The Resurrection, Easter egg hunts, the Easter Bunny, and the color white.

These are the four things that come to mind when the term "Easter" comes up in conversation.

There's the story we all learned from Sunday school: Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha visited Jesus' grave, only to find the large stone rolled away and an empty tomb. Christ had risen from the dead after only three days.

Then, there are the traditions with which the general public is familiar: Easter egg hunts, baskets, chocolate, and the color white. Like most holidays, it's easy to overlook the purpose behind the celebration.

So, what are we really celebrating?

Here is the history behind the holiday we call Easter:

1. Easter was originally a pagan goddess.

Yes, you read that right.

Just like Christmas, in an attempt to Christianize a pagan holiday, Christians created "Easter" from a goddess. Eostre was the Anglo-Saxon goddess of Spring, fertility, dawn, and rebirth. In Germany, she was known as Ostara.

Her name comes from the word "dawn," and means "shining light arising from the East." The goddess was known for the celebration of new life. She brought in the Spring, the birth of children (animal and human) and flowers alike.

Do these themes sound familiar? They're practically parallel with Jesus and the Resurrection. The Resurrection represents rebirth and new life. The Christian holiday is literally a celebration of rebirth.

2. The Easter bunny represents fertility.

The goddess was known to have a hare as her companion in her Spring celebration. The bunny and the egg are both recorded as being part of the festival.

In fact, the egg was seen as a symbol of new life in several Spring festivals. The chicks were representative of new growth. The seasonal celebrations featured colorful eggs and hares to show appreciation for the goddess.

3. Eggs were a forbidden food.

For Christians, the egg represents Jesus coming out of the tomb and his resurrection. There are many stories about how the holiday traditions came about; the decorating of the eggs is dated back to approximately the 13th century, although the celebrations themselves date back much further.

One legend says that people weren't allowed to eat eggs during Lent, so after the period of penance was over, they would decorate and eat the eggs. Eventually, this evolved into the commonly known tradition of decorating eggs and hiding them for hunts.

4. The Germans brought the Easter tradition to America.

Another source says that we have the German immigrants to thank for our Americanized holiday.

This account says that the immigrants brought the Easter bunny to America in the 1700s when they landed in Pennsylvania. They shared their tradition (Osterhase/Oschter Haws) of an egg-laying bunny. Children would build nests for these rabbits, who would then lay colorful eggs. This legend quickly spread across America and eventually, the Easter bunny was known to delivery baskets (or nests) of colorful eggs filled with chocolate at the doors of good children on Easter morning.

5. The Lamb represents sacrifice.

The lamb is the most Christian of all the symbols. These animals may have been born in Spring-time, but they have no actual ties to Pagan festivities. The animal is most closely associated with the Jewish Passover, where each family was expected to sacrifice a lamb. In Christianity, Jesus is known as the Lamb of God because he sacrificed his life to wipe out the sin of man.

6. The color white is actually a new beginning.

Throughout the Bible and Christianity, the color white represents purity. It's symbolism partly derives from the scripture verse, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). The wool also goes back to the innocence and purity of the Lamb. People wear white on Easter because it symbolizes a clean slate.

Easter is more than the commercialized delivery bunny with whom we grew up; it's rich with history and symbolism. So, as you start your Sunday with an egg hunt full of colorful eggs full of goodies, keep in mind the fascinating roots of the holiday you're celebrating!