose , thou flower of flowers, thou fragrant wonder'. The Rose was deep in Yeats' heart. Who can ever forget O.Henry's 'The Rose of Dixie'?

The Importance of Roses in Religion

The structured prayer form of 150 Hail Marys was termed a "rosary". This expression came from the Latin rosarium or rosarius, a name given to works collecting the best of teachings. Arnold of Villanova wrote a Rosarius Philosophorum, explaining that it was a compendium, a thesaurus, a treasury of philosophy. Here the symbolism of the rosary stands as a precious anthology of spirituality.
Our Lady of the Rosary is Our Lady of the roses, because the flowers are the symbols of greeting offered to the Mother of God. We greet her with spiritual flowers.

Rosa Mystica ~ Mystical Rose

The rose was symbol of mystery (antiquity), and for early Christians a metaphor of both martyrdom and paradise. A classical illustration of Mary shows her emerging from a giant rose bush planted in a French garden. Two potted rose trees flank the central image. All three serve as visual support to the scriptural references of the rose symbolism applied to Mary. The rose bush with open petals serving as throne of Our Lady bears the following caption: “Open up your petals like roses planted near running water”

Rosicrucian Rose

The rose is a yonic symbol associated with generation, fecundity, and purity. The fact that flowers blossom by unfolding has caused them to be chosen as symbolic of spiritual unfoldment. The red colour of the rose refers to the blood of Christ, and the golden heart concealed within the midst of the flower corresponds to the spiritual gold concealed within the human nature. The number of its petals being ten is also a subtle reminder of the perfect Pythagorean number. The rose symbolizes the heart, and the heart has always been accepted by Christians as emblematic of the virtues of love and compassion, as well as of the nature of Christ—the personification of these virtues.
Occasionally the symbol of a cross rising from a rose was used in connection with their activities.
The Rosicrucian rose was drawn upon the Round Table of King Arthur, and is the central motif for the links forming the chain from which the "Great George" is suspended among the jewels of The Order of the Garter.