This is a load of piffle, isn't it?

[Psipsina]

We got handed a religious magazine for children yesterday by a fairly fierce looking woman.

It was nice of her to give us one however the copy is terrible, I don't know who writes it - think it's published by the Salvation Army.

This paragraph for a start:

'Chomping chocolate eggs is fun, but did you know there's a serious side to Easter eggs too? The chocolate eggshell is a symbol of the tomb where Jesus was placed after he died. Breaking through the chocolate egg represents the stone being rolled away from Jesus' tomb . And the eggs-tra treat we find inside reminds us of the joy Jesus' followers experienced when they discovered the tomb was empty, because Jesus had been brought back to life.'

That's patently not the case, or is it? I must have missed some significant bits of my religious education if it is.

I was always disappointed that the creme egg easter eggs were not giant creme eggs.

MrsTerry you must know some odd Christians, I've known a Christian to stop a pagan celebrating the solstice festivals.

Not all Christians agree but I think combining the festivals (-and Halloween of course) has been a wonderful way of ensuring that these ancient festivals have been remembered for the last two thousand years and not lost in the mists of time, even though that's not what the Romans intended when they did it.

never known proof reading fail!

Eigg it's only on here. The Christians I know IRL always share their chocolate! Every flipping year there's a thread about atheists either banning Christmas or falsely celebrating Christmas.

In my world, we should all celebrate as many festivals as possible; Eid; Hanukkah; Christmas. I choose to celebrate them all without the attendant fasting unfortunately.

MrsTerryPratchett is right you know Celebrate them all!!

It's Passover as well, I think. Christians nicked 'Easter' from the pagans, likewise 'Christmas'. I can remember reading somewhere (some scientific magazine, don't ask me which) that Jesus was born in September/October due to the position of the North Star etc.

That's right Lady Sybil it was a Roman propaganda campaign.

Me and LadySybil will be over >>> here drinking sloe gin and celebrating whatever!

And Eigg. Fancy a gin?

a lot of Easter stuff was nicked from the pagan spring festivals - Oestara (same word route as oestrogen, oestrous , big fertility connection) its the vernal equinox, planting season, better weather, fresh growth, mad hares, chicks and little lambs a-gambol and all that...
seemed to be a pretty good metaphor for resurrection - but many of the customs predate Christianity considerably (although I remember being told egg rolling was about rolling the stone away from the tomb)

chin chin

not sure where the chocolate comes in but I find it hard to disapprove

The first time I'd heard about the stone and tomb thing was on the back of a 'Real Easter egg' - the fairtrade ones last year. They get handed out to my DC from Sunday School...
I think it is complete bollocks - the egg as far I ever knew (even from a Christian pov) was a symbol of new life and rebirth.
Which of course was tacked onto a pagan festival.
I also thought the name Easter is nicked from the name of pagan goddess of spring - which has a similar origin as the word Oestrogen etc...

Cross post with didact

I always thought rolling hard boiled eggs down a hill was about the stone rolling away from the tomb; and I am fairly old. We used to do it every Easter Sunday and that was a few decades ago.

Eggs are part of the Passover meal, to symbolise new life. I think the Christian eggy tradition has stemmed from that in some part.

I thought this was true, and why we roll eggs down a hill-to represent the stone rolling away from the tomb?

Where does a Christmas Tree, Holly, Ivy and a shed load of food come into the bible? It doesn't! It's a celebration of midwinter, sharing food with loved ones and celebrating nature. I think you're right, Shockers. Christianity just nicks other religious festivals and claims them as their own . I bet Easter's all bollocks too. He probably died in the middle of Summer for all we know.

I'd never heard this before I read it on another MN thread this morning.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/03/easter-pagan-symbolism

"Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn't really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. There were plenty of parallel, rival resurrected saviours too."

I was akways told rolling an egg symbolised the rock rolling away from the tomb. I always whack my Easter eggs against a wall by rolling them.

Some Glaswegian Easter humour.

Yes, I work in a school and heard one of the teachers telling this analogy to the kids. It's bollocks! (in my opinion). I reckon it's all recently made up stuff. I've never heard it before.

My daughter told me that story too, but there's at least one sally army teacher at her school. We once had the pleasure of being given one of their magazines, which landed in the bin as soon as the kids didn't pay attention.

thought this was true, and why we roll eggs down a hill-to represent the stone rolling away from the tomb?

This is what I was told 30 odd years ago when I was at school. Non religious school too, allegedly.

I thought the eggs represented chocolate companies making a bob one last time for the rest of the year...until Christmas.