Easter

[plumtreeblossom]

It doesn't feel like Easter.

As a child, Easter was a Very Major Holiday in my house. Whether or not we went to church (which was usually not), Easter was like a spring-themed Christmas. My brother and I would come flying down the stairs at the crack of dawn, and there would be giant Easter baskets for us brimming with candy and gifts. We would have an indoor egg hunt all over the downstairs, and we got wrapped presents, too. We always had ham for dinner, and my grandmother's pastel-frosted cupcakes with little coconut nests of jelly bean eggs.

I liked when the egg dye seeped through the shell and made swirly stains on the egg white. The shells smelled like the vinegar in the dye. We would sometimes dye 6 or 7 dozen eggs. I don't know how a family of 5 ate that many eggs.

Easter was the only day of the year that I ate white chocolate. To this day, I immediate think of Easter on the rare occasions that I eat white chocolate. One year when I was very little I brought the head of a white chocolate bunny to church in a wee little purse. I didn't open the purse again until the following Easter, and when I did, part of the gnawed head was still in there.

As an adult, I've never really celebrated Easter. I'm not religious, but seasonal festivals appeal to me, almost as a natural need of the human soul. Maybe next year I'll make Easter dinner for friends.

Comments

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

It feels more like Christmas here, what with the snow and all.

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

FWIW, Durham UK had snow today too. And hail and sleet. It was a mess out there. I'm really glad that it was a holiday and that likely not many people needed to be out unless they were visiting family.

Sad, though, what the daffodils must look like now. They were out in force until a few days ago.

[ron_newman]

It would feel more like Easter if I didn't have to wear a winter jacket today.

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

PTB, I share your pain. I was raised very Catholic and I now miss attending the Vigil. It was my favourite mass of the entire year. I also miss the Mass at Midnight. I realised years later that I was naturally Pagan inside; the elements in those masses that spoke to me are also Key in Pagan Ritual. But then, I also married a nice Jewish boy who has never celebrated Easter, never participated in dying eggs or hunting them. It boggles the mind.

Next year, I think I'm going to do something Easter-y. Just for me, if necessary. If for no other reason than to celebrate the tradition and the ritual that I once held so dear.

[ron_newman]

I hope the Jewish boy introduced you to Purim and Passover, though.

[dan4th (from livejournal.com)]

Easter was the one day of the year when my much-harried mother tried to dress up her four slovenly children in white to present to her parents. It never worked. We invariably managed to be grubby little ragamuffins by the time we reached my grandmother's house.

[beowabbit]

Now, how would one celebrate a pagan fertility festival, I wonder? Gosh, I can’t think of anything. I’m just coming up a blank. Sorry!

[campion7.livejournal.com]

*the JP witch grins knowingly*

Where do you think the Easter eggs and Easter bunnies come from? ;)

And if you really want a fertility festival, just wait until Beltaine (Mat Day!)

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

I'm not religious, but seasonal festivals appeal to me, almost as a natural need of the human soul. Maybe next year I'll make Easter dinner for friends.

I love the idea of a festival to celebrate Spring, but I'm sooooooo not Christian that it would never occur to me to make that festival Easter. How about having your celebration on the day of the Spring Equinox or on May Day/Beltane, which has been a time for celebrating Spring for a very long time. May Day celebrations include baskets of flowers and dancing, and Beltane celebrations include encouraging the fields to be fertile by showing them how it's done, and either one sounds like more fun than white chocolate bunny heads. :-) As for brightly colored eggs, scavenger hunts, presents, and chocolate, none of those things are Christian, anyway, so we can have them for May Day if we want to.

[ron_newman]

For many years, people have gathered at sunrise on May Day on the Charles River bank, near the Weeks Bridge. There are songs, Morris dancers, and a Maypole. Join us!

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

SUNRISE?! Gak.. If it were noon, I'd definitely be there. Sunrise ... is not my most festive time of day. :-)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I've always liked the idea of spring festivals. I'm not Pagan so Beltane doesn't mean anything to me, but secular seasonal celebrations appeal to me.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Sounds like I had a similar upbringing as you. Major holiday, egg basket (just 1 for me and my brother - the bunny brought one basket per family) church, dress up, etc. Since I adultified and secularized, Easter was simply a time to eat hard boiled eggs (maybe even dyed with food coloring if I felt silly) and maybe have some ham for dinner if I remembered the holiday. And wait til the next day to buy cheap chocolate goodies.