Easter Eggs

[RobB]

I hope everyone is having a very happy Easter and havn't over done it with the easter eggs?

This afternoon I had my first chocolate easter egg for about 31 years and very nice it was too.

Although it was a very tasty 'maltesers' egg i was slightly disappointed in taking it out of its box as it was sitting on a plastic moulded support which meant the egg was only half the size of the packaging.

[blue]

Easter eggs are such a con. All packaging, no substance.

Since my daughter grew up we've stopped the whole Easter egg thing, we tend to get each other flowers or a bottle of wine now instead, which I prefer. We went to my mother's for dinner earlier though and she'd bought us both chocolate. Maltesers egg for Kate and a little box of Elizabeth Shaw Cointreau for me. Which I will now sit and munch while watching a film.

Happy Easter to all.

[sound world]

My son doesn't like chocolate so Easter has been a difficult time for him sometimes.We've developed a system whereby he trades in eggs won on egg hunts etc,for other things.As he gets older,his ransom gets more sophisticated .Meanwhile Dad and Mum get all the chocolate.
I spent this morning devising a fiendish treasure hunt for him around our house and garden,made more fiendish for me because I stupidly decided to make rhyming clues.An hour of headscratching and Rupert Bear doggerel ensued.
We also hardboiled and painted some eggs to take to the annual eggrolling down Solsbury Hill in Bath,which we've done with 20 or so friends for the last few years.Beautiful view,and a beautiful day.After chucking the eggs once,the survivors went for a second-or third!- roll,during which we let our dog loose.He had a great time chasing eggs downhill and scoffing the remnants.
He should be constipated and sick by rights.
After that we all flew kites on the hill,happily provided by a friend who runs a kite shop.All a bit like Mary Poppins then.

[kuhn]

I've never heard about easter egg hunting, must be a British tradition.

I never painted eggs either, even as a child.

[alx5962]

I've never heard about easter egg hunting, must be a British tradition.

I never painted eggs either, even as a child.

it's very commonto seek eggs in France too.
About egg painting, every kids do it at school these days

[blue]

Not sure how widespread the painting of eggs at Easter is, but I know it's a hangover from the pagan festival of the goddess Oestre - her festival was appropriated by early Christianity, a common practice when the 'new religion' was trying to establish itself. I assume Oestre must have represented rebirth as her festival was in the spring, so it would have been very suitable for re-branding as the feast of the Resurrection. I rather like the way a remnant of the pagan celebration remains intact despite centuries of Christianity.

[sound world]

Indeed.There's actually plenty of customs from pagan rites and other traditions that have been appropriated by Christianity.A way of winning over the people to the side of the Church I suppose. Many of them are associated with the seasons and so on.For instance the concept of 'Sabbath' comes from a Babylonian tradition,Sabaoth, whereby the full moon was held to be menstruating,so that people should avoid activity until it was over.The Christians nicked the concept,cut the moon out, and made it every Sunday.

When I was doing a lot of classical singing way back when,I used to dep for singers in York Minster choir when they were on holiday or ill.One time I did an amazing service,Tenebrae,where the lights-in this instance,candles only,are extinguished one by one during the service,until there are none left and the place is in complete darkness and silence.While this was happening,the singers-just four of us-were singing this ancient plainsong from the 13th century,until all the light had gone.You can imagine the combined effect of this in an enormous Gothic cathedral.And then gradually the lights are relit.The Christian idea is the return of 'light' into the world,but it's obviously from a pagan winter ceremony.
Great theatre anyway

[witchy]

I will be the usual party pooper, but we had no easter. I was already enjoyin the idea of a dutch easter brunch, as there was no way for me to prepare an italian eater lunch, but our luck is still running thin at the moment. Our lovely son got chicken pox and was shaking with fever, crying and sleeping only in our arms for some days No eggs or surprises nor big meals this time, I hope he and we will enjoy more next time.

About the all pagan-christian debate, it's not something specific to christianity, cults and religions have always overlapped, even more when conquests were involved. It's just easier to use concepts and festivities that already exists with a new jacket. After all, there are communalities between so many different religions, it just reflects what touches human sensitivity I guess. And aren't we forgetting shabbat Dave? Sunday is more a shift from the jewish shabbat than anything else.

[blue]

Poor little Iker (and mum and dad). At least he's got it out of the way, though. Chicken pox is so annoying. I can still smell the calamine lotion.

I think most of the big Christian festivals are actually appropriated - even the main one, Christmas, which as Dave said above is really just the pagan winter festival under a new name. Biblical scholars say that Jesus was born in the equivalent of October, so the true 'Christmas' should be around Halloween.

[sound world]

After all, there are communalities between so many different religions, it just reflects what touches human sensitivity I guess. And aren't we forgetting shabbat Dave? Sunday is more a shift from the jewish shabbat than anything else.

Probably,I'm no expert,I just remember reading the thing about Sabaoth years ago and being particularly struck by another instance of how Christianity mangled a perfectly wholesome culture based on an aspect of femininity coupled with a natural rhythm.
As far as communalities go,yes-I mean there are loads of overlaps between Islam and Jewry,not to mention Christianity.Jesus is a prophet in Islam.

[blue]

As far as communalities go,yes-I mean there are loads of overlaps between Islam and Jewry,not to mention Christianity.Jesus is a prophet in Islam.

I was talking to a Muslim colleague about this the other day, and was fascinated to learn that they believe the Quoran was dictated to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel. I had no idea. For some reason it really threw me. Apparently they believe the Quoran to be the 'third book' that was promised in the old Testament - the final message from God to humanity before the end of the world. Christians of course believe this to be the Book of Revelation.

[sound world]

Yep,that's why Muhammad is called the 'Seal of the Prophets',or the last prophet,after which there will be no more.All the prophets (including Jesus) brought a book or some teaching,but the Q'ran is the summation,according to Muhammadan belief.

[wirbel]

if that's the best they can bring us, we're doomed i think
i was watching some programs about how islam will overrun europe, so i'm a bit negative about this now...

[blue]

I don't personally believe that any of the 'good books' are anything other than the words of men (apart from anything else, the fact that they all advocate ill-treating women who don't 'do as they're told' gives it away ), but I found it really interesting to learn of the commonalities between the Christian and Islamic faiths. I hadn't realised that figures who appear in the Biblical texts also feature in the Quoran.

I think also we should try to distinguish between people who use their faith as a comfort and inspiration for their own lives, and those who use it as an excuse to try to force their neuroses on the rest of us. I know Christians who are thoroughly decent people, who don't believe it's right to judge others or try to change them except by setting a good example in their own lives. I'm sure there are many Muslims who also practice their faith in that peaceable, constructive way. The problem, as I said in the 'Passion of the Christ' thread recently, is that we don't hear about those people in the media. We only hear about terrorists and nutters and other sundry loonies. Those people are not people of faith. I think it's so important to distinguish that. They are vicious, fascistic egomaniacs using religion as a convenient 'excuse' for their personal need to dominate others.

The fact that 'religion' of that kind is spreading like poison across the globe says more about the state of the human heart and psyche right now than about faith, I feel.

[sound world]

We only hear about terrorists and nutters and other sundry loonies. Those people are not people of faith. I think it's so important to distinguish that. They are vicious, fascistic egomaniacs using religion as a convenient 'excuse' for their personal need to dominate others.

The fact that 'religion' of that kind is spreading like poison across the globe says more about the state of the human heart and psyche right now than about faith, I feel.

Hear hear.
OK on a lighter note,I was reading this while browsing an internet site of the 'Worst Album Covers Ever Made'.Quite a few religious types in there-eg this one
http://www.crystalpro.com/worst/cover2.html