Easter happiness and chocolate eggs

In April 2022, Jane and I went to the Holy Land. It was a pilgrimage and something Jane had always wanted to do. Originally, we were going to do it for our honeymoon. Like so many things, Covid19 got in the way. We were able to follow the life journey of Jesus on our pilgrimage, visiting places only known through reading the bible. We were there for Palm Sunday and joined many others tracing the walk that Jesus took on his way into Jerusalem. The whole experience was both humbling, exhilarating and totally fascinating.   

We took communion in a rudimentary open-air chapel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. There was a stillness that reminded me of Easter Sunday. Here in the UK, most shops are shut, and that usual Sunday bustle is missing. There is a stillness to the day that I have always found special and uplifting. Easter itself is both a Christian and a cultural festival. For Christians, Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion. Although we decided to give the sunrise service on the promenade a miss this year, we will be going to our church later this morning. We do so as an act of celebration and worship, as I’m sure many other folk will be doing across the world.

For some, Easter is simply a cultural event. There are many traditions associated with it. Some are quite bizarre. For example, in Poland, they drench each other with buckets of water. People in the Czech Republic decorate long sticks with ribbons and tap women with them apparently to transfer the stick’s fertility to the women. Italians are fond of Exploding Carts. These are carts filled with fireworks, which after being paraded through the streets, are lit, treating the crowds to a wonderful display.

On the other side of the world, Australians have ditched the Easter Bunny in favour of the Easter Bilby. This is an endangered and curious looking marsupial, the numbers of which are falling. Rabbits are still considered pests in Australia, so no Easter bunnies. There is a Greek Easter tradition whereby eggs are dyed red (symbolising the blood of Christ). After the mass on Easter Sunday, these eggs are used a little like conker fights. Each person cracks their egg on another person’s egg, the winner is the last person with an intact egg. Colouring eggs at this time of the year is something that many people still do. I wonder how many people today actually know why.   

Likewise, I wonder how many people know why we give chocolate Easter eggs to others on Easter Sunday. Interestingly, the origin of the Easter egg pre-dates Christ’s crucifixion. As a tradition the Easter egg has its roots in both Christian and pre-Christian customs. The egg has long symbolised new life and fertility, something celebrated by many ancient civilisations across the world. The egg symbolised the return of spring and the rebirth of nature. Indeed, four of our hens have gone broody and are sitting on eggs.

Early Christians adopted this symbolism, associating eggs with the resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, in times past, during the period leading up to Easter, called Lent, eggs were not allowed to be eaten. They were often boiled, stored and then given away on Easter Sunday. It’s a tradition that over the years has metamorphosed into the giving of a gift of chocolate Easter eggs today. In the UK we buy some 80 million Easter eggs each year. That’s a lot of chocolate eggs. If they were laid end to end, they would stretch along the entire length of the Great Wall of China.

I will shortly be delivering little Easter bags for our neighbours. These are filled to the brim with Easter goodies, including, of course Easter eggs. We have done this every year we have lived here. It is a small gesture of friendship, of reinforcing our sense of belonging to a community, and we hope, a gift that also makes our neighbours smile.

In a world where self-interest, greed and conflict can sometimes feel all consuming, spreading a little happiness feels like a good thing. Perhaps I can slightly tweak John F Kennedy's famous line and say: 'Do not ask what the world can do for your happiness - ask what you can do for the happiness of the world'. It doesn't always need to be a big thing; sometimes it is the little things that can really make a difference.