Holy Bunnies, It's Easter!!

Well, perhaps not today, but tomorrow is.  And since I'll be busy tomorrow hiding at my boyfriend's apartment dying eggs and watching TV, I'll go ahead and post this now!!

I thought this image was a bit more appropriate considering that this is supposed to be a Christian holiday.  But with bunnies.  EVERYTHING is more fun with bunnies!  I mean... Come on!  Fluffy tails and long ears and twitchy noses....  What's not to love??  :D

But it did get me wondering.... How the hell do you get colored eggs and bunnies out of the resurrection of Jesus?  I asked my mom this and she said "Shut up, Ella, that's a stupid question."  I love getting my questions answered.....

Daddy didn't know, so I decided to ask the one thing that would always point me in the right direction....  GOOGLE!!

There's no story in the Bible about a long-eared, cotton-tailed creature known as the Easter Bunny. Neither is there a passage about young children painting eggs or hunting for baskets overflowing with scrumptious Easter goodies.  And I'm pretty sure that bunnies don't lay eggs.  Just saying....

Why are these traditions so ingrained in Easter Sunday? And what do they have to do with the resurrection of Jesus?

Well, nothing.

Bunnies, eggs, Easter gifts and fluffy, yellow chicks in gardening hats all stem from pagan roots. These tropes were incorporated into the celebration of Easter separately from the Christian tradition of honoring the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

The origin of the celebration of Easter (and the origin of the Easter bunny) can be traced back to 13th century, pre-Christian Germany, when people worshiped several gods and goddesses. The Teutonic deity Eostra was the goddess of spring and fertility, and feasts were held in her honor on the Vernal Equinox. Her symbol was the rabbit because of the animal’s high reproduction rate.

Spring also symbolized new life and rebirth. Eggs were an ancient symbol of fertility. According to History.com, Easter eggs represent Jesus' resurrection. However, this association came much later when Roman Catholicism became the dominant religion in Germany in the 15th century and merged with already ingrained pagan beliefs.

The first Easter bunny legend was documented in the 1500s. By 1680, the first story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published. These legends were brought to the United States in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country.

The tradition of making nests for the rabbit to lay its eggs in soon followed. Eventually, nests became decorated baskets and colorful eggs were swapped for candy, treats and other small gifts.

So, while you're scarfing down chocolate bunnies (I hear chocolate is good for you!) and marshmallow chicks this Easter Sunday, think fondly of this holiday's origins, and maybe even impress your friends at your local Easter egg hunt!

Scooter Out.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Well.... For those of you who don't know... Today is St. Patrick's Day.  :)  The one day a year where anyone can claim to be Irish, most people are trashed, and perfect strangers are allowed to pinch you for not wearing green. 



I've been told that somewhere in my blood I have a bit of Irish in me.  I don't know for sure if I do or not.  My family also tell me we're very distantly related to Hugh Hefner, but I haven't seen a penny of his Playboy money to support that, so.... Yea.

My mother tends to get a little overly-exuberant on most holidays.  Today is no exception.  She made green eggs and ham for breakfast.

She also made some green pancakes.



At some point this evening, she'll put her little weenie dog in it's green sweater.  As much as I purely hate and despise that dog, I must say.... She looks so cute in her little green sweater!!  :D

Americans believe that EVERYONE is Irish on St. Patrick's day.  At least most of us do...  I seem to forget that I'm American at times.  >_>;

Predominantly today is a day for fun I suppose.  People drink beer that looks like this:



And they have parades and parties and have an obscene amount of fun trying to figure out what foods and drinks can be turned green.  I'm pretty sure people have green shit for at least a week after. 

Obviously, I'm greening things up for a day myself.  But not to the extent of some.  In Chicago, they dye the river green.

This tradition has always fascinated me.  Not sure why.  I guess it's because....Well....They're dying a freaking RIVER green.

The tradition of dyeing the river green arose by accident when some plumbers used fluorescein dye to trace sources of illegal pollution discharges.  The dyeing of the river is still sponsored by the local plumbers union.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency outlawed the use of fluorescein for this purpose, since it was shown to be harmful to the river.  The present ingredients used to dye the river green today are safe for people and wildlife.  Forty pounds of powdered vegetable dye are used to color the river for the celebration.

In my house, we only dye food green.  St. Patrick's day is the one day per year my mother bakes home-made bread.  Why?  So she can dye it green...

Yup.  I'm dead freaking serious.  Green bread.  It kinda looks like Sponge Bob laid in green food coloring...  Just saying.  It's pretty tasty though, if you get past the color.

I'm not sure how I feel about some of the more silly traditions of St. Patrick's day.  Like the pinching.  I hate the pinching.  I'm not really sure why people do it.  Other than to be mean.  I hit people that pinch me.  Besides... I have green eyes.  Which means I am eternally safe from being pinched.  Woot!

Scooter Out.