Coloured Eggs, Bunnies and Zombie Jesus

Happy easteR

We all LOVE spring (I have a manic fascination with it)… It's wonderful… It brings along the sun, lovely pastel hues, cavalcade of flowers, carpets of daisies and tinie-tiny cute little hatchlings all so synonymous and just in time for Easter!
 

Just in time!

 Look at the cute little ducklings with mama duck... They hatched just about a week ago at the university café garden. Ooh! it makes me so nostalgic… I love little duckies, I've always loved them. While growing up in a suburban neighbourhood, my parents owned a little poultry of their own with a few little chicken and couple of ducks. Hence, the nostalgia…


Well I also love daisies… They are so simple, so carefree and soooooo cute… Just love the feel they bring every year with them, like thousand little sunshines on just a wee bit of land. And during Easter, they are EVERYWHERE.

My dearest daisies

I knew about Eastertide but never actually celebrated it in any way at all until I came to UK. Eastertide is the easter season of lent and christian holiday, festival celebrating the supposed resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ (as described in the New testament) and the day believed to be three days after Jesus was crucified, when He came back to life. Hence, as some of my cheeky friends like to call it, it is also a "Zombie Jesus Day" :p

So, the term "Easter" comes form the old english word Ēoster which translates from latin word Pascha (Paskha in Latin and Pesha in hebrew). Easter is the last day of lent, about 6 weeks after shrove tuesday a.k.a Pancake day!! In western culture, especially among Christians, Easter is a very important time of the year with holidays issued everywhere from Good friday till the next tuesday...

But why the bunnies??? Why the coloured eggs??? Why little chicks???

N

Well, I could understand the chicks may be, if there is an egg, there will be a hatchling no matter whichever came first (my money is on eggs)… Anyway, after much futile pondering I just gave up and turned to the only place I could have all my questions answered - Wikipedia :p So, according to my friend Wikipedia Christian churches use 21 March as the starting point to determine the date of Easter, from which they find the next full moon, and hence, Easter is determined on the basis of lunisolar cycles. Buuut, I guess most already know these facts… However, concerning the bunnies and eggs, as I learned from wikipedia Easter bunnies originated from german Lutherans where these bunnies would play as judges in children's stories, judges who would decide whether the little kids were good or bad before the eastertides… Pretty much like Santa Clause... And also bring them gifts, candies or coloured eggs in their tiny little baskets, distributing it a night before easter among the children. Hmm, kinda suspicious, is that why Santa and bunny never get along? Did Santa steal the idea…? Lol! So long as I'm getting gifts during Easter and Christmas I don't really mind :D

Coming back to Easter, old traditions stick fast and are MUCH harder to forget… And so did the tradition of bunnies bringing little coloured decorated eggs as gifts in their little baskets for the amusement of kids. 

Now, about painting and decorating the eggs

E

Originally, easter eggs were meant to be red for red easter with the colour of red symbolising the blood of Christ. For many a christians the egg is seen as a symbol of birth, fertility and resurrection, representing that while it being dormant it contains a new life sealed within the shell. Funny fact, although christianity and Easter are like 2000 years old the tradition of decorating goes wayyyyyy back to 60,000 years ago in Africa where engraved decorated ostrich eggs were found.

Another theory is that the Easter egg tradition may have emerged from the fact that during Lent, when people are forbidden from eating luxurious rich food like eggs, meat and milk, the egg laying chicken obviously not stopping their duty from laying eggs producing more than necessary by the end of Lent. With so many eggs around folks were forced to hard boil them so as to keep the eggs from foiling, creating a whole new tradition of cooking with boiled eggs like salads, casseroles, pies and other items in many European countries.

e

Eastertide also brings tons of fun activities for kids and adults alike such as Easter parade (commonly celebrated in America) where fashionistas stride in their sunday bests and a fancy hat. Most notedly celebrated in the Fifth Avenue of NYC… And also the ever so fun "egg hunting" where parents hide hard boiled eggs, decorated eggs or chocolate eggs in many places such as the garden, back yard or in a party venue and have the little kids search for the eggs. Then there are other amazing games like the "egg rolling" where you roll the eggs (not raw of course) on the track and have a race. There are also other commonly played games such as "egg and spoon race" (like I even need to mention anything about this...), "egg tapping" or "egg fight" which is surprisingly a known egg game in my home town too! Two opponents take an egg each and they both have a go at tapping each other's egg with theirs. Rule is to crack the opponents eggs without cracking your own. Whosoever cracks the opponents egg first wins. At least that's how we played it…

Red wins!!!

There is also the fun "egg dancing" it is not so much as dancing but using nothing but your two feet to play around with the eggs. Basically the egg has to be rolled out of a bowl and then one has to flip the bowl over the egg. I can only imagine how messy it could get. And finally, there egg "plays" and enactment that were mostly played in villages. However, they seemed to have slowly died out.

Anyway, hope you learned something new, or not. Either way have an absolutely amazing Easter and easter feasting… Little pretty eggs, here I comeeee!!!

rGhFBlAgiepJIP