It is crazy how early we are reminded about Easter! We have just left Christmas craziness behind us…and the stores and the shop windows are stuffed with hens and bunnies, and Easter eggs already.

We all are bombarded with special Easter sale advertisements, this I need to buy, that I can not have Easter without…blablabla…

 

Buy more!

 

Yes, we live in a consumer society. We are manipulated. Our urge for objects is being aroused every single day, everywhere we look. Buy more! Eat more! Drink more! If you don’t, you are not living through the real Easter spirit!

 

And at the very end, we’ll forget what Easter is about.

 

While we maniacally buy those chocolate Easter bunnies, color eggs to fill our Easter baskets, most of us are pretty unsure about the origins of these Easter traditions.

 

I am no different.

Religion has never been part of my life, as I was brought up in an atheist family. We hardly talked about Easter, and what it was all about. Our family just gathered, we, kids, got presents, and we ate and drank…a lot.

Some years ago I started to be curious. Maybe it is a sign of mental adulthood?

Here is my (very simple) interpretation of Easter:

On Easter weekend, Christians (Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Anglicans, Baptists, etc…) celebrate the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But a different kind of festive Easter season is also celebrated, festivals are held, to ensure fertility of land and people. Families gather, presents are given, greeting cards are sent.

A various Easter symbols are used during this time:

• Easter Eggs: The origin of easter eggs goes back very far in time. In Egypt and ancient Persia, people colored eggs with bright colors, and donated them to their relatives as symbols of rebirth.
• Easter Chicken: Eggs come from chicken, this fact makes chicken an Easter symbol.
• Easter Bunny: According to some traditions, the Easter Bunny brings treats on the night before Easter. This tradition was introduced by the Germans.
• Lamb: Jesus is often identified with the lamb as the lamb is often sacrificed in both western and eastern religions.
• Cross and Lily: The cross is the symbol of Jesus, while Lily is the symbol of the arrival of the Spring and purity.

 

This year I’ll try to see things with different eyes. Maybe it is a sign of my spiritual awakening? Who knows…

 

 

Now, it is your turn. Tell me about your Easter traditions! Your thoughts are very welcome here!

Happy non-consumer, spiritual Easter!

Laura, NYM