Easter Symbols and Easter Meaning

Last Updated on March 19, 2024 by Avia

Easter symbols are not always what they may seem. There is a lot going on with this holiday than what you may find in the stores or advertised on your television. Easter meaning is incredibly profound.  Easter and its symbols are far more epic than plastic painted eggs and chocolate rabbits.

Avia’s Thoughts on Easter Symbols & Commercialism

It’s rather sad this profound day in history has been reduced to pawning off fuzzy chicks and marshmallow eggs at dollar stores. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a sucker for the jelly beans, fuzzy bunnies, and egg hunts. But like Christmas, the holiday becomes ludicrously weakened by commercialism. Apparently, what sells the most makes a holiday what it is today, and that’s just super-sad (IMHO).

In truth, what is now commercialized Easter props meant a lot to ancient cultures (and I’m not talking about money and profit!). Did you ever stop and wonder why the egg is a symbol of Easter? Or why rabbits are synonymous with Easter? Eggs, bunnies, chicks, lambs…these are all-powerful Easter symbols. Rather than buying these icons to stuff into cute little baskets, we should be contemplating the symbolic origin of them. Why? Because these symbols are iconic for a reason.

Easter Eggs and the Egg Moon

Take for instance the egg.  Did you know the first full moon in April is called the “Egg Moon?”  Yup. Well, that’s one several full moon names of April derived from various Native American peoples.  Native tribes such as the Six Nations (Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and later, Tuscarora) had very special names for the full moon in each month. These names were specific to various phenomena in nature that captured their attention during each month.

Native people like the Haudenosaunee (known also as Iroquois, a name the early colonists gave these people – they are the Confederacy of the Six Nations mentioned earlier) didn’t mindlessly tick off days on a calendar to keep track of time.  No! They observed, listened, smelled, viewed, learned and lived by nature’s timing. By doing so, these wise folks saw patterns in nature that were pretty consistent within certain segments of time.

So, these savvy people noticed every year around this time, there seemed to be a plethora of life. They noticed buds and blossoms breaking the soil. They noticed fish getting frisky in the rivers, streams, and ponds. These shrewd Native people also noticed grasses returning to the land.  And YES! They noticed eggs turning up from all manner of creatures. That, my friend, is why the full moon in April is known as the Egg Moon. It is also known by such names as: Pink moon, Flower moon, Grass moon, Seed moon and Fish moon.

(Get the whole list of Native American Moon Names and Native American Moon Meanings here.)

Easter and Symbolism of Life

Here we have the first remnants of true, authentic Easter symbols in action. This month rolls out the royal carpets for LIFE. From eggs to buds, Easter marks the time of new life after many months of darkness and the cold cruelty of winter. So the next time you bite into a Cadbury chocolate egg (I love those things!), consider the Egg moon, and how the first inklings of life are starting to return to the land.

Easter meaning is truly symbolic and should be embraced with a kind of wonder and awe. Why? Because (rain and mud aside) it is a time when we can really experience the grandeur of nature as she puts on her parade of life bursting at every seam in her beautiful canvas.  In fact, nature’s most prolific creatures, the rabbit, is another wink to powerful Easter meaning.

Easter and Rabbit Associations

How so? Well, rabbits really go to town this time of year.  Their senses are keen and sharp.  They know there is plenty of food for themselves and whatever offspring they produce.  Therefore, rabbits start doing what they do best…having babies!  With plenty of food and cooperative weather, this is the time of year when bunnies can get down and “bo-do-dee-do.” That’s my Ma’s sweet way of saying copulate…you know…or, ‘coitus’ as Sheldon on the Big Bang would say…I could go on and on with the colorful colloquialisms…but that would be a whole post unto itself! LOL! 

This bunny bit leads me to an interesting point about Easter meaning. Have you ever wondered why rabbits are often coupled with Easter? What’s up with those yummy chocolate bunnies whose ears we love to eat first? Or the adorable fluffy rabbits adorning Easter greeting cards?

Easter and Ostara

Well, as it so happens, the roots of Easter were first planted in the very capable hands of an ancient goddess named Ostara (or Eostre). To explain, Ostara is a goddess that was recognized by fathoms of people in the era of European antiquity. This age-old goddess was a powerful figure of fertility.  And hey, guess what? One of Ostara’s sacred symbols was the rabbit!  Through the ages, Ostara was appreciated at this exact time of year for bringing life back to the land. Over time, the name Ostara got morphed into what we now know as ‘Easter.’ 

This kind of morphing happens all the time.  As cultures collide and mesh, words get a little twisty, but their meanings should always hearken back to their origins.  That’s why I am so passionate about the tapestry of symbolic meanings. 

But wait, there’s more! Ostara isn’t the only fertility goddess of old times. The Egyptians were keen on the goddess Wenet, who, not surprisingly was seen in the form of a rabbit. And what was Wenet known for? Fertility, renewal, a continuation of life, and protection of life.  Fancy that! 

Want more? Me too! That’s why I’ve also got this for you on Whats-Your-Sign:

Unveiling the Hidden Origins of the Bunny and Easter Eggs

More About Easter Symbols and Their Origins

There are loads more accounts about Easter symbols reaching as far back into history as ancient Mesopotamian years.  This is just one brief account to (hopefully) tickle your fancy about Easter meaning, Easter symbols and how those chocolate eggs and bunnies get in your basket!

At the end of the day, this time of year should be a mark on the calendar to celebrate life.  This is a time of renewal.  This is a time of embracing the new and turning away from the scars we may have been left within the past (the ‘winter’ of our lives, so to speak).

So the next time you gobble down a sugary Easter treat, consider how this holiday is a time of resurrection, renewal and resurgence.  This is truly the grandest opportunity to surrender to the light life offers and set aside the darkness we may have been subjected to in the past.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m pretty passionate about Easter meaning and all the Easter symbols that come along with the holiday.  I genuinely thank you for taking the time to read my rant. I especially thank you for contemplating the deeper meaning of this deeply holy and profound time of year.

As always, thanks for reading.

I wish you all a happy and fruitful Easter.

Mighty brightly,

© Copyrighted. All Rights Reserved.

Avia’s Amazon Picks for You

Observe Every Day With These Llewellyn Amazon Selections

Other Articles of Interest on This Website