Why is Lamb Associated with Easter?
The lamb is unquestionably the most important of the Easter emblems. Jesus is often shown as a lamb because of its purity and kindness, but also because of its symbolism of sacrifice.
When the “angel of death” passed over the homes of people who had smeared blood from sacrificial lambs on their doorposts, they were spared the loss of their firstborn sons.
In the midst of Passover, Jesus was crucified and subsequently gave up his life. In the Bible, he is referred to as both “God’s Lamb” and “our Passover lamb.
Easter is a day to remember Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Benedictine monks in Bobbio, Italy, kept a sacramentary (ritual book) dating back to the 7th century that contains the earliest prayer for the blessing of lambs
Is Lamb A Traditional Easter Meal?
Since long before Jesus was even born and crucified, the Easter Sunday feast has always included roast lamb.
The roast lamb dish has its origins in ancient Passover celebrations that took place before Christianity came into being.
Legs of lamb cooked for Easter are popular in Mediterranean nations like Italy and Greece. Roasted lamb shanks are an integral feature of the Passover Seder meal.
Roast lamb became the centrepiece of the Pope’s Easter meal for many generations when Rome adopted it two hundred years later.
