When did Easter become Christmas? When did it become necessary to buy Easter "gifts"?
I remember Easter as a child. We got a bunch of dyed eggs that sat in a basket for a week. Each day we would take one or two, crack the shell and eat the egg. Never refrigerated them, just left them in the basket on the table. I don't remember ever getting sick from them.
And we got an Easter "outfit". We would go to church, go to Phipps Conservatory, have our picture taken and have leg of lamb for dinner with mint sauce. And asparagus.
Tonight while watching television Toys R Us advertised a great selection of toys for Easter. REALLY? And not your cheap dollar store toys. Video games, cars that you can ride in, play stations, etc.
And let's talk about Easter "outfits". They have been advertised for weeks. A woman who came to Phipps said to me, when talking about the snow we have had, "At least I don't have to buy a new outfit for Easter".
This is what we have become. Or is it that we have always been that person? A new outfit to welcome spring, or a day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ? Originally it was a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Celebrated in the early spring, it honored the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre. So, over time it has evolved, and today we celebrate by buying presents for the children.
When the kids were young, we had Easter egg hunts in the backyard. Alyssa, Matt and Katie would take a basket and hunt for the eggs. They were plastic and had money in them. Yes, the true spirit of Easter. It was fun, though.
I honor Easter as I do all holidays. To me, it is a time to be with family and to eat. Both, equally important.
Linda is cooking Easter dinner, thank goodness. I volunteered to work at Phipps. We had an Easter bunny at Phipps last year. Michelle was the bunny and I led her around. Children react in different ways to the bunny. Some hugged her, some were frightened, one little child in her mother's arms getting a picture taken, hit the bunny in the head, grabbed the bunny's ear and twisted the head. Michelle tells me the head is quite heavy. Almost knocked her over while the mother was smiling into the camera and ignoring the child. Michelle won't be the bunny this year...has family commitments.
Well, Happy Easter, Happy Passover. I must think about gifts for Easter.
12 comments:
I love it, Mia. So funny! Our Easter tradition was to dress up in our finest, go to 11:00 Mass, go to my grandmother's house and have the Easter egg hunt (real eggs), then dinner with all the family. It seems these holidays revolve around family and food! So glad to see you back!
Oh, yeah, you can't be from the 'burgh and not hit Phipps for their spring show. We are going there on Friday...although it has changed over the years, most of it carries the history of our city. It is a great way to welcome spring. Maybe we'll see you there, Mia.
And the Pens did it again!
Always enjoy your stories, Mia. I have always found the Easter Bunny in malls to be a bit frightening. The little child poking and prodding the bunny at Phipps is a riot. Never thought about the heavy head thing. Funny, but we always got Easer outfits too. It's like getting new clothes to start school with. For us, we got the "school wardrobe" as hand me downs in a large family! Hey, they were new to us!
The oldest always got new ones because they had outgrown the old ones. I suppose the Easter outfits were to be our "good" clothes for the spring and summer months.
Happy Easter/Passover everyone.
I can't remember getting toys for Easter. We did dress up and get baskets with goodies in them.
It was a big day though getting together with family and eating ham, kielbasy, nut bread and breaking an egg with someone to see who ends up with the championship egg. We still do that.
He has risen!! Happy Easter
No, we never got presents...candy, eggs, but no presents. And I remember being in our spring outfits and it being freezing. So we had a pretty spring dress on and a winter coat.
It is a renewal time of the year, and my favorite season. It's why I could never live where there aren't the seasons. I love watching the trees and flowers bud and then come into full bloom. It makes winter bearable, because I know the beauty will come and everything will be new.
I have to laugh, Mia. When our kids first told us that their friends got gifts for Easter, we were appalled! No gifts for you, we told them. Sad faces abound. We dye eggs on Saturday, PUT THEM IN THE FRIDGE (you never got ill, Mia?), get out our Easter duds and go to sunrise services on Easter Sunday. We have a big family gathering at my mother-in-laws where there is an Easter Egg hunt and we all come home after a big dinner and curl up on the couch for a long spring nap!
The Pens are playing very well, let's hope they don't fizzle out.
When I think of Easter, I think of a lot of church. I like Easter morning, we always take lots of pictures. The pictures of Alyssa and Matt are cute. They've grown!
Your pictures and posts are fun! Happened on this by mistake, but I'll be back.
This does not seem like Easter weather! Cold and dreary. It's bad enough that it is in March, but winter just won't go away! Cute post Mia.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Cold here, but someone said that spring will come someday. Yesterday was a day of church and food in that order. I don't have children, so no eggs or gifts! Happy April Fools Day.
Welcome back, Mia. Does this mean I now have to cheeer for the Pens? And if there is a Pens game AND a Pirates game, for whom do I cheer?
Happy Easter, Mia. Pens will be fine, they have a chance to win it all.
Post a Comment