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?

Ha ha ha ha

And incidentally, @sheepcup, you were absolutely right to ask. Just a shame that you picked a time when the Radical Wing of the Reform Party were online.

Having worked with a lot of observant people of faith the only group who would actively decline any part in religious events or symbols were JWs. Why is that amusing?!

I'm a Muslim, brought up in a Muslim country and have done ramadan in various Muslim countries. I am yet to meet a Muslim who eats 'simply' for ramadan looool. except very pious sufi Muslims who go into seclusion for part or all of ramadan, but they wouldn't leave the place they are secluding in anyway. and would avoid "heavy rich spicy" foods but not necessarily chocolate.

most of us gain weight by overindulging in the evenings and then lying around like beached whales lol.

Never heard that one before - tomb symbolised by an egg! I've no religion now but despite a Catholic background, years of Catholic school and living in a Christian country, this is absolutely the first time I've ever heard this sort of idea

jollof rice is the best. I have a decent recipe taught to me by a Nigerian friend if you want?

you gotta be prepared for the burning though....

Mmmm jollof. Everyone makes it differently. So tasty. I’ve Never attempted to make it though.

Unthank you. A lot of people were just answering the question. Or wondering, like I was, what exactly was religious about eggs. I thought that the reason they were eaten at Easter was that they were not eaten during Lent, and by Easter hens had started laying again.

I really want a Lindt bunny now. Damn.

Exactly - I know a lot of Muslims abd Hindus who send Christmas cards, eat Easter eggs etc.

I'd guess a lot of those would be people who aren't practising and don't step foot in a church from year to year.

Get eggs.

Who doesn't love chocolate?

Ignore the PC brigade and don't worry about Ramadam as your Moslem students can take them home for later.

P.S. if anyone bitches, the Qu'ran says something about being where you are so chocolate eggs shoukd be halal, if not scrummy.

Perhaps, but they chose to answer a voluntary question on the census (with a 94% response rate) and 46.2% of respondents chose to identify themselves as Christian. The remaining 53.8% of people from other faiths or none are a majority but not a vast one and you can’t simply claim sweeping statements about ‘vast majorities’.

I'm Jewish and would love a chocolate egg. I'd happily admire your palm cross too. Religious traditions are very comforting for those of the faith, a different faith or even no faith

I've never come across. Have been part of Ramadan fasting and feasting for over 15 years.
Tasty, delicious, rich dishes are really common. Sure the first mouth full of food is simple a date, some water but breakfasts are generally a bit of a feast

Well then you’ll know that Christian traditions often assimilated pagan or traditional traditions and culture. Like the eggs / always around to celebrate spring - which was adopted by Christianity. It’s actually fascinating how people assimilated their own traditions into Christianity. I like the word that someone used in a comment up thread Christian “retrofitting”. This is prevalent all over the world and has nothing to do with undermining Uk Christians.

Clearly you have a bit of a defensive thing going on here, but in my experience actual practising Christians are pretty thin on the ground these days.

Not a bad thing, again, in my opinion.

I have lived in Muslim countries and I never expected people to avoid doing their own traditions around me because I was from a Christian culture. Why on earth would anyone care about Easter eggs? It is just a gesture of goodwill.

I'm happy to give Easter eggs and Christmas cards to all my colleagues and love it when they bring food to celebrate important dates in their calendar. That's what being multicultural is all about... sharing and appreciating each other's culture.

Pretty sure easter eggs have wrapping on them.

100% this. ^

Oh please, just get the Easter eggs. My very multicultural team inhaled the hot cross buns and Easter eggs at work yesterday. Free food gets demolished.

Surely the whole point of encouraging multiculturalism is that everyone is included? Including Christianity?

It seems bizarre to me that someone would be happy to celebrate various religious dates with colleagues and friends but would be hesitant about including their own. You aren’t trying to force anyone to break their fast or eat stuff that isn’t appropriate for them. You’re overthinking it and turning it into something unnecessary.

@Nagado "You’re overthinking it and turning it into something unnecessary."

Just by asking the question "Is this OK?"

It’s so weird that you are doubling and tripling down on your very poorly worded statement and it’s such a fatuous response to call someone ‘defensive’ for pointing out the factual inaccuracy of your statement.

You said “The vast majority of people in this country aren't Christian”. You made no distinction between practising and ‘cultural’ Christians. The very recent census indicates that this is untrue and if you chose you could simply admit that 🤷🏻‍♀️. Up to you.

edited for typo