by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: March 22, 2010   Last Updated: March 30, 2010

Although the basket has come to be regarded as a symbol of Easter, it is also a symbol of spring. The meaning or symbolism of the Easter basket extends far beyond a simple array of goodies and treats that fill a basket. Since spring is the traditional symbol for new life, rebirth and renewal, the basket has taken on the symbolism of spring as well.

Whether the meaning is related to the renewal and rebirth of spring, or the celebration of the end of Lent, the significance of the Easter basket is so significant that it has endured throughout many hundreds of years of history. As the Christian church began to evolve, Christian customs began to replace the old Pagan customs. Consequently, Pagan customs were blended with Christian tradition, or they disappeared altogether.

*Historical significance of baskets in spring -

Historically, it was customary to take baskets that were filled with early seedlings to Eostre (or Oestre,) the fertility goddess, to improve chances for a good harvest. According to some legends, Eostre, the fertility goddess also carried a basket of eggs.

The Easter basket symbolizes new life, rebirth and renewal. The ritual of the Easter basket proper comes from German folklore about the Easter hare. According to the German legend, a white hare would leave Easter baskets that were filled with candies, brightly colored eggs and other goodies. On Easter morning, the kids would come to find their baskets and devour their goodies.

*Christian theory on the origin of the Easter basket -

There is another theory about Easter baskets that suggests that they developed out of Christian lent observances which required abstinence from meat, eggs and dairy products. There is also another Christian custom that is related to this, and that is the tradition of having a large Easter dinner to break the Lenten fast.

It is thought that in ancient times, it was customary for church goers to bring a basket filled with foods that were to be eaten at the Easter dinner later that day, to church so that the contents of the baskets could be blessed by the clergy. This is thought to be the connection to the Easter basket of today.

Once people returned home, emptied the baskets of their contents and ate their Easter meal, children would appropriate the empty baskets and take them with them when they went to hunt eggs. It is believed that the idea of filling an Easter basket with goodies may have originated from this practice of filling the basket with brightly colored Easter

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