What a strange holiday this is in the United States. I’m hoping that my friends and readers from other countries can tell me how you celebrate Easter. I have done absolutely no research on this. This is just an opinion piece from a Christian woman who thinks rabbits are cute and who likes hiding Easter eggs.
NO DEPICTION HERE
I wanted to put a picture above of a famous painting that can capture my belief in God, Jesus and the Resurrection. But I can’t find one. No picture/painting does it for me. The image is in my brain and it is beyond my ability to describe it. Perhaps because it’s too personal? Words I can usually do. Images, not so much. Faith is believing, feeling and putting that faith into action.
But churches I can find and take pictures of aplenty. Here are a couple.
This one I’ve posted here before. St. Francis of Assisi in Mt. Kisco, NY. The church I attended from 1st grade through 12th grade. I spent lots of Easter Sundays here.
The Mission Church and grounds at St. Augustine, Florida is one of my favorite and most peaceful spots for prayer and reflection.
But then we get to the secular Easter stuff. Rabbits I can understand. A sign of spring. I guess rabbits hibernate in New York State? Remember…..I have done zero research for this post.
When we lived in Washington, DC, I looked out the window on either the day before Easter or Easter morning and saw a rabbit. My mother told me yes, that was the Easter bunny!! How awesome was that. Luckily, we had colored Easter eggs, especially because the Easter bunny couldn’t lay any of his/her own.
How did the Easter bunny get in our house to hide the eggs and deliver chocolate? Down the chimney? This is the first time that I’ve wondered about that.
And when did eggs enter the picture? Do chickens only lay eggs in the spring? And why are they extra cool if we dye them pastel colors? Now this chicken has possibilities.
I don’t know when the Christian beliefs and the celebration of springtime and chocolate got all mixed together. I’m assuming it’s a simple math equation that in this day and age, the Resurrection of Christ + historical pagan traditions + capitalism = Easter.
I do not know how or when that happened. But growing up it was a wonderful holiday that combined all of the above.
But I never once thought that Jesus or rabbits produced colored eggs.
saneteachers 
You’ve unintentionally hit on part of one of my soapbox topics: the loss of God in our religious holidays.
I’m in Canada and there are no parades, nothing which screams that it’s a holiday unless you count the stores actually being closed and the government giving us peons Good Friday off work. The extent of the observation of ANY religious holiday here is a feast if we wish to cook one up and if we do attend a church there is a service aimed at that particular religious observance.
*sigh*
I’m not the most religiously observant person on the face of the planet. In fact, I’m positive there are MANY who are far more observant than I.
I do believe in God but I’m sure he’s not the same as your god or someone else’s. I don’t believe in shoving my religion in someone else’s face and saying ‘BELIEVE’ or forcing my views down their throats.
In fact, some days I am just far too much of a pacifist for much of anything, lol.
Anyway, I hope you have agreat Easter.
LikeLiked by 3 people
And I hope that you have a wonderful day. I don’t know if this mish-mash of secular and religion stem from the use of the early Christian Church to use “pagan” beliefs to convert people (like the Irish cross having the circle of the sun because the druids worshipped the sun) or if it is more the idea of capitalism. I truly don’t know and should do a lot of research. But I thought about it this week and am very interested in other people’s opinions.
LikeLike
For me it’s the fact that the holidays represent more of an ‘I have to give MORE than the other person and hit has to be SO expensive!’
If we could get further from commercialism and closer to actually observing and representing our beliefs my wallet would shout in appreciation and I would be less stressed. Then there’s the whole, Oh LOOK! I have a family I should be spending time with!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Exactly. I teach in a high school and the custom among the kids is that especially girls, get big balloons to carry around all day on their birthday. Popular girls get a ton of balloons, less popular girls fewer to none. I think it’s horrific. We espouse the idea of self-esteem but then allow this to go on. Now that we are talking about this, I’m going to talk to the social workers and health teachers about this.
LikeLike
Oooooooooo
My kids (twins, 20 y/o now) were born 2 months preemie so weren’t really ready for school when their birth certificates declared they must being.
I begged and pleaded for three years for them to be held back a year so they could catch up. The school’s response?
“We don’t want them to become bullies or have low self-esteem so they will move on with their peers.”!
What? One of them was already a bully. They did graduate as scheduled but with an IEP and one of them has self-esteem issues which he has mostly overcome.
I was an inolved parent and worked with the bully to curb his anger and direct it in more positive ways. It was a long hard road but he did overcome his anger issues and hasn’t bullied anyone but his brother in more than ten years!
If the school had actually gone along with my request my kids might have gone onto higher education and without the stigma of needing ‘special ed’ they ended up with.
The bully HATED being different. Everything from the IEP to glasses and lots more besides. He’s grown up to be someone I’m proud of but the road would have been much different, and maybe easier in some respects, if they had been held back a year.
LikeLike
Schools usually think they know better than the parents.
LikeLike
*snort* I noticed. I’m glad that’s all behind me now though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
For me it has been challenging being on both sides. I’ve often said “Do you know what I do for a living?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
According to WIKI, the tradition of Easter Eggs was introduced in the USA by German immigrants.
I was told that eggs represented new life, so I suppose that ties in with The Resurrection.
I believe in something after this life, but not the god as preached in the scriptures. (Yes, we go to church sometimes and light a candle for our Dads. The peace and tranquility brings them closer.)
Traditionally here, all Churches come together on Good Friday for a parade through town and then a service in the Abbey grounds followed by hot cross buns and coffee. Anyone can take part.
For Hubby and I, today is a normal day, but then for us, that is probably totally different to anyone else anyway. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
And special Easter bread has also come here from Polish and German immigrants. I think it’s really the capitalism of the whole thing that bothers me. Yet it’s magical for kids. But that part has nothing to do with religion. And less magical because, like all countries, we have the “haves and have nots.”
ps I love hot cross buns
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s far too commercialised, just as Christmas is. The true meaning has been totally lost as it is no longer taught in schools (multi cultural, have to be PC) and replaced with greed by the Corporates.
My effort at hot cross buns made a nice wall. 😦
LikeLiked by 2 people
I only buy them at the bakery. The commercialization of holidays is horrible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, capitalism always has a way of sneaking in there, doesn’t it?
Happy Easter to you!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you! And as always, thanks for commenting. No matter what your beliefs are, I hope that today is a lovely day for you and your family.
LikeLike
Thank you. We’re trying to get our teens to go for an Easter walk with us, but it’s a no go. But apparently they’re never too old for an Easter basket because they happily took those. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I would take an Easter basket in a heartbeat. And say the rosary. I’m just amazed at the stark differences between the various celebrations that coexist on Easter. I which I celebrate as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you are having a lovely Easter! I find it a very adaptable holiday. There are few certainties for us at the moment. Roast lamb is the norm but I don’t have to make it. The chocolate is a choice I choose to make! My parents have spent all week at ‘The Ceremonies’. I have been to none. This is due to having small children. My two are too little for Easter Bunny but I did try! One certainty is that my Mum bought me an egg. Even though I am 35! As my children get bigger, it will be mass, eggs, lamb and hunts. Where it all comes from, I don’t know,except the religious part. I know all that from school. I only know the Easter Bunny only really came to Ireland in the last few years. He skipped through us before. I think we have borrowed this trad. Oh yes, the big one here is the end of Lent. Hence the gorging! Hope you are all having a nice time!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes and thank you, again, for reading and commenting. As a kid Good Friday was something I never understood. We didn’t eat meat, because I thought that was part of a sacrifice. But my mother would make the most elaborate and expensive fish meal possible. I thought that defeated the purpose. I hope your family enjoys the day. Happy Easter!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! I didn’t like fish. On Good Friday I ate peas and Bird’s Eye potato waffles. It just doesn’t feel very sacrificial when Captain Bird’s Eye is smiling at you!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love that chicken picture. Happy Easter!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You too! I can’t take credit for that picture…got it from Google images. I thought it was perfect, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chocolate seems like a recent commercial addition but bunnies? Thank you pagans!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha you’re right!
LikeLike
Easter is a combination of many things, that’s for sure. I remember the Easter egg hunts, a family ham dinner, followed by watching religious epics. I think Easter offers a number of different approaches for celebrating.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very true. Happy Easter!
LikeLike
Thank you Barb, and I hope yours was happy too. :O)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think Easter is like Christmas, in that for some it’s mostly a religious holiday, while for others, it isn’t about religion at all, and for still others, it’s a mixture between the two. But I agree that it’s odd how religious holidays get turned into celebrations that put pressure on people to spend money, and acquire things. I’m not quite sure how that happened, either!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I guess it is really like having concurrent celebrations. A religious one and a secular one. Yet another thing for me to feel conflicted about, lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
None of it makes any sense, Barb. A giant bunny supposedly comes to our house and hides chocolate eggs that are wrapped in paper, which are now on sale at the local grocery store, and kids are supposed to go looking for them like it’s a game of hide and go seek. And then there’s the part about Jesus. The world is a weird place and it’s only going to get weirder.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Crazy
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too had a curiosity regarding how we went from remembering the event that changes everything to chocolate bunnies. If you have a couple minutes, heck out my post from April 5, of last year, titles “He Is Risen.” Lots of research explains it all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I will read it tonight.
LikeLike
Interesting post with a great title! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person