The long tradition behind Easter

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EVER wondered why we give each other eggs at Easter? Or little bunnies made of chocolate? Why do we eat lamb dinners at Easter?

While most know that Easter is traditionally a holiday celebrated by Christians which has virtually nothing to do with eggs or chocolate, the traditions of easter eggs and bunnies harks back to the far older origins of the festival which in the northern hemisphere was a celebration of Spring, a Sabbat to celebrate the pagan goddess Eostre’s birth to the sun god.

Here in South Africa we celebrate Easter in autumn, simply because that is the time which has become the norm for the celebration of this festival in the northern countries which colonised and Christianised the Southern lands.

The easter bunny arose originally as a symbol of fertility, everyone knows how fertile bunnies are…. they literally reproduce like, well, bunnies.

Egyptians among other ancient civilisations had a common creation belief that the world arose from an enormous egg. And so the egg as a symbol of new life has been around for eons. The particulars may vary, but most cultures around the world use the egg as a symbol of new life and rebirth.-

Eggs also were seen as a reward or treat after a long hard winter where food was often scarce. Later in the Christianisation of Easter, Christians would abstain from eating meat for the 40 days leading up to Easter called Lent.

Easter then became their first chance to enjoy meat and eggs after a long time of abstinence. Nowadays chocolate is a much nicer treat than hard boiled eggs.-

Today we celebrate Easter regardless of our religions with Easter Egg hunts, feasts with family and friends and a holiday which gives many a very long weekend.-

We can thank the early Christian church for that. They found that to accommodate some of the ancient pagan holidays and traditions helped to make the acceptance of Christianity easier in their quest to spread Christianity all over the world.

Food for thought as you hunt for your shiny eggs and bunnies this Easter.

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Competition closes Sunday 13 April.

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