Hoppy Easter!

I figure that I don't have to discuss the true meaning of the Easter holiday. I think it's safe to say that most (do you know how bad it hurts not to be able to say "all") Christians know the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. But sadly, the commercialized Easter often seems to overshadow the real Easter.

Makes sense of course. People are going to try to make money off of any opportunity they can and Easter provides the perfect opportunity to make a killing off of parents buying chocolate bunnies and marshmallow eggs just to hop their kids up on all that sugar.

Now this part doesn't make sense to me...where in the world did we develop the idea that bunnies laid eggs? Last time I checked, eggs came from chickens. So why not the Easter Chicken? And why do we hunt colored eggs?

The bunny part is pretty simple. Many centuries ago in the Alsace region of France, people started associating bunnies with Spring, the time of rebirth and renewal. I mean, what better animal to associate with fertility than a rabbit. They spit babies out like crazy.

The egg part developed separately. Again, eggs are a symbol of fertility. Eggs have a lot of protein. You eat a lot of protein, you are healthier and healthy women produce lots of healthy babies. Also the Catholic Church forbade people to eat eggs during Lent- which ends with Easter- so people would gorge themselves on eggs once the penitential season ended.

Why color the eggs? The most common tradition is to color the eggs in pastel or floral colors. These mimic the colors of the Spring flowers that are beginning to bloom in and around Easter. But in other societies, the color scheme is different. Eastern Orthodox Christians color their Easter eggs red to honor the blood Jesus sacrificed. And for them, cracking open the shell of a hard-boiled egg represents Jesus' tomb breaking open.

Also, the more elaborately you decorated your eggs, the more you were showing your piety. Eggs (not just at Easter) became important at the courts of the late 19th and early 20th century Russian Czars who commissioned artist/jeweler Peter Faberge to create a series of amazing bejeweled Faberge eggs. If you've never heard of them, Wiki "Faberge eggs"- they are gorgeous.

So while you are enjoying your chocolate and sugar and singing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail," just remember once again that Jesus is the reason for the season. I hope you all have a blessed Easter and rest of the year to come.