Easter Sunday is celebrated around the world in March or April. It is considered a Christian holiday, but it is also celebrated by non-religious families.
How do you celebrate Easter?
In the springtime, shops in many parts of the world are filled with chocolate rabbits and egg-shaped candies. Children hunt for eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny.
These customs can be traced to ancient religious rites that welcomed back the sun-god after the long winter.
The rabbit or hare was associated with the moon - and the dates of the feast were determined by the phase of the moon. Ancient myths concerning eggs and the gifting of colored eggs are common in many cultures.
As is the case with many celebrations, the traditions of other religions were adopted and adapted by the Christian Church beginning in the second and third centuries A.D.
Ancient festivals to returning sun-gods were altered to celebrate the death and resurrection, or coming back to life of Jesus.
Today, these Easter traditions are central to the beliefs of many Christian denominations.
Where did the name Easter come from?
According to English historian Venerable Bede, the name was based on the "Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre, whose festival was celebrated" at the same time of year as the resurrection of the Christ.
Her symbols were the rabbit and the egg.
This collection of easy holiday drawing guides includes images of both the rabbit and egg traditions and those related to the Virgin Mary, the Messiah, and church-going.
Which symbols will take prominence at your festivities?
15 Easter Drawing Ideas
How to Draw the Virgin Mary
Mary was the mother of Jesus. When he was put to death, she was there. And later, after his resurrection, she was anointed with the holy spirit along with other Christian followers of Jesus.
How to Draw an Easter Bunny
Rabbits and eggs were symbols of the European fertility goddess, Eostre, for whom Easter is named. Today, legends say that the Easter Bunny lays colorful eggs filled with candy and treats for good children to find.
How to Draw a Cross with Wings
The cross, once a symbol of ancient religions, is today used to represent Jesus and Christianity. The angel wings are symbolic of Jesus' resurrection to heaven.
How to Draw a Rosary
The rosary is a string of beads used in the Roman Catholic Church for counting and saying prayers. During the Easter season, special prayers called Glorious Mysteries are recited.
How to Draw Jesus
Though no one knows exactly what Jesus looked like - cameras had not yet been invented when he walked the earth - he is often depicted as wearing robes and with a halo of light around his head in Medieval European art.
How to Draw an Easter Chick
Eggs are closely associated with Easter, and chicks hatch from eggs. Like the bunny, chickens have many babies in the springtime. Some children even receive real baby chicks as gifts!
How to Draw an Easter Egg Tree
Some very old traditions involve hanging colored eggs from a tree or a decorated pole called a Maypole.
How to Draw a Cross
This drawing tutorial is in the style of a stained-glass window, as can be found in many churches and cathedrals. You can learn to draw the rest of the church building below.
How to Draw Hot Cross Buns
Sweet pastries like these hot crossed buns are traditionally eaten during the Easter season.
How to Draw Easter Eggs
For millennia, people have decorated and gifted colored eggs in the springtime. Many believed that these traditions led to fertile crops or good luck in the year to come.
How to Draw an Easter Basket
Children use Easter baskets to collect the colored eggs and other goodies found during an Easter egg hunt. Each year, an Easter Egg Roll is held at the White House in the United States. Children bring their own eggs in a basket.
How to Draw Jesus on the Cross
Much medieval artwork and even modern necklaces depict Jesus as dying upon a cross. Sometimes, he is drawn on a single pole with his hands above his head - a common method of execution in ancient Rome.
How to Draw a Church
Many people attend church on Easter Sunday. Some go to sunrise services before dawn. Christmas and Easter are the days on which churches are the most full of worshippers.
How to Draw a Lily
White lilies representing purity are frequent Easter gifts and decorations. Interestingly, most lilies bloom in the summer, not the spring - Easter lilies must be of an early-blooming variety or induced to bloom early in a greenhouse.
