Egg-sellent!

Happy first Monday after the Easter holidays!

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Easter break and that we find you on this first Monday after the Easter holidays, full of the joys of spring and not suffering from an overindulgence of chocolate eggs!

I was meant to post the following on Easter Monday; but due to the busyness of the holiday break, it slipped my mind. Sorry. Hope you enjoy the post.

Easter Monday is a holiday celebration in over 100 countries. In some countries it has different names. In South Africa it is known as ‘Family Day’, and is viewed as a day to spend time with friends and family. In Egypt it is known as Sham el-Nisim (Egyptian Arabic: شم النسيم‎‎,) – meaning literally “smelling of the breeze”. On this day people spend the day picnicking in any green spaces, such as public gardens, on the Nile, or at the zoo. They traditionally eat fesikh (a fermented, salted and dried grey mullet), lettuce, green onions, tirmis, and colored boiled eggs (Easter eggs).

Again we come back to the eggs.

Those eggs that now come in so many colours, shapes & sizes.

As regards the origins of those eggs. As spoken so wisely by a young scottish girl to her dad; the little girls asks ‘Is the Easter Bunny in the bible?’ The exchange is hilarious, but it certainly gives you some food for thought about how we celebrate Easter. You can see the original video here.

The whole Easter bunny thing could be a throwback to the pre-Christian festival of spring where the goddess Ēostre is worshipped. There is debate about whether this goddess of the dawn was a true ‘deity’ or just an invention by the venerable Bede; but that’s a debate not to be held here. Be that as it may, she was linked with the idea of spring, new life, fecundity & love. Hares were associated with her as a symbol of fertility. I guess eggs speak the same message. One of new life.

The Persian Zoroastrians had a celebration called Nowruz, that marks the Spring Equinox and as part of this celebration painted eggs were eaten. Again representing new life and fertility.

So it is not such a strange idea that early Christians adopted the practice and imagery of the painted eggs for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. The eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus and the breaking of them can be seen as the stone being rolled away from the tomb and Jesus rising from the dead. In Orthodox Christianity the eggs are painted red to remind us of the blood Jesus shed on the cross.

So whatever you think about Easter eggs and their origins; it is good to be reminded that Jesus is alive.

Death is defeated.

He has come to give us new life (John 10:10, John 11:25).

His blood has paid the price for our forgiveness (Colossians 1)

Be blessed this Spring and celebrate the King!