# If not religious, why do you celebrate Easter?



## curiouscanadian (Aug 28, 2009)

If you're not religious, why do you celebrate Easter? DS is still to young to even know he's missing anything so we're really not doing anything for the holiday this year, but I'm trying to work out in my own head why we might next year. I see posts on here about what people are getting their kids for Easter instead of chocolate and candy, (which I would tend towards as well) but I just can't find the reasoning behind it for us...

I guess I feel like he would be missing _something_ but can't quite figure out what or why. It's certainly not religious for us and I'd rather not turn it into a chocolate/candy-fest, so I'm wondering what's left? Is it just cultural pressure?


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## zebra15 (Oct 2, 2009)

For us its just 'fun'. Yep just pure fluff and nothing else. And its a way to get DS some needed spring/summer things in a fun way. Pool stuff, outside stuff, etc that he either wouldnt get or would get lesser quality of.

I guess the same could be said about christmas y/k?


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## Aka mommy (Feb 25, 2005)

Well, not exactly what you're asking. But while we are religious, we don't celebrate holidays as religious. Not sure if that makes sense. We don't celebrate Easter in regards to christianity or anything (just had to ask dh what people celebrate easter for in christianity lol). Instead we do the baskets and the egg hunts and we celebrate the start of spring since easter falls right after the start of spring. This is why their baskets are full of spring inspired activities. And we do the egg hunt and learn about baby bunnies and baby birds and the circle of life.

But if it's not something you're into, dont do it. We don't celebrate any of the holidays except 4th of July and Halloween and Christmas (again in a non religious sense). I'm just not big into celebrating every.single.holiday.


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## lotusdebi (Aug 29, 2002)

It's just a fun Spring thing. Egg hunts and Spring-themed gifts and dyeing eggs. I'll give the kids something related to playing in the warmer weather (bubbles, water-shooters, gardening gloves, etc.) and a few small toys. Plus, egg hunts and dyeing eggs are silly and fun. No deeper meaning.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

Because it's fun to hunt for eggs and eat candy.


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## AutumnAir (Jun 10, 2008)

Because eggs are an obvious symbol of fertility and promise for the coming year. Because I like spring and it's nice to 'welcome' it. And because I <3 chocolate!


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## bjorker (Jul 25, 2005)

If it were left to us, we'd probably just do an egg hunt because it's fun, and leave it at that. We don't do baskets or candy or go out and buy a bunch of stuff, I'm just totally not interested and dd doesn't know the difference, even at five. However, usually it ends up being a family thing with some kind of gathering, so that's all it really is to me. I can't say it's something I typically plan for. I always forget that other (non-religous) people make a big deal about easter!









I do feel a tad guilty going to these family things, because everybody always has a bunch of stuff to give to the kids, and I never bring anything. So I was trying to figure out some craft that we could make, that might make an okay gift as well. dd and I made a bunny out of pony beads tonight, and we'll make more tomorrow. There's also a chick and a lamb.

I don't mind a good excuse for crafts.


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## karne (Jul 6, 2005)

Although easter has deepley spiritual roots for both DH and I, over the years we've moved away from the religious aspect pretty significantly. What stays is a way to mark the beginning of a new season (yay!), and some family traditions that the kids love. There is much more of a nature/seasonal aspect for us now. Plus, we love filling up Easter baskets!


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## Jessy1019 (Aug 6, 2006)

It's fun to dye (and hide, and hunt for) eggs, it's fun to buy cool little things for my kids and fill their baskets, and it's a nice chance to get together with our families, to have a big meal and for the kids to play with their cousins.

We're atheists, my kids know what religious people believe the holiday to be about (same with xmas), and they know why we disagree. It's still fun for them.

Personally, I like holidays. I like the preparation and the actual day, and I would feel like my kids were missing out on something fun if we didn't celebrate at all.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

It's a great way to celebrate spring even if you aren't religious. I find it overwhelmingly likely that Easter is one of those Christian replacements of a tradition with more Pagan roots, like Christmas replacing the Winter Solstice, so I don't feel it has to be all about Jesus if you aren't Christian. It's fun and I enjoy sharing some of the things I experienced as a child with ds. Plus, it becomes awkward to not do with your child the things his friends and cousins are doing after age 2 or 3.


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## beckyand3littlemonsters (Sep 16, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Drummer's Wife* 
Because it's fun to hunt for eggs and eat candy.









i like the excuse to eat chocolate








also i've bought some little crafty bits for the kiddies stars, coloured paper, craft scissors, feathers etc to make pictures


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Same reason we celebrate Christmas-- it's more of a secular holiday with the eggs and easter bunny, etc.


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## green betty (Jun 13, 2004)

As a person of Celtic origin, I think of both Christmas and Easter as cultural holidays that are rooted in my ancestry, dating back to long before the Christians came along. We celebrate Easter to welcome the spring.

It always amuses me to watch Christians try and justify what bunnies and eggs and other symbols of fertility have to do with Jesus, though--cultural appropriation at its finest.


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## Mama Mko (Jul 26, 2007)

We do it because it's fun. Family gets together, we eat good food, the kids have fun hunting for eggs.


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## Tigeresse (Nov 19, 2001)

Same here...new life, renewal, spring, plain old fun of it. DH gets Good Friday off so it becomes a long weekend. We're also doing Passover with family this weekend so it will be quite a spring fest.


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## LavenderMae (Sep 20, 2002)

Tradition, fun, candy & good food and celebrating spring.


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## kitkatkaddoodle (Apr 24, 2008)

I find it more odd that Christians celebrate Easter with eggs, chocolates, and bunnies than I do anyone else; it would seem like mixing candies and the sacrifice of Jesus would be kind of confusing and at cross-purpose. Like Halloween, it's mostly just a fun seasonal celebration for me, and a nice way to mark spring.


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## Grace and Granola (Oct 15, 2005)

Easter, as it's celebrated culturally, has nothing to do with religion! We are Christians and I'm having a hard time figuring out why we're doing the easter egg stuff...and the answer is simply because it's FUN! And it's a cultural tradition.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

We celebrate the holidays mostly because they are fun. I don't want my dd thinking that she is missing out on fun just because we don't hold the same beliefs as other people. I have always called these days family days.


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## curiouscanadian (Aug 28, 2009)

I really like the idea of concentrating on spring/renewal of life. I was trying to compare it in my own mind to Christmas, but to me Christmas is about family get-togethers, giving to the less fortunate and just generally sharing love in all forms but Easter isn't that to me. Sure we always get together for easter dinner, but it's kind of "flat" otherwise.

I realized as I was reading the responses that maybe part of my confusion (if you'd call it that), is that I remember doing an Easter egg hunt maybe _once_ in my whole life?? We just didn't do them, so it's not really a tradition for me. But I suppose it could be fun to start!

Quote:

Personally, I like holidays. I like the preparation and the actual day, and I would feel like my kids were missing out on something fun if we didn't celebrate at all.
Personally, I don't care for the preparation. Some days it feels like all I can do to stay on top of every day things so I tend to get stressed about anything "extra". But I do feel like my kid would be missing out if we didn't do something.


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *curiouscanadian* 
I realized as I was reading the responses that maybe part of my confusion (if you'd call it that), is that I remember doing an Easter egg hunt maybe _once_ in my whole life?? We just didn't do them, so it's not really a tradition for me. But I suppose it could be fun to start!

I can understand that. Easter was never a big deal in my household growing up -- we got a small basket of candy and maybe hunted for eggs once or twice, but we never did the whole Easter dresses/bonnets, big extended family ham dinner, etc. that many families seem to do.

For some families (maybe Christians?), Easter seems to be up there with Christmas in terms of significance, but for us it's much more like Halloween -- a fun thing to do when we feel like it, but nothing we put tons of time or effort into.

To answer your original question, I'm comfortable describing our Easter celebration as a secular welcoming of Spring, although my kids (well, my DS, DD is too young) do know the religious story of Easter.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

It's fun
it's magical (easter bunny)
nice way to celebrate spring
nice opportunity to get some surprises for the kids
Who doesn't like eggs and candy?









-Angela


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## chaoticzenmom (May 21, 2005)

We're Secular humanists (athiest) but we do celebrate Easter. It's a literal resurrection every single year, Jesus or no. Everything comes back to life in the Spring, eggs hatch, mammals give birth, plants come back to life, trees grow leaves, etc. We also celebrate the new possibilities in ourselves. Our old ways die and a new, better person in us comes to life.

So, I guess we celebrate the possibilities of Spring. We're starting to learn more about Paganism and we may start taking on those holidays instead of the Christian ones. I love the celebrations of the 4 seasons that Pagans do.


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## kitkatkaddoodle (Apr 24, 2008)

Missing something? Eh, you know, there's always something to be missed, and sometimes just being low-key is underrated. I don't think birthdays have to be this huge bash, I see no reason for Santa/Easter Bunny pics, and while I will probably end up doing some egg decorating and such because I think they are fun, I don't think my kids will be traumatized by not participating in every little cultural event or activity.


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

We just have fun celebrating spring, like so many other posters have said! We do baskets, with spring things like new rainboots, sidewalk chalk, sunglasses, etc. We dye (and hide) eggs. The kids have fun playing "Easter Bunny" for weeks in advance, hiding plastic eggs and finding them. It's a fun celebration.


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## Dukey25 (Nov 19, 2006)

For us it is a celebration of rebirth and renewal and spring. I have to say Easter is one of my fav holidays and I think that the change in season just makes me feel more alive.
We also celebrate the Easter bunny as a cultural thing.


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## laohaire (Nov 2, 2005)

We are spiritual but I am not Christian. If it weren't for family we would not celebrate Easter at all. If it were not for family, I think we would observe Christmas in some way but it would be vastly different. I know I am contradicting myself all over the place but I think we'd do a religious ceremony like a Bible reading, and exchange something other than gifts - maybe activities or help with something or cooking or something like that.

We're going to the in-law's to celebrate Easter this year, otherwise it would be like any other day.


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## Encinalien (Mar 27, 2007)

Because our cousins throw a party at their ranch. *Huge picknic, horseback riding, 4 wheelers, volleyball, hula hoop, tons of kids. *Trash bags full of Hollow egg shells filled with confetti that the kids throw at each other and at the adults (Cascarones from wal-mart if you don't know how to make it and you want to try it. *Beats deviled eggs.)

I think what makes it religious is only if you go to church that day.*


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## MJB (Nov 28, 2009)

I asked my 4 yr. old and he said we celebrate easter because "It's when everything is reborn." It's a fun celebration of spring and a good time to give the kids things we'd have to buy anyway, but they're more special in a basket (new swimsuits, flip-flops, seeds/gardening stuff) and of course chocolate bunnies. I think of the easter bunny, eggs, and candy as completely secular.
I did tell my kids the Christian Easter story (we're atheists, but tell the stories of other religions), but really, that has absolutely nothing to do with the way Easter is celebrated.


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## Jaesun's Dad (Feb 19, 2010)

I enjoyed decorating eggs when I was little and I enjoyed the scavenger hunt too. They were both fun things I looked forward to. Even though we were a Christian family I never really saw Easter as a time to commemorate Jesus' resurrection, I just knew it for eggs, bunnies and candy. I guess we went to church and they somehow tried to connect the two but it never really sunk in too much until I was old enough to not care about the eggs and the bunnies so much. Now I'm a "theist without religion" I wouldn't celebrate Easter for the religious reasons, but if we have fun doing it I would be glad to still do the egg decorating and maybe the scavenger hunt thing. I had a blast with it when I was young and I think my son would enjoy it a lot too. When he's old enough we can fill him in on the Christian reasons for celebrating it, and enlighten him as to where the whole bunny and egg thing came from too and what _that_ is really all about.


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## hollytheteacher (Mar 10, 2007)

For us it is because both my parents and dh's parents "do" easter. So our plan is to explain to ds that different families do different things and that we feel it is fun to wake up to suprise egg hunt and basket of goodies and always a cool way to celebrate spring/ warm weather.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

We are not particularly religious, although we attend church from time-to-time (and it's been a very long time, actually!). My ds, age 17, would say he is agnostic or atheist. We have lived in the southern hemisphere, and the reversal of the seasons, and the traditional celebrations, made me really think about why and what we really celebrate. It's an interesting process.

In our family, we celebrate Easter partly because of family traditions, but mostly for the symbolism of renewal and rebirth. That's where I see the connection between the symbolisms for fertility and birth (rabbits, eggs etc.) and Christianity (crucifixion, sacrifice and forgiveness, resurrection). For Christians, I understand why the message of Easter is more significant than Christmas.

Personally, in the northern hemisphere, I enjoy a lot about winter but I find the loss of light to be difficult. The longer, warmer days in spring mean a great deal to me and I am so happy to celebrate the return of the light.

And we all love chocolate here! Major bonus of the holiday!


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Because it's fun and continues family traditions.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

We like eggs and Easter candy. I'm eclectically pagan and should be doing Ostara, but I'm bad with dates and always forget.


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## Fuamami (Mar 16, 2005)

Because my in-laws make me.


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## ambersrose (Mar 20, 2007)

We celebrate for cultural and spiritual reasons. We use the day as the culturally acceptable day to celebrate spring and the change in seasons. It is easier to do it on the same day as everyone else


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

I love to cook and it gives me a good excuse to go all out and cook really sinful food on a holy day.







Seriously, we just have a nice meal, break out the china that I use only a handful of times a year, and enjoy the day as family. We do the same thing for Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4th, etc.


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## limette (Feb 25, 2008)

Because growing up everyone I knew celebrated all the holidays for fun, not for religion. In fact I don't know many people still that celebrate it for religious reasons.

For us now, it's just a fun celebration of spring/life. Although in most years, it's still winter around this time. Maybe then it's a calling for spring to come!


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## bandgeek (Sep 12, 2006)

For us it's just the cultural tradition. We don't celebrate the religious aspect of it, just the commercialized part with the chocolate eggs.







Same with christmas. It just breaks up the monotony of our boring little lives and gives the family a reason to get together.


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## honeybee (Mar 12, 2004)

We always did hunts for small gifts, colored eggs, etc. as kids, and we did not grow up in a religious family. I don't remember candy being a huge part of it. We just really enjoyed it, and it was a great family tradition. So, I like to pass that on for my kids. Also, I think it is a good celebration of springtime, and the renewal of the seasons.

Now, we do attend church regularly, but we still do the basket aspect for fun.


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## ShadowMoon (Oct 18, 2006)

I'm pagan and I still celebrate Easter. I kind of use it as my Ostara/Spring Equinox celebration and as symbolism for the rebirth/fertility of plants and animals after winter.

It's also fun to hunt for plastic eggs and other goodies.


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Fuamami* 
Because my in-laws make me.









I feel that way about Passover. Thank goodness you get four cups of wine during the three hour ordeal.


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## PreggieUBA2C (Mar 20, 2007)

I totally forgot about the hunt!!!

We are celebrating for the first time as a family and not christian, so this year we're having a spring celebration. We'll be planting seeds for starting indoors, giving baskets of candies, chocolates, and the sweetest little organic stuffed toys I've seen in a long while!

I'm baking a carrot cake and roasting a goose from the farm we live on.

So now I want to figure out something we can hide and search for.

Next year, I want to make a bigger deal of it, but this year, I am not well and I'm pregnant, so I'm cutting myself some slack.

I love spring and the new air at this time of year.


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## PreggieUBA2C (Mar 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *philomom* 
I feel that way about Passover. Thank goodness you get four cups of wine during the three hour ordeal.


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## NYCVeg (Jan 31, 2005)

We're not Christian, but dd is participating in the neighborhood Easter egg hunt b/c all her friends are doing it, and I see no reason to make a big thing of leaving her out of something that is not, in itself, explicitly religious. Who has the energy to figure out a reason NOT to spend half an hour looking for candy-filled plastic eggs?


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *curiouscanadian* 
Is it just cultural pressure?









It's cultural, for me, but I wouldn't say it's cultural "pressure". Easter is a treasured part of my childhood...not for the chocolate (although I'm a sugar junkie and did like that part!), but everything else. I loved the egg dying, and the egg hunt, and fruit baskets my mom made for us, and donig wooly lambs at school with cotton, and the adorable bunnies, chicks and ducks everywhere. It was just a lot of fun. My kids love it, too. We do tend too much in the chocolate/candy direction, but it's really about the fun.


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Drummer's Wife* 
Because it's fun to hunt for eggs and eat candy.

Plus I like ham, scalloped potatoes and Easter dresses.


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## mummyofan (Jun 25, 2008)

we're athiest so we use it to be with friends as family are in Wales, and do an egg hunt, annnnnndd if possible, living in Seattle, celebrate Spring,though it's currently raining!, (but then this time last week it was HOT and SUNNY!!!!)
We'll also make a special effort to talk to my parents (DH's are long gone) through the net and and probably play with the neighbourhood children... if it's not raining!

Nice ideas from everyone else, too, thanks OP!


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## Hoopin' Mama (Sep 9, 2004)

Same as many posters, for us it's a celebration of Spring.

When I was young I attended Sunday school. I remember being quite confused about the correlation between Jesus rising from the dead and the Easter bunny. I think I may have even asked around about that, but got no answers.

It didn't help matters that when I beleived in the bunny, I envisioned a giant man-sized bunny. That just made the whole situation more bizarre.

I've been reading The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes to ds to clear up any confusion on how the bunny situation works.


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## mumkimum (Nov 14, 2006)

We'd consider ourselves an agnostic-humanist household, and mainly celebrate easter out of continuing dh's family's 'important' food traditions. Grandma does easter stuff for dd1 (and dd2 now) - don't think I'll ever really, do gifts/baskets for the kids, I don't like to emphasize holidays that I think are mainly religious in ways that I don't believe in. I like may day better - and am more likely to do something 'fancy' for that.

We do refer to easter as 'spring thanksgiving' or 'feaster' (or 'easter-feaster' like dd1 does).


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## wytchywoman (Nov 14, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *green betty* 
As a person of Celtic origin, I think of both Christmas and Easter as cultural holidays that are rooted in my ancestry, dating back to long before the Christians came along. We celebrate Easter to welcome the spring.

It always amuses me to watch Christians try and justify what bunnies and eggs and other symbols of fertility have to do with Jesus, though--cultural appropriation at its finest.











I'm pagan, DS 1 is pretty much agnostic and DS 2 isn't anything, he's just happy to be here and lives in the moment. My preference would be to solely celebrate pagan holidays such as Yule and Ostara, but Xmas and Easter are so heavily encoperated into western society that the kids would have a fit if we dropped them. The compromise is to celebrate both in different ways. Yule they get all their presents and we do the big dinner thing, x mas eve santa comes and xmas we go to the movies. Ostara we dye eggs and do the big dinner thing, on easter the bunny comes and brings a basket of goodies. Anyway, to answer your question, we celebrate the traditions because they're actually pagan springtime fertility rituals. We celebrate it on easter day because the kids want to.


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## Chicky2 (May 29, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *green betty* 

It always amuses me to watch Christians try and justify what bunnies and eggs and other symbols of fertility have to do with Jesus, though--cultural appropriation at its finest.

This.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kitkatkaddoodle* 
I find it more odd that Christians celebrate Easter with eggs, chocolates, and bunnies than I do anyone else; it would seem like mixing candies and the sacrifice of Jesus would be kind of confusing and at cross-purpose.

And this.

We are a mixture of Agnostic and Pagan in this house. We celebrate the turning of the seasonal wheel. We celebrate Christmas as our Yule, Easter as our Ostara or Spring Equinox, and we use July 4 to celebrate Summer, and Halloween to celebrate Fall and also to remember our ancestors.

And heck, the candy rocks, lol. Plus we all love eggs and deviled eggs. My dh really enjoys dyeing eggs with the kids, and I love hiding them.

We love an excuse for a feast, and it's a family tradition on my maternal side to make a bunny cake. I always have gobs of grilled asparagus, too, 'cause that just says Spring to me!

We also happen to have 50 chicks and 20 bunnies right now, too, so we always celebrate fertility and new life!


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## mumm (May 23, 2004)

We don't celebrate easter but I imagine those around usthink we do. No easter bunny or baskets bu we have a candy ffilled egg huint on the equinox. We color eggs. But it has nothing to do with the christian holiday. It has to do with the rebirth of the earth and acknowledging the cycles we live in. But my kids get asked about easter loot and the bunny all the time. If we get asked so often I can't even imagine how the Jewish kids feel when they are participating in a long passover seder!


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

I am an atheist & I have been feeling more & more internal conflict about celebrating some of these holidays but dh very firmly does not even want to discuss not celebrating them. On the other hand I do really enjoy easter. My Mom would always do up these in depth scavenger hunts (were going over there this afternoon for one) & we'd have a big family meal.

I do think a spring celebration is super & that is basically what we are doing. Maybe I'm getting too hung up on what we call it.


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## sleepingbeauty (Sep 1, 2007)

Because my family does. It's a nice time anyway. Have dinner/see everyone/etc...


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## kcstar (Mar 20, 2009)

We're pagans who celebrate Easter for two reasons. First is because it's a time when the extended family (predominantly Christian) gets together.

I would like to do a small nuclear family ritual celebration on the actual Pagan holidays (Samhain, Yule, Ostara, etc.) followed a few days / weeks later by the larger family / Christian celebrations, but that hasn't worked out yet.

The second reason is because we are UU Pagans, and UU's recognize all religious holidays.


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## Linda on the move (Jun 15, 2005)

So how did easter go for everyone?

Ours was lovely. On Saturday the girls dyed eggs. On Sunday they woke up to baskets with candy and itunes cards (they are 11 and 13). Daddy made a special breakfast and we used the dyed eggs as a center piece. We went on a hike and saw a rabbit in the woods! When we got back we had an egg hunt in the front yard. It was a lovely, mellow, fun, family day with no religion.

The thing that seems goofy to me is that my kids still enjoy having an easter egg hunt. They want to do it again next year. I really think our neighbors must think they are getting too old for it, but why leave childhood any sooner than you have to?

The reason we celebrate is because it is fun. It's a way of showing the kids we love them. It's something different to do.

My 2 cents is that once kids are school aged, they will get asked what they did for easter. If everyone else did something fun and got little toys/candy and they did NOTHING and got NOTHING it's kinda crappy for them. We keep it simple and light.


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## redvlagrl (Dec 2, 2009)

We ddin't do anything for Easter this year because DD is too young for candy, but we will do it in the future, with no religious references.

To us, Easter is like Christmas - a family tradition that is great to continue. We have a special meal and special traditions (like an East egg hunt at east, presents/tree etc at Xmas)


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Linda on the move* 
The thing that seems goofy to me is that my kids still enjoy having an easter egg hunt. They want to do it again next year. I really think our neighbors must think they are getting too old for it, but why leave childhood any sooner than you have to?

I had a friend who used to put on a big egg hunt for his kids and a bunch of friends and family friends. There were hunters ranging from about 2-3 to about 21 or so. We all had a blast.

And, ds1 still loves looking for eggs, and he's 17! I hid a few in more difficult to find spots for him. Yesterday, after he'd found the others, he spent about 5-10 extra minutes looking for the one I stashed in dd1's bicycle tire.


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *green betty* 
It always amuses me to watch Christians try and justify what bunnies and eggs and other symbols of fertility have to do with Jesus, though--cultural appropriation at its finest.

Wow. Do you not find it offensive when Christians talk this way about other religions?

FWIW, an egg or rabbit is as good a symbol of resurrection to a Christian as it is of renewal to a pagan. It isn't like paganism somehow has a copyright on the natural world. And it isn't only a custom of Celtic origin either.


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## wytchywoman (Nov 14, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Bluegoat* 
Wow. Do you not find it offensive when Christians talk this way about other religions?

FWIW, an egg or rabbit is as good a symbol of resurrection to a Christian as it is of renewal to a pagan. It isn't like paganism somehow has a copyright on the natural world. And it isn't only a custom of Celtic origin either.

The only flaw I see in your argument is that these rituals are pagan history. That's been proven by historians. The bible doesn't say anything about decorating christmas trees or dyeing easter eggs. These traditions have been practiced long before the romans set foot on the british isles and started the practice of compensatory christianity. I'm not saying that the egg can't be a good representation of the resurrection of christ, I'm sure it is, only that these traditions predate organized religion, and it does offer evidence of cultural appropriation.


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## KimL (May 16, 2009)

we celebrate the plight of bunnies!


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wytchywoman* 
The only flaw I see in your argument is that these rituals are pagan history. That's been proven by historians. The bible doesn't say anything about decorating christmas trees or dyeing easter eggs. These traditions have been practiced long before the romans set foot on the british isles and started the practice of compensatory christianity. I'm not saying that the egg can't be a good representation of the resurrection of christ, I'm sure it is, only that these traditions predate organized religion, and it does offer evidence of cultural appropriation.

Well, I am not sure that I would say that British pre-Christian religion was not "organized", and again, eggs as a Christian symbol do not necessarily originate in Western Europe. The Eastern Church has its own traditions related to eggs.

But more generally what I objected to was the rather condescending tone about how "how those silly Christians think Jesus could be connected to bunnies - don't thy know it is really from religion/culture X". Christianity has never had a problem historically with adapting a good symbol that spoke to people in a way that was helpful to them in understanding it's message. Neither do most other religions, or artists or writers for that matter.


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

Yesterday as we hosted a brunch party and egg hunt with a bunch of pagan and/or generally non-christian friends, we talked a lot about how Easter is as much a cultural celebration as a religious one in our society. We all feel that celebrating the earth's rhythms is important and especially in our climate in Maine, Easter is a better day to celebrate spring than the equinox, since we are usually very much still having winter when that rolls around. Yesterday was I think the best Easter celebration I've ever taken part in--the celebration of nature was MUCH truer than the quasi-celebrations of the resurrection (but mostly of sugar) my family had when I was a kid.


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## green betty (Jun 13, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Bluegoat* 
Wow. Do you not find it offensive when Christians talk this way about other religions?

FWIW, an egg or rabbit is as good a symbol of resurrection to a Christian as it is of renewal to a pagan. It isn't like paganism somehow has a copyright on the natural world. And it isn't only a custom of Celtic origin either.

Would you like to provide an example of another religion incorporating a Christian tradition into their faith in a way that minimizes its Christian roots? I'm hard pressed to think of one. I see it going the other way all the time, though--there's not a Christmas that goes by that I don't read at least a couple (horribly factually inaccurate, pagan-denying) letters to the editor explaining why Christmas trees are actually a completely Christian tradition. I see you also live in NS, so perhaps you've also read them.

And while I have no problem with Christians enjoying Celtic traditions (if they're honest about/honor their roots) or celebrating Spring in conjunction with pagan festivities, I also think it's a bit of a leap to frame an egg or a rabbit as a symbol of resurrection. Fertility, renewal, birth, life, absolutely--but resurrection? That egg or rabbit has never existed before. So they could not _return_ to life. You may argue that the earth is being resurrected... but the earth was dormant, NOT dead. See the difference?


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## Chicky2 (May 29, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *green betty* 

And while I have no problem with Christians enjoying Celtic traditions (if they're honest about/honor their roots) or celebrating Spring in conjunction with pagan festivities, I also think it's a bit of a leap to frame an egg or a rabbit as a symbol of resurrection. Fertility, renewal, birth, life, absolutely--but resurrection? That egg or rabbit has never existed before. So they could not _return_ to life. You may argue that the earth is being resurrected... but the earth was dormant, NOT dead. See the difference?

Good post.


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## Linda on the move (Jun 15, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *green betty* 
And while I have no problem with Christians enjoying Celtic traditions (if they're honest about/honor their roots) or celebrating Spring in conjunction with pagan festivities,

The thing I hear Christians saying over and over is that easter (and christmas) are some how *just theirs* and that they are celebrating the *real meaning.* They often seem offended that my family (and others like us) have egg hunts and decorate trees and such.

So fine by me if Christians want to include all the fun pagan stuff in their holidays, but they really need to lighten up about having a monoply over marking the changing of the seasons. They don't own these cultural traditions.


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## GoBecGo (May 14, 2008)

Christianity is a proselytising religion, it historically has ALWAYS used symbols sympathetic to existing beliefs to convert groups. That is the nature of Christianity, and Christians are not "to blame" for that particular aspect of it's development and arguably shouldn't have to apologise for it (i'm an atheist personally).

FWIW i have an MA in Celtic Civilisation from the University of ******* and i would be interested to hear about pre-Roman written evidence of the symbols used in local religions in Celtic Britain, because those societies were pre-literate and their oral histories were passed down unreliably and often coloured/tainted by those who eventually wrote about them (usually monks, the only people who could write, or after literally 1000 years of misremembering). Ancient celtic peoples did not write anything which has survived (and very likely simply did not write anything at all). There is thus no evidence they enjoyed eggs at the spring equinox nor celebrated trees at the winter solstice, because there is no evidence full stop. All one can reliably say looking at historical evidence about druids is that they existed. Everything else about them eludes us, stolen from view by the shifting sands of history.

Oh, and we celebrate Easter because i like to cook a big lamb dinner for friends, and we all love chocolate


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *green betty* 
Would you like to provide an example of another religion incorporating a Christian tradition into their faith in a way that minimizes its Christian roots? I'm hard pressed to think of one. I see it going the other way all the time, though--there's not a Christmas that goes by that I don't read at least a couple (horribly factually inaccurate, pagan-denying) letters to the editor explaining why Christmas trees are actually a completely Christian tradition. I see you also live in NS, so perhaps you've also read them.

And while I have no problem with Christians enjoying Celtic traditions (if they're honest about/honor their roots) or celebrating Spring in conjunction with pagan festivities, I also think it's a bit of a leap to frame an egg or a rabbit as a symbol of resurrection. Fertility, renewal, birth, life, absolutely--but resurrection? That egg or rabbit has never existed before. So they could not _return_ to life. You may argue that the earth is being resurrected... but the earth was dormant, NOT dead. See the difference?

You want me to give an example of a religious practice which has its roots in another religion or culture, but denies that that is true?

I don't know, though I would be surprised if that hasn't happened historically - the beginnings of many traditions are lost.

But that isn't really to the point. Silly letters to the editor are unfortunate, but such people simply know little about the history of Christianity, and can't really be said to represent it. Christianity as a whole does not deny that it uses the symbols that it finds wherever it goes. It doesn't deny that is uses the language of pagan Greek philosophy, or art forms it has encountered in other cultures. It has always done so openly.

You could also make a pretty good argument in the case of the Celts, among others, that they themselves brought their practices and symbols into Christianity. The Christianization of Britain was not what anyone would describe as a forced conversion, or even something that seemed to generate a lot of conflict. So much so that stories had to be invented many years later by monks to make the whole thing more exciting. When people convert they almost always add their own customs and arts into the new religion.


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## wytchywoman (Nov 14, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Bluegoat* 
The Christianization of Britain was not what anyone would describe as a forced conversion, or even something that seemed to generate a lot of conflict. So much so that stories had to be invented many years later by monks to make the whole thing more exciting. When people convert they almost always add their own customs and arts into the new religion.

I'm not sure I believe that. From all the accounts I've read about ( and I will try to find some sources to site for you) the roman invasion forced people to chose between conversion or death. I can't think of any other greater force than that of a death threat. Upon looking up some stuff I thought I had read, I also read ( and remembered) that temples were often converted into churches or the churches were placed on top of sacred sites. While that may not be deadly force, that's a really crappy thing to do. I also think we need to keep in mind that history is written by the winners, and there have been more than a few accounts of force that HAVE been witnessed and documented throughout time regarding christian conversion.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_chr.htm
http://religion.wikia.com/wiki/Christianization


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wytchywoman* 
I'm not sure I believe that. From all the accounts I've read about ( and I will try to find some sources to site for you) the roman invasion forced people to chose between conversion or death. I can't think of any other greater force than that of a death threat. Upon looking up some stuff I thought I had read, I also read ( and remembered) that temples were often converted into churches or the churches were placed on top of sacred sites. While that may not be deadly force, that's a really crappy thing to do. I also think we need to keep in mind that history is written by the winners, and there have been more than a few accounts of force that HAVE been witnessed and documented throughout time regarding christian conversion.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_chr.htm
http://religion.wikia.com/wiki/Christianization

The Roman invaders weren't Christian for the most part and were not trying to convert the people there to Christianity. The first real foray into Britain by the Romans was under Claudius, who made Christianity illegal. It is very common for religious sites to be reused as religions change.

Most of the accounts of religious violence in the conversion of Britain were written much later, by monks who were trying to make the stories of the missionary saints, like Patrick, more exciting and dramatic. They aren't really considered that reliable, and there is little evidence that there was much hostility between non-Christians and the missionaries. They seem to have existed side by side fairly peaceably and the change in belief happened over time.


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