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Gianna
Rohan
Mar 27 2016, 2:01pm
Post #1 of 28
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(How) Do you celebrate Easter?
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First off, a blessed and joyful Easter to all of you!
Do you celebrate Easter? Is it a religious observance for you or merely another holiday?
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Mar 27 2016, 2:25pm
Post #2 of 28
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My wife grew up in a non-religious household and I think of myself as a recovering Catholic. We might both be described as agnostic. There are spiritual aspects to our lives, but we don't frame them within any formal, organized religion.
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Mar 27 2016, 4:26pm
Post #3 of 28
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My daughter's in laws are far more religious than I am so it's more important to her husband to go and do things with them. So there is seldom a family get together here.
I dropped out of organized religion long ago.
(This post was edited by sevilodorf on Mar 27 2016, 4:27pm)
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Mar 27 2016, 7:08pm
Post #4 of 28
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Except in the context of being a "feast-day".
We participate in the religious celebration in the morning, then spend the rest of the day with family. (The town's churches hold a Sunrise Service at dawn on a point overlooking the Sound, we used to go to that when we were a lot younger!) If we were visiting relatives instead of staying home, there'd be a slightly "formal" meal together, not as lavish as Thanksgiving.
We always downplayed the Easter Bunny when the kids were young, explaining that we all received special treats for this very special day, but if any of their friends talked about the Easter Bunny, that was a way their parents explained the treats to them, so don't let on that you know the Bunny isn't real so you don't spoil it for them!
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Darkstone
Immortal
Mar 27 2016, 8:04pm
Post #5 of 28
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Two religions, two holidays, two feasts, lotsa eggs, and chocolate.
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Last week decorated eggs, watched Wifey and friends observe the Vernal Equinox, and then joined in their Eostre feast.
Yesterday decorated more eggs and helped with a community Easter Egg hunt. Pleased the adults were well behaved.
Today decorated still more eggs, went to church with friends, and then did the Easter feast with Wifey and family. Did the egg hunt for the family kids. Always nice to see the big kids helping the little ones find eggs.
Gave Wifey a basket of Lake Champlain Raspberry Chocolate Easter eggs.
Wifey gave me a large Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate covered bunny.
(We know each other's weaknesses all too well.)
Easter (Eostre, Vernal Equinox, whatever.) is good.
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Lissuin
Valinor
Mar 28 2016, 2:29am
Post #6 of 28
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Christmas in summer, Easter in autumn!
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Six years living in New Zealand and I'm still feel seasonally challenged.
Husband and I are not religious, so to us the celebrations mark the change of seasons as the wheel of life spins on. Those of you up north can watch for signs of new life; those of us down under are preparing for things to go to sleep. (Please let the cicadas go to sleep!)
The foil-wrapped chocolate eggs, chicks and bunnies seem a bit...wrong...here, so I was delighted to find that the Whittakers Chocolate bird was a kiwi this year. They had big ones and little ones. The big dark chocolate one is almost finished (and I have a few spare in the cupboard.) 
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
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Mar 28 2016, 2:31am
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so I indulge in sleeping in, reading and eating chocolate. Which makes it one of my favourite holidays. 
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Starling
Half-elven
Mar 28 2016, 3:15am
Post #8 of 28
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for some of us. Just sayin'. 
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
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Mar 28 2016, 5:54am
Post #9 of 28
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*respect*
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Starling
Half-elven
Mar 28 2016, 7:08am
Post #10 of 28
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is complete your teacher training, get a teaching job, and then wait for the once in a blue moon time Easter doesn't fall in the holidays.
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Elizabeth
Half-elven
Mar 28 2016, 7:37am
Post #11 of 28
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Church in the morning, brunch in the afternoon
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Very beautiful service at the Cathedral of St. Andrew (Episcopal) here in Honolulu, then brunch with my husband, daughter, and granddaughter at daughter's house overlooking Kaneohe Bay. Gorgeous day. If only I didn't have an awful cold....
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malickfan
Gondor
Mar 28 2016, 11:14am
Post #12 of 28
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I usually celebrate by eating too much chocolate...
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Raised as a 'christian' (well, I was made to go to church by my parents until my teens) but I never really had any faith as such, and Easter is just another holiday to me...one that happens to be a good excuse to eat lots of chocolate...
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
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Mar 28 2016, 5:37pm
Post #13 of 28
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Sounds like work. I'll skip it.
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Enjoy your fifth day!
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Starling
Half-elven
Mar 28 2016, 7:48pm
Post #14 of 28
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I'll be working anyway!
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Mar 28 2016, 9:41pm
Post #15 of 28
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I'm not Christian but I still love the story.
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For years after I reluctantly left the faith I could no longer believe, I tried to figure out what I was celebrating at Christmas and Easter, and I finally realized I was celebrating what is still my favorite story.
I celebrate by going my UU church, where I'm not the only one who loves the story without believing. Our ministers find great depth and meaning to the story, even as they see it in terms of metaphor. The Easter sermon's not up on podcast yet, but here's the Palm Sunday sermon if anybody's curious. http://foothillsuu.podbean.com/e/march-20-2016-we-too-rise-again/.
For years I used to celebrate by getting up insanely early and driving up to treeline to watch the sunrise, and then trying to get back to town in time for church. But I'm getting too old for that.
(This post was edited by Aunt Dora Baggins on Mar 28 2016, 9:43pm)
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Mar 28 2016, 10:51pm
Post #16 of 28
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Here's a quote from the Easter sermon that said it all for me.
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"Telling it this way says that it was not his death that mattered most – his death did not make re-orienting their lives make sense, only his life was worthy of such devotion.
It was his presence, his real-life presence, his sometimes-impatient, overly-idealistic, miraculous healing, sitting down for a meal and telling a good story sort of presence – it was this life that he truly lived that finally mattered."
--Rev. Gretchen Haley
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Annael
Elvenhome
Mar 29 2016, 4:08pm
Post #17 of 28
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as I'm not a Christian. I find the story interesting as I find all the death-and-rebirth stories of other religions/mythologies interesting: as a metaphor with many different interpretations, most of which can be applied to life.
But also as a mythologist I know that the Catholic Church appropriated other religions' holidays - in this case, spring fertility rituals that may or may not have something to do with dawn goddesses - and I enjoy how aspects of those rituals, like the rabbits & eggs, have remained with us.
So sometimes I go to the big Episcopalian cathedral in Seattle for the Easter service, where they pull out all the stops (literally, they have a gigantic pipe organ), dress up and parade around, and sing the most gorgeous hymns. I enjoy the entire service, and then we all go out and watch the children go bananas in the Easter Egg hunt as children have done for who knows how many centuries.
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Annael
Elvenhome
Mar 29 2016, 4:14pm
Post #18 of 28
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how you and Wifey respect & honor each other's religion. I know many people who say they respect others' views, but are unable to actually be in the moment with them.
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Mar 30 2016, 3:10pm
Post #19 of 28
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but Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter, that we commemorate. It's a special time to remember Christ's life, death, and resurrection. (Not that I don't also make it an excuse to eat chocolate, mind you. ) But Resurrection Sunday is the best--so full of joy.  "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ... If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied"--so say the ancient words.
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Gianna
Rohan
Mar 30 2016, 6:18pm
Post #20 of 28
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I celebrate the whole of Holy Week too
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During the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday) and then on Sunday, my family goes to Mass everyday! In the Catholic Church, Easter Sunday is the most important feast of the entire year.
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Mar 30 2016, 7:01pm
Post #21 of 28
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I'm not Catholic, but we have services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course Sunday. I love Tenebrae services--so moving. And a couple times I attended a Passover seder with a Messianic Jewish congregation, which was an eye-opening experience for this Protestant!
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Gianna
Rohan
Mar 30 2016, 9:11pm
Post #22 of 28
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I got to go to a Tenebrae service on Wednesday!
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Unfortunately the Catholic diocese here doesn't really do them anymore, but we attended one at the Anglican cathedral. It was my first time and it was so beautiful - definitely hoping to go next year.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Mar 31 2016, 12:53am
Post #24 of 28
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That sounds like a nice sermon. Down to earth. //
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Sarahbor
Lorien
Mar 31 2016, 6:55pm
Post #25 of 28
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Latin Mass in the morning, then eating the assortment of breads and candies they had for sale afterwards. Didn't make it to Tenebrae though, because the church is an hour away from my house and there's no way I would be able to stay awake that early (I hate coffee) 
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