by Sandra Merville Hart

Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter every spring. Though it’s always on Sunday, the date varies. The actual date depends upon when the full moon following the vernal equinox appears. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after that full moon.

The Easter Lily is a popular flower because it symbolizes life after death. Lilies grow from a bulb buried in the ground and bloom in spring. Large white blooms symbolize purity because Jesus never sinned. The trumpet-shaped flowers resound with the good news of the risen Savior.

Easter was a fun celebration for Victorians. They gathered for traditional meals. They sent Easter greeting cards containing Bible verses and decorated with crosses. Drawings of bunnies in Easter greetings first appeared in the late 1700s when a publisher added one to writing stationery.

Children loved the holiday back in the Victorian era just as they do today. They enjoyed Easter egg hunts and egg rolling contests.

Dying the eggs was part of the celebration. Young children dyed them using a variety of fruits and vegetables. Beets and cranberries were used because of their strong colors. Peels from oranges and lemons provided dyes. Though blueberries and blackberries weren’t specifically mentioned in my sources, these were probably used as well. Imagine the fruits and vegetables that leave stains on fingers for other ideas of dyes.

Along with the dyes, children drew crosses, churches, flowers, and bunnies on the Easter eggs.

It was a joy to include an Easter celebration in Boulevard of Confusion, Book 2 in my “Spies of the Civil War” series. Children and adults enjoyed dying Easter eggs after church services in my novel.

Sources

“Easter Traditions During the Victorian Era,” WorldHistory.us, 2021/08/13 https://worldhistory.us/european-history/easter-traditions-during-the-victorian-era.php.

“Victorian Era Easter Celebrations,” Victorian Era, 2021/08/13 http://victorian-era.org/victorian-era-easter-celebrations.html.

Wells, Mary Shannon. “Everything You Need to Know about the Easter Lily,” Southern Living, 2022/04/14 https://www.southernliving.com/holidays-occasions/easter/easter-lily-meaning.