50 Beautiful Ways People Are Decorating For Easter That May Elevate Your Own Celebration

As it is natural with religious celebrations, Easter is full of symbolism. And while you can argue that folks who celebrate it have an either or approach to it just like they do with Christmas and X-Mas—meaning there’s the religious and the secular way of celebrating it—there’s more to Easter than just Christianity and family tradition.

Originally, Easter was a pagan festival named Eostre, which paid tribute to the goddess of spring of the same name. But then Christianity happened and the holiday was picked up by the new faith and adapted to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Also very appropriate that spring is considered a rebirth of nature.

And so a lot of today’s symbolism found in Easter can be traced back to either paganism, Christianity or Judaism.

Easter eggs, for instance, were originally a pagan symbol of fertility and rebirth. As such, it was adapted to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Christianity. It just so happened that Lent, a period of fasting in the Christian faith, also involved not eating eggs. So, the excessive consumption of them during Easter was par for the course.

Another huge symbol is the Easter bunny. Quite a disconnect from eggs as bunnies definitely aren’t known for their calcium carbonate crystal-based reproduction. If anything, it goes without saying how infamous their reproduction traditions are, but we’ll stop there. So, what’s up?

One theory is the pagan roots of the celebration. The goddess Eostre was typically represented as a bunny (another symbol for fertility. Need I say more?). Another is grounded in German folklore, where the Easter hare would lay the eggs. And then it spread.

The other, lesser known symbolism includes Easter lilies, chocolate Easter candy, and baby chicks.

The lilies come from a legend surrounding the crucifixion. Apparently, white lilies sprung where Jesus was crucified—his perspiration was what made it happen. They have, as a result, become a symbol of purity as well as Jesus' resurrection.

As for the chocolate Easter candy, Lent was a hard period to get through. Among the many things that people fasted from, chocolate was probably one of the harder ones to avoid, unless you’re not a sweet tooth. Whatever the case, it’s only normal folks would indulge themselves in cacao-based treats after having to slog through 40 days of bodily dedication to tradition and faith.

As for the baby chicks, it ties in well with the egg thing. After all, chicks come from eggs and as such they symbolize new life and fertility. Also, Peeps marshmallow candy.

If you’re familiar with the Christian faith, you’ll already know the other symbols that might pop up as décor on your Easter table: the lamb, palm branches, the cross. And maybe hot cross buns, soft pretzels, and dogwood trees.

But as time goes by, folks get creative with these symbols. Of course you’ll want your Easter celebration to be special each year. And that’s why we have carrot blooms and egg trees and whatever this cute fluffball is all about.

Whatever the case, remember that it’s a family thing. Sure, décor is great and all, but the main focus should stay in the family. And toddlers going wild in the backyard, trying to find that last egg you ate and told nobody.

So, what are your thoughts on any of this? How will you be decorating this year for Easter? Share your Pinterest-inspired (or Pinterest-inspiring) ideas in the comment section below!

And don’t forget to check out more from Bored Panda because this surely isn’t the only listicle we have out there.