The Pagans can rightly argue that the Christians stole bunnies and eggs and even the name from them. It's true though. I agree with them.
The name Easter gets it's name from the fertility goddesses: Ishtar, Ostara, Eoster, Astarte. These gals usually had male god consorts, who are depicted as dying and being reborn.
Two of the most important symbols for these ladies were the hare and the egg.
Egg hunts were held in their honor. Women hunted for these cherished items. If they found one, it was said that they would become pregnant within the year.
This was celebrated way before the Passover or the Resurrection of Jesus.
Around 325 AD, Emperor Constantine absorbed the pagan Roman religion into Christianity's to make the new converts feel at home and to stop widespread violence in his land.
The Christians celebrate the last supper, the death, the burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Messianic celebrate the later two like myself. But I don't do the bunnies and eggs along with it.
Unfortunately, there is always so much pressure to buy stuff no matter how you celebrate it. Greeting cards are like five bucks a piece. Candy is outrageous. The price of food for the feasts has really been tipping the scales. Personally, I'm exhausted from it all.
Has commercialism hi-jacked all three? It looks that way to me.
Why can't we just have a holiday without the commercialism and the fuss? Why can't we just have quiet self-reflection? Quiet prayer? Time with our families without all the excess?
What do you all think?
Hope everyone had a nice, quiet holiday.
Hugs and chocolate, all,
Shelly
Honest, most Christians know how the Easter bunny & egg thing started. It's why my mother never allowed it. I did make the children Easter baskets, but no way would I spend $5,00 for a card, not when other places sell them for far less like two for a dollar or $.99. The stores are always happen to remind one and all to spend money. It just depends on whether you pay them any heed.
ReplyDeleteYeah. I don't do bunnies and eggs either. It's not what I believe. But I do but greeting cards and find I cross out Happy Easter.
DeleteI never had much trouble telling the difference between the religious and commercial aspects, and later between the truly Christian and what was adopted from elsewhere. But I do get annoyed more and more every year by the profit taking in all holidays.
ReplyDeleteCorporate greed is horrible. It needs to stop.
DeleteI think we can't have a holiday without commercialism because so many people are lazy or way too PC.
ReplyDeleteTo be religious today is to be either a crazed Southern chest thumping "Christian" possibly a Republican or a conservative.
Instead of spending time with our children we throw money at them so they will leave us alone to play all our computer/ phone games.
As a child we always went to church, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday (no school off so we could have a 3 day weekend) Easter Sunday. When I was young my Mun and I went to the Church (Polish Roman Catholic) with a small basket of some of our Easter dinner, ham, hard boiled egg, butter in the shape of a lamb, homemade bread and the priest would walk down and bless the food.
Tradition ! No one has them anymore.
My Mum would hide one each a chocolate covered filled egg for us to find or later we would find a few candies. Never much but just for fun. Being together as a family was important.
America wants so called religious freedom but if you are religious then in their PC eyes your stupid.
I don't mind hiding a few candies for the children when they were small. It was a game.
We separated the two.
cheers, parsnip
Making family traditions is nice. As for the Freedom of Religion law...it looks to me as if its a tool to fuel the hate toward the Christians even if it passes in all 50 states.
DeleteI'm a Christian but not one of the nutty ones. For me, Easter is about the Resurrection. My family used to have a big Easter dinner, but these days, it's just Collin and me, and he usually has to work, so we don't do big dinners anymore. If we did, my reflux would probably keep me up all night!
ReplyDeleteI stopped buying cards a long time ago. Save a tree, skip the card. They just get thrown away after Easter anyway. I have an account at American Greeting from which I pay an annual fee and send animated ecards, which I like better anyway.
As for the candy, Collin and I have our own tradition. Today, as we do every Monday after Easter, we go stock up on half-price goodies.
By nutty, do you mean those who aren't lukewarm like in Revelation? It states that God would rather us be hot or cold. But for the lukewarm, He'll vomit them out.
DeleteAlso, I used to buy the stuff on sale. Don't anymore. Can't eat it.
I wished for that and now it's just the two of us spending a day in quiet reflection because grand-kids want fun, eggs, and candy. I missed everyone and hope next year we can do a commercialized Easter.
ReplyDeleteI was with my grandbabies last Saturday. We went to a zoo and had a blast.
DeleteI celebrate with praise and honor to Jesus Christ. The commercialism will always be there for those who want it. Meanwhile, I like bunnies. They are one of God's creations for which I am grateful.
ReplyDeleteI've owned 3 bunnies. They're very intelligent and sweet. My Dwarf was very protective of me and even barked.
DeleteWe purchased one bag of jellybeans this year and called it a day. It's about Jesus to us, not eggs and candy.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Alex!
DeleteHubby was sick all weekend, so quiet for us. We always did the egg thing on Friday to separate them.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby has had the flu for 2 weeks now. Came back from NYC that way.
DeleteDon't celebrate (unless you count celebrating life and having someone to love, then, I celebrate that)
ReplyDeleteWell, it's become like Christmas, hasn't it? And good that you brought up the pagan rites of spring that have been with us since before Christ.
It's true. And it was the Catholic religion that combined it. Crazy!
DeleteAnd you're welcome. The truth is the truth.
It can be best to stop paying attention to all the glitz and hype after awhile.
ReplyDeleteThat is correct. Really, people should be reading and making up their own minds. We've become lazy depending on the TV to entertain us.
Delete