Easter Eggs in a multicultural workplace

[Sheepcup]

I lead a small team in an education business, i.e. we work to school terms.

Usually I get a small gift for my staff at the end of each term and at Easter it's Eggs. Until now, I worked in a very white area where people are mostly not religious but broadly Christian by heritage. Everyone has Eggs without attaching much religious significance to them.

This year, I have moved to a different area and in my team I have an Israeli Jew and a Bengali Muslim.

Do I get Eggs, they're just chocolate tokens of the season, or absolutely not? If not, what else?

People still eat chocolate during Ramadan, just after sunset. Don't over think.

You are actually more likely to offend a devout Christian - chocolate eggs have nowt to do with Jesus, but are linked to pagan fertility symbolism.

Ask them. My ds's teacher asked us whether she could give him an Easter egg and if that is something we partake in. We are Muslim. Dh told her that it was fine to give ds an easter egg and that we'd bought some too. I don't consider it too deeply tbh and I like chocolate just like I quite like a selection box at Christmas. However, some people are different so why not ask?

My work colleagues gave me some creme eggs, I was fasting so took them home to eat after I opened my fast, later in the evening (I may also have hid them from the kids).

It's a very thoughtful thing to do op.

Thanks @bfsham, I'm an atheist but would never deny that eggs do actually have something to do with Christianity, particularly the Orthodox branches which I appreciate UK people might not be so familiar with. Some odd comments on this thread.

Fabergé did a pretty good job of commercialising Easter eggs in Tsarist Russia tbf

Even if Muslim colleagues don't eat indulgent food, the eggs will be fine until way after the end of Ramadan.

You're over thinking, buy the eggs!

Ask them?

We are in the UK it's a major Christian and spring pagan celebration of hope and new life.

It will be lovely to get some chocolate.

If I was in a Muslim country and received eid gifts I'd be very touched.

I'd feel mortified if people were worrying about "offending me".

Apparently so. I once worked for a Christian organisation and managed their social media. I was lambasted for posting Happy Easter with imagery of Easter eggs and chicksfrom their social media pages.

A very lengthy email to tell me that Eggs are Pagan and to remove the post immediately so as not to taint the org's image.

I guess that's why faith based organisations much prefer to employ those who follow that faith.

All our "celebrations" are at natural points of the year, light in the darkest months, eggs etc spring....

The egg symbolises fertility and the coming of Spring, which is what Easter was all about originally - the festival of Oestre, goddess of fertility. Nothing to do with Jesus or his tomb.

I love a Lindt chocolate bunny.

I'm a Jew and the reason I wouldn't eat the egg is if it wasn't kosher, but most brands are, and not all Jewish people keep kosher.

Ensure they are kosher and halal and leave them out for people to eat and get the usual ones as well

Spring is usually incorporated as some sort of festival/observance/celebration in all religions because of the concept of rebirth/regrowth, its all much of a muchness. Eggs and bunnies symbolise fertility and birth and are much more aligned with a number of belief systems than you would think

Unless they are Jehovah's Witnesses, then you'll be OK with Easter eggs.

"Just get eggs and stop being offended on behalf of other people. '

She's not being offended-she's just checking that she's not creating any awkwardness.

That may be how you see it, but many do believe the egg symbolises resurrection and dye them red to signify the blood of Christ.

@Fourfurrymonsters
I beg to differ respectfully. I'm confident of my extensive RC teaching and education.

@bfsham
I'm not religious at all but I was raised catholic.
I think the Easter and Christmas stories are beautiful.

However it's blessing obvious that these events actually mark important parts of our seasons!!

Not Christian and would absolutely accept an Easter egg. It's chocolate at the end of the day, and I never say no to chocolate

Even during fasting, don't they eat when it's dark or something. They can eat their chocolate in the evening.
Stop fussing. If anyone refuses chocolate, there's more for others

What has chocolate or eggs got to do with Christianity anyway?

Hope you're thinking of the vegans and dairy-free people! (Not to be snarky or sarcastic, just something I forgot about last time! )

The guff about eggs signifying the empty tomb (or in some versions the stone that was rolled away from it) is typical Christian retrofitting. It's how they superimposed their ideology onto existing cultures all over the world, they've had a lot of practice 😂

It's vanishingly unlikely anyone is going to take offence at being offered an egg - and if anyone did decide to - well, so what.

Just get an egg or a bunny or whatever. Don't get Jesus on a cross and you're fine.