That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
1. Eggs, chocolate or otherwise
Taken over by the chocolate companies, the traditions linking eggs with Easter apparently go back to pre-Christian Babylonian mystery religions, which used dyed eggs as a symbol for rebirth and renewal. The mystery of eggs was their appearance of barrenness, only to reveal new life. The ancient Egyptians and Persians also had the tradition of colouring and eating eggs at their Spring Festivals. Closer to home, eggs were a symbol of the Norse fertility Goddess, Ostara.
In Christian tradition, Mary Magdalene apparently visited the Roman Emperor Tiberias and presented him with an egg, dyed red, as a symbol of the Resurrection. How likely this is may be debated, but at least it means we shouldn't feel so guilty for indulging on those chocolate eggs this Sunday - after all, wherever the symbol came from, we're still celebrating new life and the coming of the spring. The rebirth of hope, if you will. And that's got to be a good thing.
2. Rabbits/Hares
Another symbol of Ostara, the hare is associated with the moon in ancient Egyptian traditions. And lets not forget the date of Easter is decided by the lunar cycle, rather than attempting to commemorate the actual date of the crucifixion. Somewhere along the line the rabbit was substituted for the hare and the cute Easter Bunny was born.
3. Hot Cross Buns
I always assumed these tasty Good Friday treats were a sure sign of the crucifixion, but apparently they too have older pagan origins. At the Festival of Eostre, the Saxon fertility Goddess (the similarity probably isn't a coincidence), an ox was sacrificed to commemorate the occasion. Crossed ox's horns became a symbol for the festival and were carved onto the ritual bread. Later, the cross seen on the buns today was adopted to represent the moon and the four quarters of its cycle (that are so important to the dating of Easter). Apparently.
4. Easter Lilies
Celebrated by the Christian Church for representing the purity of Christ and the Resurrection, you might be surprised to learn that the Lily was a potent symbol for many pagan religions. A phallic symbol, of course, symbolising the fertility of the spring.
5. Easter Candles
Likewise borrowed from the pagan tradition of lighting bonfires (and jumping over the embers for fertility) to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, this Christian tradition symbolises the rise of the "light of the world" and the banishment of darkness.
6. The Butterfly
Okay, so I said five, but I couldn't resist including this one, just because I had never heard of it: the lifecycle of the butterfly as representing the life, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It makes sense, I suppose, with the caterpillar representing Jesus' life on Earth, the cocoon stage as the crucifixion and burial, and then the butterfly symbolising Jesus' rise from the Earth as a more sublime being.
Although I'm not sure how many Christian's would like their saviour likened to an insect.
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