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Most Popular Symbols it is just a bank holiday and it has no religious meaning. Since many centuries, in addition to the religious Easter traditions people celebrate the festive Easter season by organizing family gatherings, giving presents, sending greeting cards and much more. Easter, both religious and popular has its symbols. Here are a few ones: The Easter Bells In some European countries, Easter bells have a great symbolic aspect. In the ancient times, the bells of our churches were ringing every day of the year to invite people to attend the mass, to celebrate a royal wedding, the birth of a prince, or for any other public event. On Maundy Thursday, all the bells will stop ringing: they leave our countries for Rome where the Holy See is located and they will be blessed by the pope. Since Jesus died on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter Sunday these days of silence are a symbol of mourning and recollection. Therefore, the bells will ring again on Easter Sunday, returning from Rome where they brought Easter eggs that they will drop in our gardens. Besides Jesus' resurrection, Easter bells also symbolize the rebirth of the Spring. The Easter Eggs The use of eggs in celebration existed long before our modern day observance. Indeed, in Egypt and ancient Persia, people were used to dye eggs with the colors of the spring and gave them to their relatives. Eggs were considered as symbols of rebirth. Centuries ago, Christians gathered on the public places and were looking for eggs: after the privations of Lent, Christians appreciated to eat those eggs. It was the forerunner of our Easter egg hunt. Another custom was that, at the end of the Easter Mass, our kings distributed eggs (usually made in a luxurious material, painted,


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