The Lamb vs a Bunny These days we can look around in stores and guess which holidays are coming up and address our holiday decorations accordingly. If we see a turkey we know it's for Thanksgiving. If we see Santa Claus we can assume it's to reference Christmas. But in the spring time we see the bunny on merchandise, as to reference the Easter Bunny. But without going into all the theological questions why the name Easter or why the symbol of the bunny was chosen in the first place. First let's look to the Holy Bible for proof that the lamb deserves the spotlight over any bunny. The Christian holiday of Easter celebrates the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ after being crucified and dying. Jesus' death is honored on Good Friday and 3 days later we honor his resurrection from the dead thru Holy Spirit on Resurrection Sunday also known as Easter. "Easter, also known as Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.1 The word "Passover" comes from the Hebrew "Pesach," which means "to pass over. Easter is largely about Passover, and its historical setting is Jerusalem at Passover.3 The Last Supper could well have been an embryonic seder, and Jesus is fated to become the paschal lamb." There are many biblical references to lambs in the Holy Bible especially those that reference Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. We know Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world and the Holy Bible tells us in Mark 14:12 at the Last Supper "On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” and in John 1:29 how the Apostle John first referred to him "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" and John 1:36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” another reference of Jesus being the lamb is found in 1 Peter 1:19 "but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. " We also know that scripture tells us how God tested Abraham in the binding of his son Issac from Genesis 22: 6-12 & 15-17 “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” And because of Abraham's obedience God rewarded him by saving Issac as well as his descendants. "15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore..." You can read the Full story here "Easter customs
What and when is Easter?
Celebrations of Easter have been documented as early as the 2nd century"...
"Easter, like Christmas, has accumulated a great many traditions, some of which have little to do with the Christian celebration of the Resurrection but derive from folk customs. The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the appellation used for Jesus in Scripture (“behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world,” John 1:29) and the lamb’s role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel. In antiquity Christians placed lamb meat under the altar, had it blessed, and then ate it on Easter. Since the 12th century the Lenten fast has ended on Easter with meals including eggs, ham, cheeses, bread, and sweets that have been blessed for the occasion.
The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The church prohibited the eating of eggs during Holy Week, but chickens continued to lay eggs during that week, and the notion of specially identifying those as “Holy Week” eggs brought about their decoration. The egg itself became a symbol of the Resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the tomb, the egg symbolizes new life emerging from the eggshell. In the Orthodox tradition eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross.
Easter egg hunts are popular among children in the United States. First lady Lucy Hayes, the wife of Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes, is often credited with sponsoring the first annual Easter egg roll (an event where children and their parents were invited to roll their eggs on the Monday following Easter) on the White House lawn, in 1878. That year the event was moved to the White House from the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Building, where large numbers of children had gathered beginning in the early 1870s to roll their eggs and play on Easter Monday. Members of Congress were dismayed by the large crowds on Capitol Hill and feared that the foot traffic was damaging the grounds. By 1876 Congress and Pres. Ulysses S. Grant passed a law that forbade the practice of egg rolling on Capitol Hill. Some historical records note that the Hayes first opened the White House lawn to egg rolling festivities the following year, in 1877, after a young boy asked President Hayes directly for permission to use the space.
The custom of associating a rabbit or bunny with Easter arose in Protestant areas in Europe in the 17th century but did not become common until the 19th century. The Easter rabbit is said to lay the eggs as well as decorate and hide them. In the United States the Easter rabbit also leaves children baskets with toys and candies on Easter morning. In a way, this was a manifestation of the Protestant rejection of Catholic Easter customs. In some European countries, however, other animals—in Switzerland the cuckoo, in Westphalia the fox—brought the Easter eggs."
Many European traditions celebrate Easter with home made cakes shaped like lambs appropriately called Lamb cakes. Which one might debate is the ideal animal for remembering Jesus and perhaps introducing children to the true meaning of Easter. Celebrating in the home not only thru reading child appropriate aged biblical scripture but also thru special treats and fun colored Easter Baskets.
Note-Photo is not wearing the traditional Chi Rho banner but a purple ribbon for royalty.
"Lamb cakes originated in Germany, where the Osterlamm Kuchen is baked in a two-piece metal pan, sprinkled with powdered sugar and decorated with a red ribbon around the neck."A red banner showing the Chi Rho (a Christian symbol that uses the first two letters of the Greek spelling of Christ) is inserted in traditional versions. Immigrants from Germany brought the shaped baking pans and tradition with them when they arrived in America, where it has been adapted by other cultures to symbolize Jesus Christ as the sacrificial lamb. "
"Monogram of Christ, Museo Pio Cristiano, Vatican, undated. Notice the Alpha and Omega symbols as part of the Chi-Rho monogram " from the greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos) " The Chi-Rho is often shown with the Greek letters Alpha (A) and Omega (lower case ώ or upper case Ω), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Jesus refers to himself: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:13)."
"Locally, there is usually at least one lamb cake displayed during the annual St. Joseph’s Table celebration (March 18) at area Catholic churches. In America, powdered sugar is usually replaced with swirls of white frosting or an additional coating of flaked coconut. The eyes and nose might be raisins, with a slice of maraschino cherry for the mouth, or different colors of jelly beans, and placed on a bed of Easter grass.
In other European cultures, especially in Poland, Slovenia, and Russia, the Easter table decoration is crafted from butter, then decorated with the traditional red ribbon and Chi Rho banner, with peppercorn eyes.
Butter lambs can be crafted at home using either a lamb-shaped mold, or free-formed by cutting sticks of butter and swirling softened butter to create a lamb-shaped dish of butter.
Polish markets in eastern states carry a wide array of ready-made butter lambs that are offered in sizes from 2 ounces to one pound, and its popularity can be followed on Twitter #ButterLamb."
Find out how to make your own lamb cake here from Wilton or you can visit NordicWare There are also some beautiful candies with reminders of the true meaning of Resurrection Sunday aka Easter for at ScriptureCandy.com which you may find perfect for your Easter baskets.
Whichever custom you choose to honor our Heavenly Father, thank him for our Lord and Savior's sacrifice, remember to say thank you to all three ( The Father , Son and Holy Spirit) for Good Friday as well as Jesus' resurrection.
Happy Resurrection Sunday / Easter!
Excerpts from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday and courtesy of NorthEastNews.net Dorri Partain from https://northeastnews.net/pages/remember-this-lamb-cakes/ as well as https://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/chi-rho.htm and https://search.brave.com/search?q=easter+pesach&source=web https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22&version=NIV More information at https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday https://www.whyeaster.com/customs/about-easter Photo of lamb cake courtesy of Wilton from https://youtu.be/uq-HdB99hoM?si=38w5zek08rTJ1FZU Photo of Chi Rho from https://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/chi-rho.htm
