Interesting...

It is my understanding that Christians celebrate Easter as Christ's resurrection. Eggs, rabbits and hares have been symbols used in Christian architecture and symbolism since medieval times to signify new life and fertility. The Catholic church forbade the eating of eggs during Lent so Easter Day was the first day they were "legal". Hence their decoration and proliferation. I suppose it was only a matter of time before eggs became confectionery items. We live in a commercialised world I'm afraid, and the market takes every opportunity to take advantage.
Just a thought - if the Holy Land were in the Southern Hemisphere, I wonder what traditions would have evolved.
Afterthought - the X in Xmas is the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, translated as "Christ". It is not a secular attempt to devalue the religious festival.
PS What is a Peep?

4 comments

by mpo14011 29 Mar 2013

Well said, Sue, you're right.
If the Holy Land had been in the Southern Hemisphere, the tradition would be the same.
As you said, a symbol of new life and fertility.
Same meaning in any hemisphere.

by meganne 29 Mar 2013

Thanks for the clarification Sue.
My son is a C of E Minister, I suppose I could have asked him. LOL!
Instead I just bought him a Red Tulip chocolate Easter Bunny, (for the first time ever in 41 years) and he was thrilled to bits with it. So I guess if he is OK with the bunny/egg side of Easter, then that's good enough for me, especially seeing the pleasure my four beautiful GK's got out of receiving their gifts.
The eggs were all put aside in favour of having a hot cross bun and the big hit with each of them was receiving their own cup, bowl and spoon. :-)
My 1 y.o. GS was still gripping his spoon when he went for his afternoon nap, so I felt really good giving them each something they will be able to keep.
Being with my son and GK's was a lovely way to spend Good Friday. Hugs n blessings, Meg

by AuntAnnie 29 Mar 2013

"Peeps" are a marshmallow treat. They began as an Easter candy and now cover all holidays.

http://www.peepsandcompany.com/p-...

A "peep" is the sound a chick makes.
Peep is also slang for an utterance made by someone.

by sandyqueen 29 Mar 2013

Peeps are a marshmellow candy, colored yellow, pink and lavender shaped like chicks and bunnies. Other holidays have orange & black for Halloween etc. Very sweet but I usually have some for Easter. Until fairly recent Easter was the only time you could get them.

Google peeps and read.

SQ

Springtime and Easter are how I handle bunnies. The Lord died for us all. He said to celebrate his death. I do with tears of praise knowing my God loves us all. The placement of bunny,chicks,daffodils which the meaning of daffodils is the meaning of NEW LIFE and I keep the little bunnies,chicks etc that way. They are signs to remind me I was given a new life. I don't by commercial junk and Complain I won't as I will do as it is written to celebrate the right way.My GK's get the bunnies,candy,etc.I bought some jelly beans because I like spiced jelly beans.My kids and Grands were taught as I have mentioned above in this post. At Christmas we all eat chocolate this and that. I just make sure to make it clear that I don't "worship" Santa,Bunnys with eggs, Pumkin head monsters etc. There is but one God. I believe in him and if someone else chooses not to that is their choice.

4 comments

by noah 28 Mar 2013

Well said:):)

by pldc 28 Mar 2013

here here!

by hightechgrammy 28 Mar 2013

Nicely explained :-) Amen!

by gramsbear 29 Mar 2013

I'll second that emotion!!! Agree very strongly! Huggs, Judy

I claim no indepth knowledge of the subject of this debate but I have added a number of links, the content of which may provide some explanation of the matters raised. As to the question of commercialisation, I suspect that it all derives from an entrepreneur seeing the possibility of making money from an enterprise to produce goods previously undertaken within the family environment (i.e. the making and decorating of Easter Eggs and the like). Is this because we do not now have the time in this hectic world we now live, or that peoples expectations of the gifts they receive no longer recognise the time and thought that has gone into a home-made gift, or is it that some of us have become so gullible that we simply run with the herd.
As a child, the celebration of Halloween just did not exist in the UK and yet, now, you cannot move in a supermarket weeks before the event for all the Halloween paraphernalia that somebody has decided our kids should be celebrating. This is not a dig at the USA, but simply an example of how crazy things have become.

Aunt Annie & everyone else......I was compelled to find out what drove us to this Easter bunny tradition and eggs and this may not be the answer, but it was a good read and at least could be a reason for this mania at Easter.....(I am a fan of chocolate at anytime...LOL)

I have always struggled more with chocolate eggs and bunnies at Easter than over gift giving at Christmas.
I can accept gift giving at Christmas as a way to celebrate HIS birthday, but I can't accept eggs and bunnies as a way to remember his murder.
Perhaps someone can explain to me HOW this egg business all got started and if we have to have eggs, how come we have rabbits delivering them??? Why aren't chickens delivering the eggs?
I'm sorry, I would not like to offend anyone, but I don't even like to say "happy Easter" to anyone and it nearly chokes me to get the words out, if someone says it to me.
OK, so I can't even explain where all these conflicted thoughts come from, but I am conflicted.
This will be the first year I have purchased chocolate eggs for my Grandkids, and I bought them mostly for the cup, spoon and bowl set that they came in. One set is Barbie, one is Dora, another is Peter Rabbit and the fourth one is hot wheels. so each of my darlings will have their own breakfast set, but there will be no saying happy Easter.
hugs n roses from the weird one downunder, Meg

1 comment

by lilylady 30 Mar 2013

excuse me, there will be no Happy Easter!, but each child will celebrate with Barbie, Dora, Peter Rabbit and Hot Wheels, What is the difference?

Our children are all grown now. But we always had the Easter baskets...however, on Sat. night I went into our bedroom & put them together & came hopping down the hall singing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail..." (can't believe I'm admitting to this in public!) as Sun. morning was all about the glory of Easter morning! Bunny took second place! My daughter does the same with her girls (guess she got her crazies from mom?). I even hopped, sorta, the year I had a hip replacement! But always keep the reason for Easter and Christmas in the spot light.

Our family Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior at Easter. But, we also enjoy the secular celebration of Spring with all the candy and bunnies. At Christmas we Celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We also enjoy all the secular celebrations too. It's just a matter of what and where we put our focus. I believe each family decides their own focus. Hugs, Jan

2 comments

by hightechgrammy 28 Mar 2013

We always gave our children little stuffed lambs, because Jesus is the Lamb of God, his sacrifice. We never pretended there was a real easter bunny, but treated that just as a fun addition to the real celebration.

by hightechgrammy 28 Mar 2013

Can you believe I bought a chocolate cross today - Now I have no idea why I did that!

Put Christ back in these holidays because without Him we wouldn't have these days now would we?

So true and a great question .I myself don't sew any bunnies or have nothing to do with the dude lol But i love Easter and i have been doing Lent with my Catholic friend and have lost 8 pounds so far !!But i know he is risen and is in my heart !!!Praise God :):)Hugs Carolyn

2 comments

by noah 27 Mar 2013

I forgot to say He is the real meaning of Easter Right???

by AuntAnnie 27 Mar 2013

I still love bunnies and Easter baskets and bite off the heads first from Peeps.

The reality of the Easter crucifixion is more difficult to focus on than the joy of a beautiful little baby being born. We really see this in my church where we don't want to think too much about Lent except as a time to contemplate the joy of Easter day. At any rate, I hope everyone's Easters and Christmases are joy-filled! And, I enjoy Peeps.

That is a very good question. I try to use the true Easter message myself.