Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU for being annoyed that the only Easter egg hunts on over Easter...

101 replies

Facebookhurtsmybrain · 03/04/2012 11:44

are when people that celebrate Easter will be in church.

Kew Gardens always hold their Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday and by the time we get there after church all the eggs are gone.

This year I thought I would look for another Easter egg hunt and found that most are on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, in the morning when everyone that see Easter as a religious holiday will be in church.

I know that Easter isn't about the eggs but it would be nice to take part in the fun.

OP posts:
AChickenCalledKorma · 03/04/2012 20:07

"Very early on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb ..."

I dunno ... it just wouldn't be the same, hearing those words at 3 o'clock in the afternoon Hmm

OP - I agree with you - it shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to realise that special events for Easter shouldn't clash with the biggest Christian act of worship of the year.

Hebiegebies · 03/04/2012 20:58

He says no, he wants to spend lunch and the afternoon with the family :)

Original poster
Facebookhurtsmybrain · 03/04/2012 22:05

Hebiegebies and a good Wine I'm guessing and who could blame him.

After posting the same thing on my fb profile a friend has just invited me to lunch at hers after church on Sunday... where she will be doing an Easter egg hunt for all the children. how cool is that.

You see, there is a God and he knows how much I love hunting for chocolate eggs via facebook that is... Doesn't he move in modem ways Grin

OP posts:
Hebiegebies · 03/04/2012 22:26
Grin
kittyandthefontanelles · 03/04/2012 22:37

Mickey, my point was that my non-religious MIL thinks I shouldn't be bothering with Christmas because I'm an adult and its just for kids. As a Catholic I object to this and I agree with pps who find it disrespectful that the actual meaning of Christmas is overlooked. I find the phrase "my Christmas is not about your Jesus" to be ridiculous. Would you say "my Yom Kippur is not about your atonement"? of course not because it doesn't involve presents, food and booze

fedupofnamechanging · 03/04/2012 22:52

Presumably though kitty, Yom Kippur isn't nicked from a pagan festival and the timing of Christmas is.

My Christmas isn't about Jesus either. For a lot of people it's just a cultural event, as is Easter.

That's not to say that Christians have no right to mark the events of their religion as they see fit - only that for many it truly isn't about Christ.

DamnBamboo · 03/04/2012 22:58

'Find another festival to celebrate rather than berate Christians...'

DamnBamboo · 03/04/2012 23:02

To, all you Christians who celebrate Easter, enjoy what is a very holy time for you.

To all other atheists, enjoy welcoming Spring and feasting with your families

AnHonestHCA · 03/04/2012 23:04

"Ditto. I was bought eggs but had never heard of the concept of an Easter egg hunt until the last few years. Is this another "tradition" imported from America or is it something that has only been common in certain parts of the country until recently?"

had em when I was a kid, why is it so wrong to be festive? America imported OUR festivals and kept them alive, and gave some BACK to us that we had forgotten - it's FUN!

But an easter hunt on good friday is just wrong IMO, it's the only day of the year when christians can't even "celebrate" mass! it's too solemn a day! have other things in church but not the celebration of mass

Aribura · 03/04/2012 23:05

lol@Christmas being "nicked" from a pagan festival.

If you want to celebrate a pagan festival on the same day, then feel free. Nobody's stopping you.

DamnBamboo · 03/04/2012 23:10

I agree Aribura; to each their own.

Cakemixture at 18:11 doesn't hold our view though

MickyDodger · 03/04/2012 23:10

"lol" all you like, its a fact.
I do, thanks. I object to to god-botherers telling me that only they now what other peoples holidays are about. Pretty arrogant of them, in fact.

fedupofnamechanging · 03/04/2012 23:11

The Pagan festival was always at the time that Christmas is now celebrated. The Christian church deliberately timed their own celebration, to coincide with the timing of the Pagan one, in order to steer the population into accepting its control.

DamnBamboo · 03/04/2012 23:15

Yes Karma it is true.

I have several Christian friends; none of them knew this.

Am not generalising, just saying the ones I know, weren't aware.

That's religion for you.

LadyBeagleEyes · 03/04/2012 23:17

Easter, like Christmas is now a national holiday.It's accepted now, whatever religion you are.
Personally, I like to stuff myself with chocolate and watch a rubbish film on TV.
I also respect the right of every Christian to celebrate it in their own way.
Basically you do it your way I'll do it mine.
Then everybodys happy.

runningforthebusinheels · 03/04/2012 23:19

The pagan midwinter festival was Mithras' birthday - a pagan god born of the sun - always celebrated on 25the December (what a coincidence). Same with Easter - derived from 'Eostre' - an existing pagan festival.

The early Christian mission of Augustine felt it would be easier to convert pagans to christianity if they, ahem, muscled in on existing festival celebrations.

SeaHouses · 03/04/2012 23:21

As a poster has said, paganism is in the past. This is true for most people, apart for pagans.

The thing is, for most people in the UK, Christianity is also in the past. Apart from for Christians of course.

So most people do now celebrate Christmas and Easter as traditional holiday festivals of the UK and have no interest in the religious element.

If Christians are unhappy with that, and think that Christian festivals should only be for Christians, then there is no reason to organise national or school holidays around Christian holidays anymore, or have Christian worship, nativity plays and carol concerts in state schools. Christians would have to make their own arrangements for time off or organising events in the same way that Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus do.

You can't have it both ways. You either put up with the non-religious celebration of your festivals by the majority, or take your festivals out of main stream public life and organise your own egg hunts etc through the church.

LadyBeagleEyes · 03/04/2012 23:23

Good post SeaHouses Grin

ethelb · 03/04/2012 23:31

@karma, so is Yom Kipur a real festival and Christmas not one?

TBH I don't get all this 'oh er christmas and easter was nicked from the pagans' stuff. So what?

Surely it means there is more proof that humans need to celebrate around those times?

When Diwali falls in advent do you claim advent was copied from Diwali? Of course you don't. So why all this stuff about pagans (a fairly non-easily definable group anyway,)?

DamnBamboo · 03/04/2012 23:33

No, ethelb because it wasn't.

It was however celebrated at the time of pagan festivals, in order to convert the masses.

Non-Christians absolutely have a right to celebrate what is now known as Christmas and Easter in the way they choose.

Just because you're not Christian, doesn't mean you're pagan either.

SeaHouses · 03/04/2012 23:34

Christmas is a real festival.

A minority of people in the UK celebrate it as a real religious festival.

The majority of people in the UK celebrate it as a real non-religious festival.

ethelb · 03/04/2012 23:37

you do realise that though there were 'pagans' a lot of the understanding we have about their calendar was written by the victorians.

there were a number of festivals celebrated across europe at those times (xmas and ester) by many different cultures and religious groups before christianity. why all this stuff about british pagans?

i am well aware of the way the church used the festivals to convert, but I think it was a more complex less linear process than is being suggested here.

fedupofnamechanging · 03/04/2012 23:39

Ethelb, of course Christmas is a real festival. However, the timing of it was taken from a pre existing festival.

The Yom Kippur comment was in response to a comment earlier upthread from another poster, who didn't appear to know that the timing of the Christian celebration is no coincidence.

Pagans are not a large, easily identifiable group now, which indicates to me that the strategy, by the church, of hijacking the population's existing celebrations was rather successful.

DamnBamboo · 03/04/2012 23:41

I don't think anybody is saying they are pagan (although there are some people who are proclaimed pagans), they are just saying the the origins of celebrating at these times of the year, aren't solely down to Christianity and the Catholic church.

Anyway, what has the fact that the Victorians wrote about it got to do with anything? It still happened didn't it.

Of course many culture and non-religiousgroups celebrated these times of the year as well as pagans. Again, what are you trying to say.

And why the need to convert anybody anyway? This is what gets me more than anything. You live your life, and I'll live mine... without God and religion thanks (the you is a general you)

LadyBeagleEyes · 03/04/2012 23:52

I know nothing about paganism, but it's clear that our festivals are very seasonally based.
For me Easter is the coming of Spring, the buds are coming out, the air is getting warmer, there's lambs in the fields, it's a holiday and it's a feel good feeling.
Same for Christmas, it's a mid winter festival.
Without either, how miserable would we all be.
Maybe I'm a secret pagan, but if I am. I'm with the majority of the population who don't believe in Christianity.