Killing It In My Sixties

How did we get from celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring equinox ——— to an Easter Bunny and colored egg hunts?  As a born and raised Catholic – I grew up entrenched in the weighty traditions of Lent that spanned those six weeks every Spring.  We started it off with Ash Wednesday and black-smudged foreheads, and concluded on Holy Saturday – the day before Easter Sunday.  As a matter of fact – that whole last week is called Holy Week with Maundy Thursday, (the washing of the feet) and Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. (Why would that EVER be a Good Day?!)

In addition to Holy Week, every Friday during Lent we attended Stations of The Cross in church.  Each class from the elementary school would walk the 2 1/2 blocks down to the church, file into pews and spend the next hour or more, reciting the fourteen devotional steps that commemorated the days Jesus spent crucified on the cross until his resurrection.  What I remember most prominently was the horrible smell of the incense used by the priest as he passed through each station in the church.  It was not uncommon for one or more student to throw up or pass out, due to the oppressive smell.

Those six weeks had many other rules as well, such as No-Meat Fridays, and on Good Friday, between 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm, we were not allowed to do anything fun. We basically just had to sit in our rooms – no television, no playing – just sit there and think about Jesus on the cross.  My best friend had a swimming pool and we weren’t even allowed to swim if it was hot.  As I got older and had a job, I realized that when businesses closed during those three hours – everyone went out to lunch, drank and partied for three hours!  What happened to sitting and thinking about Jesus?!  My childhood was definitely different than other peoples!

To be fair – once Easter morning came – it was all chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, jelly beans and green plastic grass overflowing in our wicker Easter baskets.  And I always had a new special “Easter Dress” to wear to church, complete with  a coordinating hat, new bobby sox and if my feet had grown – new patent leather Mary Jane shoes.  After Church, we always went to my Grandma and Grandpa’s house for the BEST part of the day! We had another huge Easter Egg hunt their with all my cousins – and Grandma always spoiled us so good!!!  She usually cooked either a ham, or a leg of lamb – I hated both – so I just feasted on dinner rolls and Easter candy.  The memories I have tucked away of those holidays with my cousins were some of the best memories I am blessed to have.

It’s curious that I never questioned how the Easter Bunny got to be part of this staunchly religious holiday.  I was probably so relieved to be done with “fasting” and whatever vice I had given up for Lent.  Like an eight year old has a vice – am I right?!  In later years, it was common to give up sweets, or swearing, and later – drinking alcohol.  These sacrifices were meant to give thanks and appreciation to Jesus for dying on the cross to save the rest of us sinners.  Nowadays, I don’t give up anything – I try to be a good person every day rather than just six weeks out of the year.  

My kids always enjoyed Easter – especially the ritual of coloring hard boiled eggs the night before, and then the egg hunt in the morning.  Catholicism was not a prominent part of their upbringing, so church wasn’t usually on the schedule.  In fact I’m not even sure if any of my kids understand the whole religious part of Lent.  Now they have their own kids – and my grandkids have different traditions like, setting a trap to try to catch the Easter Bunny.  Like I want to wake up to a dead bunny in my kitchen!  

I’m not sure why – but I’ve noticed that there isn’t much in the way of family get-togethers either – it’s sad.  Possibly the family dynamics have digressed so much that it isn’t even considered. But I know my grandkids love the traditions around the Easter holiday – especially the candy!!!  Tomorrow to celebrate Easter with my grandkids, I am going to an egg hunt with them and then my granddaughter and I are going to get a mani/pedi spa treatment.  Very nontraditional but memorable just the same.

Happy Easter y’all!