“Did dinosaurs celebrate Easter? No, silly, they were egg-stinct”.

One liner fun!

I think we all recognize that Easter has its serious religious side and the fun, food and gift side. At this time, we are able to embrace all or part of the season and not be judgmental about decisions made by others.

I did a history check on the origins of Easter and it got somewhat  complicated. With the Internet, you can do research yourself.

Mixed in the history of Easter is the “fact” that Easter is said to be named after a pagan Anglo-Saxon goddess whose name translated to “Easter”. She was celebrated in early spring rituals. This early month was given the name Easter so the event became known as Easter time. Because the Christian event was happening at about the same time, it was also named Easter. The Greek word for Easter is Pascal. There is a statement that the Jewish community celebrated the death and rebirth of Jesus and called that Pascal time. The “Pascal lamb” is a common word.

The Christian side of Easter can easily be dated to the 2,000 year date with the death and resurrection of Jesus.  This shows death, hope and rebirth. The more playful things are often given the pagan label but I think they could also be called “common sense” happenings. The bunnies and eggs represent life being renewed and this would have been noticed very early on in the life of humans. As time went on, traditions from both sides were blended together to appeal to a wide range of people  This renewal time of the year is a perfect setting for this type of celebration. It also teaches that giving up things can lead to better things and we can live through it. I don't claim to have great research skills so it could be a life time project to get all the answers and perhaps raise new questions.

About the only way most of us know when Easter will be is to look on the calendar that comes out each year. It is determined by being the first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon which is the first full moon of spring. If you keep track of those kind of things, you will not need your calendar. ( I will keep my calendar handy). The retail stores have a different system and I think it means loading the shelves with Easter things on Valentine's Day afternoon or in some cases, even earlier.

Our cultural backgrounds are part of how we celebrate Easter. There was a lot less outside influences in the past on our family lives, so it is not surprising that we are now doing “new” things but also keep some of the “old”. Food is a major item and each family or group of people must have a few go to specials. Hot cross buns are a seasonal specialty that represents the cross that Jesus was nailed to. As usual, the history is fuzzy, but a common tale is that a monk made the buns in the 1200's to honor Good Friday and then shared them with the poor. In the late 1500's, Queen Elizabeth I declared they could only be baked and eaten on Easter, Christmas and burials. The locals got around that by baking them at home for themselves at other times. However, if the hot cross bun police caught you, they would take all the buns from you. (It did not state where the buns went from there). I am sure they were enjoyed.

Our Polish family had a hot cross bun tradition but no one ever explained why. I think mostly family members liked them and purchased them when they became available in the Easter season. My Mom was a terrific baker but she never made them herself. They were always purchased at the Pierz, MN bakery outlet where the woman in a white outfit and white hairnet (us kids all thought she was a nurse) worked forever. The taste and texture of those buns still remain with me to this day. Local purchased ones are close but not right on. Every year, I do try to bake them myself and I have never gotten really close to the desired taste and texture. This year my goal is to find fresh compressed baking yeast and see if that is the secret. Maybe I am dreaming the impossible dream. Have a wonderful Holiday however you celebrate!  Chocolate Bunnies with no ears – me – guilty!