Three Christ Centered Easter Traditions

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Last updated on February 24th, 2026 at 03:15 pm

When I was a child, Easter was exciting for all the reasons most children love it — egg hunts in the yard, baskets filled with candy, pastel dresses, and sweet treats. We knew it was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ… but if I’m honest, that wasn’t the main focus. Bunnies and sugar seemed to take center stage.

Now that I’m older and married, something in my heart has shifted.

Christmas is beautiful. Christ’s birth is sacred. But Easter… Easter is everything. The Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most significant events for our eternal salvation. (Sorry, Santa.)

Over the years, our little family has created three Christ-centered Easter traditions that help us slow down, gather together, and truly focus on what this season means.

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Easter Egg Tradition

Eggs are a beautiful symbol of new life — and Easter is all about new life through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is about change. Renewal. Leaving our old ways behind and choosing Him.

One of our favorite traditions is what we call the Empty Egg.

We still do an Easter egg hunt. We still tuck candy and coins into colorful plastic eggs. But hidden among them are twelve special eggs — each containing a symbol from Christ’s final week.

1. Leaves or palm fronds to represent Christ’s triumphant entry.
2. A piece of bread to symbolize the Last Supper.
3. Three dimes to represent the 30 pieces of silver.
4. Flowers to signify the Garden of Gethsemane.
5. A piece of rope to symbolize Christ being bound and arrested.
6. A plant with thorns to represent the crown of thorns.
7. Nails to represent the nails that pierced His hands.
8. A piece of cloth representing the cloth that wrapped Christ.
9. A stone to symbolize the stone rolled over His tomb.
10. A ring, feather, or figurine of an angel to represent the angel that removed the stone from the tomb.
11. A piece of soap represents how Christ, through His atonement, has allowed us to wash away our sins.
12. An empty egg to represent the empty tomb.

After the hunt, we gather together and retell the story of Christ’s final week using the items inside each egg. Even with only one child right now, it feels sacred. In our home, whoever finds the empty egg gets to light the candle that evening — a small but meaningful reminder of the empty tomb.

That empty egg always feels different in our hands.

Candle Tradition

The second tradition comes from our Swedish heritage.

At Christmas, we light candles each Sunday leading up to the celebration. We’ve carried that rhythm into Easter. Four candles are lit on the Sundays leading up to Resurrection Sunday, and the final candle is lit on Easter.

Each candle represents something we must bring to Christ:

• A broken heart
• A contrite spirit
• Faith
• Charity

In Psalm 51:17, David wrote,
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart.”

Because of Christ’s Atonement, we no longer bring animal sacrifices. Instead, we bring our hearts.

A broken heart means humbling ourselves — acknowledging where we fall short and turning to Him in repentance.
A contrite spirit means submitting our will to His.
Faith is trusting Him completely.
Charity is living as His hands and feet.

Each week, as we light a candle, it becomes a quiet prayer in our home. A reminder that Easter is not only about what Christ did for us — but what we choose to give Him in return.

There is something powerful about candlelight in the evening. Soft. Still. Reverent.

Easter Feast Tradition

Our final tradition centers around our Easter meal.

We bake Challah bread — something we originally added to our Christmas table but have now lovingly woven into Easter. The braided top, with its twelve sections, reminds us of the twelve tribes of Israel and God’s covenant people.

We serve lamb, representing Christ as the Lamb of God.

On the table sit our candles — symbols of the hearts we bring before Him. And in the center is a small stone tomb, lovingly made by my father. It has become part of our family story.

It is simple.

Bread. Lamb. Candlelight. Stone.

And gratitude.

Happy Easter

We hope these three Christ centered Easter traditions enrich your Easter season with a deeper connection to Christ. We know they have for us! Easter is such a special time and one of the most profound times in history. A time that allows us to be forgiven, to grow and to return to our Heavenly Father. May these traditions bring you and your family closer to Jesus Christ and help you understand the Atonement a little more.

For more Christ centered traditions please check out these post. Hearts of Service & Christ Centered Christmas

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