The History behind the Easter Basket

Posted on : March 19th, 2024

The time-old tradition of Easter Baskets

Have you ever wondered where the tradition of giving those beautifully fun-filled Easter baskets came from? It turns out the answer holds both the basket itself and the stuffers holds beautiful symbolism. Dating back to ancient cultures the tradition is said to have come from t

he European Folklores, the Greeks, and the Catholics.

The Basket

Easter was celebrated not only for the rising of Jesus but also as a celebratory time of the spring equinox which for farmers marked the highly anticipated time from the cold. sterile dark days of winter to the sunny warm growing season of spring. This was a 

time of much prayer for a bountiful harvest that would provide food and their livelihood, (some things don’t change; us and local farmers still do the same). This Time of prayer also included the Anglo-Saxon some, who represented and fertility, Eostre.

According to a manuscript written by an English monk and scholar, Venerable Bede, from the eighth century manuscript, The Reckoning of Time, many people held feasts in honor of Eostre. She was imagined to be cradling a woven basket in her arms. This is one story of the origin of Easter Baskets.

The Stuffers

 

Now comes the best part of Easter Baskets, the stuffers! The chocolate bunnies, eggs, fun toys, and Maisie Jane’s candies and chocolate nuts bring sparkle to the recipient’s eyes and satisfy the taste buds.

All these wonderful treats symbolize fertility. So the European folklore goes, that a rabbit was said to leave a basket filled with colored eggs and treats for children. Eggs have historically been a common symbol of new life, which brings in the rising of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

The Tradition of Gifting Baskets

The Catholics hold the title for bringing forth the tradition of exchanging baskets. At the end of the 40 days of fasting during Lent before Easter, the Catholics would celebrate. They filled up their baskets of delicious goods and brought them to the church to be blessed by their priest. They would then share the bounties of their baskets as part of their Easter celebrations.

Our Maisie Jane’s family is honored and takes great pride in sharing our hand-crafted gift baskets with you, keeping the time-old traditions of so many alive in today’s modern world.

We take pride in helping you give a special gift basket that has so much more meaning than we sometimes think! We hope you enjoy this joyous Easter season filled with bounty, fertility, love, hope, and new life.