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Stories Behind the Traditions and Songs of Easter
Stories Behind the Traditions and Songs of Easter reveals the real inspiration behind the customs, symbols, and special music of Easter. Through his gift as a storyteller, award-winning author Ace Collins brings new meaning and depth to the celebration of Easter.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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56 people want to read
About the author
Ace Collins
118 books219 followersCiting his Arkansas heritage, Christy Award winner Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. In that capacity, Collins has authored more than eighty books for 25 different publishers that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children’s works as well as books on history, culture and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a television special, been featured on every network morning TV show and does college basketball play-by-play. He is married to Kathy Collins, Chair of the Education Department at Ouachita Baptist University, and the couple has two grown sons. Collins lives in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 9, 2023
I FINALLY KNOW WHY THE EASTER BUNNY LAYS EGGS. I feel so content right now.
April 5, 2017
I enjoyed reading the stories behind some of my favorite hymns. I had to chuckle at the idea of how 'shocking' some of them were when they were new and were too modern for the churches of their day. Having grown up in a church where anything resembling contemporary Christian music was bad, it was funny to me that these staples were also once thought of the same way. The stories were a nice way to focus on the true meaning of Easter and know more about the men and women who wrote the songs we sing.
May 13, 2020
3.5
There's a lot I don't know about the backgrounds of common Easter hymns and even traditions.
I suspect the author wanted this to be a book about the songs of Easter (based on other books he wrote) but there weren't enough for a full book so he added traditions. I didn't know how many hymns had different writers for the song and the lyrics—some separated by decades and never met!
Recommended to those who love some historical background with few enough details that it feels dry at times.
There's a lot I don't know about the backgrounds of common Easter hymns and even traditions.
I suspect the author wanted this to be a book about the songs of Easter (based on other books he wrote) but there weren't enough for a full book so he added traditions. I didn't know how many hymns had different writers for the song and the lyrics—some separated by decades and never met!
Recommended to those who love some historical background with few enough details that it feels dry at times.
April 6, 2012
Definitely a nice litte read to prepare my heart for Easter.
March 24, 2016
What a wonderful book to read right before Easter. I have always enjoyed learning the roots of hymns, and the added chapters on Easter traditions made it even more special.
August 16, 2024
THE POPULAR CHRISTIAN "HOLIDAYS" AUTHOR LOOKS AT EASTER
Ace Collins continues his marvelous series of popular Christian holiday "background" books with this 2007 book; he has also written 'Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas,' 'Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas,' 'More Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, 'S'tories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas,' etc.
He said in the Introduction, "Because Easter moves each year, commercial connections cannot be as easily cemented as they can at Christmas. Therefore there is no specific Easter shopping period, no annual countdown of the days until Easter Sunday, and no real anchor that gives businesses the wedge they need to fully exploit this initially solemn but ultimately joyful occasion. Hence, even though its name is likely based on a long-forgotten pagan goddess, this oldest Christian holiday is also probably the purest and most spiritual. Each year Easter welcomes spring, new life, and new hope... On Easter, we remember what the world was given when the first believers rolled back the stone and discovered that Christ lives!" (Pg. 16)
He notes, "As these early pioneers of the Great Commission converted members of the Teutonic tribes, they were confronted by long-held traditions that were opposed to the values of the Christian faith... The missionaries knew that if they forbade all established celebrations, they might face a revolt that would cripple their ministry... Knowing they would be unable to stop the actual pagan spring custom, the missionaries simply converted the holiday as they converted the men and women. Thus, the celebration of Eostre became Easter, and the new life celebrated was no longer a gift of pagan gods but rather a natural transformation to the rebirth guaranteed to Christians..." (Pg. 13)
He observes, "There is no date designated for the beginning of the observance of what is now known as Lent. Nevertheless, references in several different historical texts reveal that this tradition... goes back to at least the second century... Irenaeus seems to verify this early beginning for Lent in a letter to Pope Victor I in the late second century... This report clearly suggests the observance of Easter was long established by the year 200, and an early form of Lent was also already being practiced." (Pg. 35)
He admits, "the custom of dressing up for Easter comes from pagan celebrations... Tradition had it that new clothes were to be worn at these celebrations as a way of welcoming the hope and new life that came with warmer days. When people from these cultures became Christians, missionaries gave them a new reason to dress up during the spring. This time of ... wearing new clothing during the Easter weekend was a way of displaying one's new faith." (Pg. 136)
Later, he records, "It was only natural that the egg would be one of the first symbols of pagan culture that found its way into the Christian celebration of the resurrection... Long before Christians latched onto the egg as a symbol of Easter, their tribes had been participating in egg hunts... they often took brightly colored eggs home to give to children as presents... their children would participate in a group hunt with other children looking for eggs... These hunts continued as the various European tribes converted to Christianity, but in many places, the game became a teaching tool." (Pg. 154)
He states, "The advent of ... eggs as an Easter icon can be traced to Christian roots and beliefs. The Easter bunny is a different animal altogether. No connection exists ... [with] any element of the Christian faith... Oestre, a pagan goddess from which the name Easter might have been derived, played an important part in spring celebrations... there probably would have been no Easter bunny if not for the large numbers of rabbits that populated so much of Europe." (Pg. 170-171) He adds, "So while it is true that this furry symbol has no links to the events of the first Easter, he ... has taken the holiday to a host of new non-Christian people. Once they share Easter with this rabbit, maybe they will dig deeper and discover the real reason for the season." (Pg. 173)
This book---like all of Collins' books about Christmas---lacks footnotes with sources or even a Bibliography, so it won't work as a "scholarly" resource; but for a popular-level presentation, it can hardly be beat.
Ace Collins continues his marvelous series of popular Christian holiday "background" books with this 2007 book; he has also written 'Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas,' 'Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas,' 'More Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, 'S'tories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas,' etc.
He said in the Introduction, "Because Easter moves each year, commercial connections cannot be as easily cemented as they can at Christmas. Therefore there is no specific Easter shopping period, no annual countdown of the days until Easter Sunday, and no real anchor that gives businesses the wedge they need to fully exploit this initially solemn but ultimately joyful occasion. Hence, even though its name is likely based on a long-forgotten pagan goddess, this oldest Christian holiday is also probably the purest and most spiritual. Each year Easter welcomes spring, new life, and new hope... On Easter, we remember what the world was given when the first believers rolled back the stone and discovered that Christ lives!" (Pg. 16)
He notes, "As these early pioneers of the Great Commission converted members of the Teutonic tribes, they were confronted by long-held traditions that were opposed to the values of the Christian faith... The missionaries knew that if they forbade all established celebrations, they might face a revolt that would cripple their ministry... Knowing they would be unable to stop the actual pagan spring custom, the missionaries simply converted the holiday as they converted the men and women. Thus, the celebration of Eostre became Easter, and the new life celebrated was no longer a gift of pagan gods but rather a natural transformation to the rebirth guaranteed to Christians..." (Pg. 13)
He observes, "There is no date designated for the beginning of the observance of what is now known as Lent. Nevertheless, references in several different historical texts reveal that this tradition... goes back to at least the second century... Irenaeus seems to verify this early beginning for Lent in a letter to Pope Victor I in the late second century... This report clearly suggests the observance of Easter was long established by the year 200, and an early form of Lent was also already being practiced." (Pg. 35)
He admits, "the custom of dressing up for Easter comes from pagan celebrations... Tradition had it that new clothes were to be worn at these celebrations as a way of welcoming the hope and new life that came with warmer days. When people from these cultures became Christians, missionaries gave them a new reason to dress up during the spring. This time of ... wearing new clothing during the Easter weekend was a way of displaying one's new faith." (Pg. 136)
Later, he records, "It was only natural that the egg would be one of the first symbols of pagan culture that found its way into the Christian celebration of the resurrection... Long before Christians latched onto the egg as a symbol of Easter, their tribes had been participating in egg hunts... they often took brightly colored eggs home to give to children as presents... their children would participate in a group hunt with other children looking for eggs... These hunts continued as the various European tribes converted to Christianity, but in many places, the game became a teaching tool." (Pg. 154)
He states, "The advent of ... eggs as an Easter icon can be traced to Christian roots and beliefs. The Easter bunny is a different animal altogether. No connection exists ... [with] any element of the Christian faith... Oestre, a pagan goddess from which the name Easter might have been derived, played an important part in spring celebrations... there probably would have been no Easter bunny if not for the large numbers of rabbits that populated so much of Europe." (Pg. 170-171) He adds, "So while it is true that this furry symbol has no links to the events of the first Easter, he ... has taken the holiday to a host of new non-Christian people. Once they share Easter with this rabbit, maybe they will dig deeper and discover the real reason for the season." (Pg. 173)
This book---like all of Collins' books about Christmas---lacks footnotes with sources or even a Bibliography, so it won't work as a "scholarly" resource; but for a popular-level presentation, it can hardly be beat.
April 11, 2020
If you want to know all about the origin of Easter and its hymns, read this book. There are others that are not from a Christian perspective, but this one is, and that is refreshing. I learned a lot and enjoyed it in the process. Very well done!
April 20, 2021
Enjoyed it!
June 17, 2021
This was a disappointment from his other books because there just aren't tons of Easter Hymns for him to write about. I suppose it had what I was looking for but not my favorite.
May 31, 2011
While the stories behind some of the hymns were quite interesting, after awhile most of them seemed to be fairly unremarkable. Most of the stories behind the traditions were quite interesting, but the lack of bibliography brings their authenticity into question. Obviously this book should not be mistaken for an in-depth study of the origins of popular Easter traditions, but rather a collection of unreferenced stories. This volume is probably best suited as a fluffy coffee table book to display during the Easter season, since it’s probably about as substantial as a Cadbury crème egg.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews