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| Easter | | Date Created: Apr 13, 2006, 04:46 PM |
I don't do the Easter thing. I celebrate the (approximate) day of Jesus' Resurrection, but the rest of Easter (a.k.a "Spring Break") is complete BS to me.
As one who will not lie to their children by telling them there is an Easter Bunny or Santa Clause, I had to find out what Easter was all about - cause kids will ask, and I have a few smart ones...
Here we go!
Many of the cultural historians find, in the celebration of Easter, a convergence of the three traditions - Pagan, Hebrew and Christian.
Easter owes its origin to the old Teutonic mythology. It was derived from the name Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, to whom the month of April was dedicated. The festival of Eostre was celebrated at the vernal equinox, when the day and night gets an equal share of the day. The name "Easter" originated with Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre", and her earthly symbol was the rabbit.
Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime. Some were:
Aphrodite from ancient Cyprus
Ashtoreth from ancient Israel
Astarté from ancient Greece
Demeter from Mycenae
Hathor from ancient Egypt
Ishtar from Assyria
Kali, from India
Ostara a Norse Goddess of fertility.
Around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries seeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe noticed that the Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus roughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations, which emphasized the triumph of life over death. Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols.
Eggs have been viewed as symbols of new life and fertility through the ages. For this reason many ancient cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, used eggs during their spring festivals.
In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.
Anyway, this is a very short explanation of why Easter is total BS - it's a combination of celebrations (and there is only one celebration, amongst them, which matters for me)...
Just as Christmas got the Christians to join in on the Winter Soltice Celebrations (Jesus was not born during that time of year - read your Bible!), Easter is just another attempt at secularizing (and in the case of America, making money off of) Christianity...
Rabbit's and Eggs are BS - it's all about Jesus!
On a side note, it's really backward for me to live where I live. I live in the most un-American, anti-Christian place in America (Maui). Basically, everyone (who lives on this island) I work with, or hang out with, is the poster boy for everything I despise about America. Literally, just about every word that comes out of their mouth about my Country, or my God, offends me (which is why the topics are rarely, if ever, discussed). Of course, I'm not allowed (in most cases) to express my beliefs (it's perfectly fine to offend the Christian-Vet, but totally uncool for him to voice his opinion). Maui is not the America I fought for...
While I'm on that subject, neither did they. Actually, the two people I know of who are fellow vets are pretty straight up people (they earned the right to say whatever they want to anyway, as far as I'm concerned). Goes to show, those who fight for freedom will seldom abuse it, and those who abuse it will seldom fight for it...
The sad thing is, even to this day, I would fight (which means kill and/or die) for their right to say all the things they say that offend me. Knowing, without a doubt, that none of them would do the same for me...
Am I the stupidest man in America? I think so...
So be it...
What makes me just about the most pathetic man alive is:
I am 14th Generation American; Since 1630 my fore-Fathers, and I, fought for the idea of America, not the reality of it. You would think that, somewhere along the line, we would have realized the waste of time. What fools we have been...
But wait! There's more! At the end of the day, my hope is that 14 Generations from now the Hakes' are still doing it! Maybe, someday, the idea we have been fighting for, for almost 400 years, will be a reality. Even if it didn't happen for many Generations to come, it would still be worth it. Just knowing that my Grandson's-Grandson's-Grandson may realize this dream is enough to keep me hoping, praying, and dreaming...
Or maybe I'm just a fool...
Oh Well, so be it... |
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