Blog

Happy Easter from Inspector Pumphead and Pump Products! If you celebrate the religious holiday, it is perhaps the most important day in the Christian calendar. Even if you don’t, you can still enjoy candy and egg-hunting. 

History

Easter is meant to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion by the Romans. The resurrection served to mark Christ’s divinity and proof that He was the Son of God. It is thus a foundational day to the Christian faith.

Easter is one of the “moveable feasts” in that is not celebrated on a fixed date. It is always celebrated on the Sunday closest to the vernal equinox – usually mid-to-late April, but sometimes as early as late March. Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion itself, is always on the Friday before Easter.

Today Easter is still intrinsically tied to its Christian meaning, and has not been commercialized to the extent that say, Christmas has. Like Christmas, church attendance tends to boom on Easter, as even lapsed and casual Christians come to celebrate the holy day.

Still, what’s the deal with the rabbits and the eggs?

Modern Traditions

Today, Easter is probably best represented in the secular popular culture by the Easter Bunny (or Easter Rabbit should you prefer). The exact origins of the folkloric bunny are not entirely clear; one legend stated that the rabbit was the patron animal of a springtime pagan holiday and was eventually adopted by Christians, although this theory has widely been discredited. What is known is that the rabbit or hare became a symbol of fertility in medieval Europe.

German Lutherans eventually adopted the rabbit as a character that would judge how children behaved during the Lenten period. Much like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny’s longevity has been fuelled by its interaction with childhood fantasy.

The popularity of the eggs stems from the fact that it was popular, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church, to abstain from eating eggs during the Lenten period. Thus, when people were allowed to once again eat eggs at Easter, it became a celebratory act, with many decorating and coloring the eggs. Thus, the popularity of colored eggs and Easter egg hunts.

Bonus

Please enjoy these photo galleries of terrifying Easter Bunnies:

The Creepiest Easter Bunny Photos Ever Taken | Someecards.com

19 Vintage Easter Bunny Photos That Will Make Your Skin Crawl | Buzzfeed

Pump Products application engineers are standing by to provide technical assistance, price quotes or to answer any questions you may have regarding pumps. Call our toll free number 1-800-429-0800.