Today we participated in an Easter celebration with friends from a variety of religious backgrounds (Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Atheist). It was a perfect day: sunshine, birds chirping, grass greening, and the leisure to allow the morning to unfold into the afternoon.
goldfinches in tree
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- male goldfinch
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- woodpecker
Our hostess had hidden 10 dozen colored eggs in her gardens and we all wandered off, basket in hand, to find the pagan symbol of fertility. She had told us that there was one very special egg, a golden one, more difficult to find than all the others. Whoever found the golden egg would win a prize. We wandered along the fence, the stream, trudged through the flower beds with blooming daffodils, looked into bushes and trees and came up with loads of eggs (and one prayer flag):
But the best part was being outside, walking on green grass, basking in the sunshine we all had been missing this winter. The dog was helping us look, too, and ended up eating two eggs in the process.
In the very end, with gentle directional prodding from the hostess, the youngest among us found the golden egg:
The golden egg
Hunting easter eggs makes you hungry, so while some peeled a large amount of the gathered (hard-boiled) eggs for egg salad, others got busy in the kitchen putting the final touches on all the food that had been brought:
muffins, asparagus-egg casserole, fresh lettuce greens, pancakes, sausage, cheese… it was a big feast when we finally sat down around the festive table.
table decorations
Notice the chocolate bunnies, another ancient symbol of fertility.
The Christian celebration of Easter (the resurrection of the crucified Christ) has somehow incorporated the fertility symbols of the Assyrian goddess Ishtar (eggs and rabbits); probably a result of the blending of earlier pagan spring celebrations with the spreading Christian religion.
For more information about the origin of Easter symbols, you may want to read this fascinating article.
On the way home, we saw another Easter symbol, peacefully grazing in the pasture:
What a delightful way to spend Easter. I was thinking of all the fun we used to have with egg hunts when my son was little, but you have reminded me that we can enjoy the same games as adults. Loved the colours of the eggs, and that table was a feast for eyes before the food even arrived!
I always thought the hare/rabbit and egg were symbols of Ostera, a pagan British goddess, but Ishtar makes sense too 🙂
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There seems to be a connection between Ostera and Ishtar – possibly the same Mother Goddess? And yes you are right, we can still play even if no kids are in sight 🙂
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Nice celebration! Something came across our Facebook page yesterday saying that Ishtar is even pronounced “Easter.”
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I saw that, Aggie, but I think the correct pronounciation of Ishtar would be “eesh-tar”; so close, but not quite the same. The German word for Easter is Ostern which resembles the British/Teutonic pagan goddess Ostera (see greenmackenzie’s comment). so I am thinking that Ishtar and Ostera probably were the same Earth Mother symbol.
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Such a lovely celebration.
Those yellow birds are sublime.
What was the prize for finding the golden egg?
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The grand prize was a Russian doll and some chocolate. The yellow birds are gold finches, precious little jewel-colored birds.
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Annette, sending you belated Easter greetings. Sounds as though you had a relaxing and eclectic celebration yesterday. Also enjoyed the Easter symbolism tidbits that you sprinkled in. 🙂
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Thanks, Tricia. Did you spend Easter in Germany? I remember it as a really big holiday, probably right behind Christmas in importance.
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I love the goldfinches in the tree! We don’t have them here.
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I always enjoy seeing them and watch their odd flight patterns. That bright yellow is always a wake-up call to the eyes.
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My family unexpectedly missed much of Easter because my husband had to go to the ER (he is going to be FINE thank god) – it was a mini-observance just looking at your pictures, a balm to tired eyes.
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Thank you for stopping by, Patty. I am sorry to hear about your husband, glad he is ok. I also enjoy looking at other people’s celebrations; each one is so unique and so often we blend one or more cultural traditions.
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Sweet idea. Love it when folks are so creative in celebrating. And you know a lot about the symbols that I hadn’t heard!
Carol
http://www.carolcassara.com
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Thank you for visiting, Carol. I love symbology (having studied Jung in my former career), so it’s second nature for me to research the symbols we use in our lives.
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What a feast! You really had a very nice Easter Sunday, a nice post! 🙂
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I have to agree with you, Janet, it was a sweet gathering.
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It sounds delightful. What a wonderful way to spend the day.
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sounds ideal! I love that they were mostly hard-boiled eggs to be found … all those cheap chocolate eggs are hard to assimilate and send youngsters into a spin … well done, and thank you for mentioning the lovely symbols of Easter too 🙂
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Beautiful Easter post, Annette. Those lambs are the winners for me. 🙂
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