OK, OK, don't bite my head off. I'm not Scrooge (wrong holiday, I know). But Easter is a holiday, the most sanctified in the Christian tradition, the very core of Christianity, yet for all the bluster we hear, the behavior is incongruent with the spirit. This morning a nutritionist was interviewed on Good Morning America, discussing the calories in those little chocolate bunnies, and of course, they were shocking.
What is shocking to me is how such a celebration should have disintegrated so abominably into egg hunts, rabbits and frivolity.
Don't get me wrong - I love frivolity. I'm gregarious and have a great sense of humor. But in the right time and place. I realize I'm chafing against deep, longstanding social traditions here, but so much TV time (and money) is devoted to exploring the various ramifications of colored eggs, how much decorating costs, where to find the best Easter egg hunt for the children, where to find the best restaurants (that serve overpriced meals), The Food Channel focusing almost every single show to the goodies that represent Easter.
Are we serious? How did chocolate come to be associated with Easter? Does anyone know - or worse, care?
I care. Turns out, eggs have been associated with Easter as representative of life, new beginnings, rebirth. That accounts for the candy chicks we see at this time. Hard-boiled eggs are connected with Lent, the six-week period prior to Easter during which Christians typically do not eat meat, dairy or eggs. However, since the hens continue to lay eggs, there had to be a method of preserving them during this time, and so boiling became commonplace. Decorating the eggs ensued, and they were consumed on Easter day. The hard-boiled egg is also eaten at the Passover Seder, to symbolize the hardship of the Hebrews while in captivity in Egypt.
The chocolate part originated in Europe sometime in the 19th Century, as did the tradition of the bunny rabbit.
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