Easter Eggs for Sale!

I thought it was bad enough that the shops started putting displays of Easter eggs out so soon after Christmas, but yesterday I heard about a shop that was displaying them last September! Now, dear reader, maybe I'm a little suspicious or just plain cynical, but it might just be possible that the shop in question simply might have had them on display since last Easter, don't you think?

The objections that people raise about them are usually based around the idea that they should only be on sale around the time that we remember Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb on the third day after, but of course the celebration of the Festival of Eastre was really a pagan celebration connected with the goddess of offspring and the return of Spring. It was hi-jacked in the 2nd Century when Christian missionaries made the occasion a holy celebration as well. The pagan festival, Eastre, coincided with the Christian observance of Christ's death and resurrection, and so it made sense to make it a Christian celebration as well, the name Eastre ultimately being converted to the more modern spelling of Easter.


Many may mistakenly think that the Easter Bunny is a modern invention, dreamt up by chocolatiers! In fact the symbol has very pagan roots, for the goddess Eastre was worshipped through the symbol of the rabbit.


Well what about Easter eggs? Surely they at least are a modern invention! But no, in fact the exchange of an egg, which is a symbol of rebirth in the majority of cultures, is centuries old. Eggs would often be highly decorated or even wrapped in gold leaf in order to make them beautiful. Often they would be boiled in water containing the leaves or petals of plants in order to dye the shells.


Personally, I would prefer that the name Easter be dropped from the calendar, and get replaced by the term Resurrection Day, because what Christians celebrate on that day is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The darkness and despair of the crucifixion, which we remember on Good Friday, is replaced with the joy of the Risen Christ and all that His resurrection implies for each of us.

Not to say that we cannot or should not enjoy Easter eggs, but let's treat that as just a bit of fun that helps us to welcome the arrival of Spring and new birth! What do you think, dear reader?