This year’s Easter falls on April 20. For Christians, Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion. For others living in countries where Good Friday is a public holiday, Easter marks the last day of a 3-day weekend. To celebrate Easter for all, RWScoop brings you four fun trivia about Easter that might or might not be related to the holiday.
Easter was originally a pagan celebration
Easter was a pagan festival celebrating the spring equinox. The name Easter is believed to derive from Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility, spring and dawn. Many pagan symbols are used in Easter celebration today. For example, the rabbit was a pagan symbol of fertility and companion of the goddess Ostar while eggs symbolise rebirth and fertility.
Easter Bunny has the same job as Santa Claus
According to German Lutheran legend, the Easter Hare judges if children are naughty or nice and leave them presents on Easter eve. Instead of hanging socks to collect presents, children would build “nests” so the Easter bunny can leave them presents on the night before Easter. Just like leaving cookies and milk for Santa Claus, children would leave carrots out for the Easter Bunny in case it gets hungry.
There is an island named after Easter
Image credit: ”Easter Island Moai” by Ndecam is licensed under CC BY 2.0. The famous Easter Island was named after the festival. Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen gave the island its name after discovering the island on Easter Sunday back in 1722. Easter island is home to large stone statues called moai, each averaging 4 metres tall and 14 tons. The statues were carved by Rapa Nui people from between years 1250 and 1500. However, since there is no written history and little oral history on the island, scholars are unable to know exactly why the statues were erected.
There are easter eggs that aren’t edible
In popular media such as video games and television, Easter eggs refer to surprises hidden by producers for users to discover. For example, the Snake Game on Youtube was originally an Easter egg for users who are nostalgic for the cellphone game.
Another popular Easter egg is the “hidden Mickey” found in various Disney films. The hidden Mickey is usually two smaller circles near a larger circle, forming the silhouette of the famous mouse. Here’s a list of a few hidden Mickeys.
If you’re interested in reading more about Easter eggs, check out Cracked.com’s list of 7 Easter eggs hidden in movies and TV shows.
Planning to celebrate the Good Friday-Easter long weekend? Check out the activities and promotions happening at Resorts World Sentosa only during the Easter period.
