You all know my love of researching the background of holidays. I find it fascinating how people have added to or detracted from the essential part of any celebration to make it work for them. Christmas is easy. Everybody likes a reason to give a gift, overdose on food, and attend parties.
Easter is a little more difficult in accommodating those needs, but somehow we manage.
Not that there hasn't been reasonable success in that area. We have baskets, eggs, candy, lilies, rabbits, and other goodies. None of which have much to do with the actual holiday. Oh, there is the onset of new life everywhere, which in its own way is a reminder of our dead lives being restored to life because of the resurrection of Christ. And we
have filled the holiday with all things “springy” like flowers,
baby animals, birds singing. I have no problem with any of that.
There is nothing like a baby chick or lamb to make me smile. They
are so cute and soft...what is not to love? The spring showers make
the air smell wonderful, fresh, clean. It washes off the grunge of
winter and makes everything look new once again. The sun glancing off the dew literally makes everything sparkle.
Easter, like most of
our holidays, has become corrupted over time. We now celebrate with
bunny rabbits, eggs, chicks, baskets, and such. Where did all of
that come from?
The name Easter
comes from Eostre, the goddess of fertility. No big surprise there,
with reproduction written all over everything associated with Easter. And why does our celebration period fluctuate from year to year? It
all has to do with the Hebrew calendar and the lunar cycle. In the
very beginnings of celebrating Christ’s resurrection, the Jews did
not want it associated with their celebration of Passover. And so, with some finagling, it is almost never at the same time as that
celebration.
I have attended many
Sunrise Services. Other than prying myself out of bed way before the
crack of dawn and freezing my pitotie off, I never got a big rush out
of it. But evidently we are to emulate Mary when she went to the
tomb on Sunday morning only to find it empty. It is not a bad way to
celebrate if you can keep your teeth from chattering and chilblains
from running down your body as the inevitable wind wraps itself
around you and creeps under your clothing. Okay, so I like my
physical comfort.
And then there are
the Easter bunnies bringing eggs. There is something radically wrong
with that picture. Evidently the idea of an egg laying bunny was
brought to the US in the 1700’s from Germany. He is known as the Osterhase.
Since he needed a place for his colored eggs, the basket full of
grass was introduced to keep his eggs from breaking. That has somehow
morphed into dyed eggs and chocolate Easter bunnies. Every wonder why chocolate rabbits are
hollow? Other than to disappoint kids when they bite off the little ears. Cheaper of course. And if it was solid, it could break teeth.
Practical too.
Eggs are not much of
a stretch when it comes to fertility. Even if you don’t understand
where babies come from, you understand eggs and chicks. Another
story that surrounds Easter is that Mary took eggs to the crucifixion
and Jesus blood dropped on them and they turned red. Seems a far
stretch to bring an egg to a crucifixion. But what do I know? Have never been to one so I don't know the proper protocol.
Now the Easter ham
has real practicality. Since the hogs were butchered in the fall,
ham was the only meat ready for consumption by spring. Makes sense.
And lamb comes from the Jewish Passover celebration. Hot cross buns
were introduced in the 12th century by monks when they
began putting an X on the top of the bread. And who knows when the turkeys arrived.
So why do we hide
Easter eggs? Beats me. Because it is fun for the kids to search for
them? When I lived in Utah, they had an interesting tradition called
“Eastering” in which they rolled eggs down a hill. Never got
that one either.
So what is Easter
really? Personally, I like to refer to it as “Resurrection
Sunday”. I celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
While eggs and animals and fun are great, without Jesus’s
resurrection, I would have no eternal life. So I celebrate with awe
and reverence for what He did for me. Feel free to enjoy all the
traditions, gathering with your family, and worshiping at your church
but never forget that without the one and only Son of God choosing to
give his life, there would be no reason to celebrate.
And with this quarantine, we may not have a chance to celebrate the
Easter holiday with our families, including all the fun and traditions.
Nevertheless, please celebrate! We have so much to be grateful for!
Happy Easter to all!
Just Writin' on the River Road
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