Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The annual Easter Egg Hunt for the whole community is set to happen on Saturday, March 28. The free event begins at 10:30 a.m. and this year takes place at the Family Ministry Center of the Monticello Methodist Church, located at 325 W. Walnut St. The fun lasts until noon, rain or shine, and includes not only an egg hunt but also arts, crafts, face painting, games, music, food and more.
“Bring your basket for the egg hunt and your enthusiasm for crafts and games,” said a church spokesperson. “See you there!”
Modern-day traditions of an Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts can be traced back for centuries. Some sources indicate that Martin Luther, a Protestant reformer in the 16th century, organized the first egg hunt for his congregation in Germany. The men were said to have hidden the eggs for the women and children to find, just as women were the ones to find the empty tomb in the Bible's resurrection story.
Over time, the egg itself became symbolic. Just as Jesus rose from the tomb, the egg represented new life emerging from the eggshell. In the Orthodox tradition, eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. The egg-coloring tradition has continued and expanded into modern secular as well as religious celebrations around Easter time.