Cultural appropriation!

[rivka]

We don't celebrate Easter religiously. The longer I'm a UU, the less Christian I feel - and Michael was never a Christian to begin with. (Before everybody hits "reply" at once I should note that my understanding is that, although spring fertility rituals were probably as common as dirt, the historical evidence for a pagan goddess named Oestre is pretty spotty.)

So, Easter not being our religious holiday, last year we didn't do anything in the bunny/chocolate/egg line either. But this year Michael and I talked it over and agreed that Alex would have an awful lot of fun with it. So we went ahead and appropriated ourselves a holiday. And you know what? She loved it.



Three is a great age for the Easter Bunny. She grasped the whole concept immediately, explaining it all to Dorian in detail after just one short explanation from me. And there was not the slightest hint of skepticism... except for late this morning, when she asked how the Easter Bunny had managed to leave her a note without having hands. But even that was genuine curiosity, not an attempt to find us out.

I took a video of the last part of the egg hunt:

Watch on YouTube

(More photos on my Flickr page, as well.)

Comments

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

We have a big outdoor Easter Egg hunt at Great Oak every year. All the kids play - Christians, Jews, Pagans, atheists - everybody gathers on the common house patio and troops around looking for plastic eggs filled with candy and coins. It's great fun, and is the sole extent of our Easter celebration each year, as I don't have any real connection to the holiday either.

[browse.livejournal.com]

Heh. I can't quite hear Michael's voice in my head, but I'm pretty sure that isn't it. What happened to it? :-)

I approve. We need more videos.

[curiousangel.livejournal.com]

I've got a cold. :)

I've never been fond of how my voice sounds when recorded. I know that our voices always sound different when recorded than we actually hear them, but I don't like the timbre that comes across when I'm recorded.

The accent is also fading strongly after years away from Memphis -- you should hear me after I've been on the phone with my Dad for quite a while!

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Dale and I are completely charmed.

[saoba.livejournal.com]

My goodness, what a clever girl!

[wcg.livejournal.com]

That's so sweet. Did the Easter Bunny bring her a chocolate bunny too?

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Easter's never been my holiday either (as an atheist Jew? really?), but we did a basket last year and this year. We have friends who do an egg hunt, and that's fun too. But that's the extent of it for us - pretty low-key. We did see someone in an Easter Bunny costume yesterday on our tiny Main Street, and Elena said hi.

But she's having a ball sorting through the eggs and contents thereof which she found at the egg hunt. She's a mess, covered in chocolate and sugar residue. :)

[ailbhe]

We so must get serious about Easter. When I was growing up it was about one chocolate egg but here in England it's a lot more complicated and I really like a lot of it.

I absolutely love that sleepsuit.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, those are Alex's favorite pajamas. It will be so sad when the weather gets too warm for fleece.

When I was growing up it was about one chocolate egg but here in England it's a lot more complicated and I really like a lot of it.

What are the complicated parts?

I have happy memories of getting very artistic with the egg dyeing. Multiple color layers, drawing on the egg with a white wax crayon in between, partial dips... it all went a lot faster with one three-year-old, I can tell you that.

[ailbhe]

Not complicated as such, just more complicated than just one chocolate egg.

Dyed and decorated eggs, egg hunts, and Easter bonnets are all foreign to me.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I think it's perfectly appropriate to adapt a holiday for your need. Both Easter and Christmas are, for me, secular holidays.

[geekchick]

I was so expecting to hear Thank you Easter Bunny! Bawk! Bawk! at the end there. =)

[curiousangel.livejournal.com]

The longer I'm a UU, the less Christian I feel - and Michael was never a Christian to begin with.

Let me clarify a bit here -- I was raised Southern Baptist, but consciously rejected that faith in my 20's. I no longer accept the basic tenets of Christianity, but I did when I was younger. I don't criticize anyone who does accept them, and admire those who try to live up to the teaching of Jesus, but given the way this world works, I just can't do it for myself.

[tendyl.livejournal.com]

Nori also loves decorating eggs, we did a dozen and she kept begging for more. We didn't hunt them this year, but I expect to next year.

Easter traditions

[hazelchaz]

In our house -- with four kids, two older sisters, me and my younger brother -- our easter hunt was in the back yard for little baggies containing candy.

Each baggy was tied off with a different color of ribbon for each child. So, for example, I might be hunting for the ones with blue ribbons, if I saw red, green, or gold, I'd leave it alone. (Knowing that I'd seen one my brother or sisters were looking for.)

With 9 years between oldest and youngest child, it leveled the playing field.

We also had the rule that each bag was hidden in plain sight. You could find all of them with your hands tied behind your back -- you wouldn't have to open anything or turn anything over.

[writingortyping.livejournal.com]

That's so precious. And it's cliche, but that big girl was the tiny baby I held? Oy. Time flying and all that.

I especially loved the imperious brushing back of her long hair - "I have no TIME for my gorgeous long hair - I have EGGS to find!"

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Upon consideration, I think I am most taken by the thoughtful "hmmm," just after the "need two more eggs!" and by

Alex: I found a basket!

Rivka: But is it your Easter basket?

Alex: It's . . . big?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Well, I had told her to look for a big basket. She was obviously unclear on the concept that an Easter basket is full of things.

The other thing she was saying is "it's not a sleeping basket anymore." All week, that basket has been a place for sick animals visiting the veterinarian to go to sleep. I suppose it seemed reasonable that if no sick animals were in it anymore it could be an Easter basket instead.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Well, I had told her to look for a big basket.

Indeed you had, which was why I liked that reasoning so much.

I was able to understand "it's not a sleeping basket anymore," although I didn't get the reference. The only bit of speech I couldn't puzzle out was the bit just before she found an egg on the table (ending at about 0:43).

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Well, no wonder you couldn't understand it! She said, "There's another blue one in the middle of the bobbleheads," which would be completely impenetrable if you didn't know that she has some of those little baseball-player figurines with the bobbling heads.