"The cocklet easter bunny was good. I love Nathan and the whole famly. I want mom! I am going to have Icecream. Mom! Mom! No!"
Ah. Such were the days.
I really only have fragments of memories when it comes to Easter. Our "Easter Bunny" encounters always took place on Saturday as opposed to Easter Sunday so Christ wouldn't have to share the spotlight with the Easter Bunny. Four dozen eggs (or so it seemed...I'm not sure if it really was that many), masking tape, stickers, rubber bands, crayons and dye were set out each year and our creativity was unleashed. At the very end we'd combine all the dyes together for the last egg. Our hope was to get a black egg, but it generally turned out a brown/purplely color.
Hiding eggs took place in a couple of locations throughout my life. As a child I remember going to the woods with the whole family, each child with a basket in hand. As the children paired up to look for the Easter bunny, my parents or the older children would "look for the easter bunny" in the opposite direction and actually hide the eggs. Dad would generally let out a loud whistle when they were done and he'd yell, "I think I saw the Easter bunny! He was over here!" We'd all run back and "just miss" seeing the Easter bunny, but he'd left eggs and the hunt would begin. There were almost always one or two eggs that'd get left behind because even the hiders couldn't remember all the hiding places. I also have random memories of having Easter egg hunts in Grandma Hunt's backyard with our Crane cousins. I think we also participated in a city egg hunt or two at the golf course...
It's been about 6+ years since I last dyed eggs or had an egg hunt. We generally just have a nice Easter dinner and maybe get a package of candy in the mail from Mom Bras(s). This week, however, I've actually thought more on the history and meaning of Easter from different religious stand points.
Thursday I had the opportunity to help make a Seder Passover dinner. We made matzo ball soup, chicken, vegetarian liver pate with matza bread, salad and fruit salad. It wasn't a full Seder, but it was enough to give the girls a glimpse. They watched "The Prince of Egypt" to get a little background on the Passover, and the mom of one of the girls lead them through a very abbreviated Seder dinner and ceremony.
It started me thinking about Christians and why, for the most part, we don't celebrate Passover. I knew about the Passover. I'd learned the story of Moses and the Exodus and considered it an important piece to Christian history. So why don't most Christians continue the tradition? And how does the Passover relate to Easter?
When I realized how limited my knowledge was on all this, I was quite astounded by my ignorance. My main problem is I've never really thought about it much. I didn't grow up around any sort of Jewish community so it didn't come up frequently.
So this morning was filled with wikipedia research, and this afternoon I also had more questions answered in church.
In Sunday School I asked why it is we don't all have some passover dinner just to help us remember our Israelite heritage and history. The answer I got was this:
The passover was a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice and atonement. Just as the firstborn were saved by the blood of the unblemished lamb, so are we saved by the blood of Christ. The unleavened bread also was a symbol of purity (because it doesn't mold or go bad) and can also be symbolic of Christ (He is the Bread of Life, and I guess that could mean matzo bread as well). As the Israelites were commanded to eat the passover meal in haste, we should be quick to repent. The Last Supper was a Seder dinner in which He told his disciples that the water and bread were symbols of his flesh and blood. We now remember on a weekly basis when we partake of the sacrament. Therefore, the sacrament should serve as a weekly reminder rather than a yearly reminder that the Passover dinner would provide.
That all made sense. However, I think it would still be neat to have a small seder dinner every year and at least recount the Israelite history and what it foreshadowed. Maybe I will, that is, if I can convince Matt...
8 comments:
I know there are a few spelling errors. I've corrected them but Blogger is slow to change them today. Grrrr. Darn you blogger.
we used to make haroset every year as part of our easter dinner. it's a mixture of fruits and nuts (prunes, raisins, dates, currants) sweetened by cooking it all down to a mushy spread with Passover wine. as part of a seder it represents mortar, and you spread it on toast or matzoh crackers. i like the idea of symbolic food.
we've had lamb for years as our basic easter dish. the meal is more or less middle eastern most years. yesterday i roasted a bunch of eggplants and made baba ghanoush for an appetizer, and we had a yummy side of jerusalem couscous (the big pearls) with apricots and shallots and garlic cooked into it. we had a caper sauce for the lamb. it all made for yummy leftovers today. just typing this is making me hungry; i think i'll go get a little snack to hold me over to dinner.
That's so cool Bry. I'd also thought about the lamb thing...seems much more appropriate than ham (the super un-kosher but American traditional Easter meat). Matt's family loves lamb, but he's never been too fond of it. Truthfully, I've never tried lamb that I know of. The smell has been enough to keep me at bay.
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Have you tried hypnosis...?
yes, we always dyed 4 dozen eggs. Vegatarian liver pate? please explain.
I, too, would like to see us celebrate passover. Sometimes we have had ward parties with a passover theme.
On Easter morning I went out very early and enjoyed the sunrise and the cooing doves and read the Easter accounts in the New Testament. I also got to see the beautiful setting moon which was almost full. I think passover always comes on the full moon. It would start at sundown. So, that is the same time Christ was crucified and as I looked at the moon I realized it would have looked about like that on the day he was resurrected.
By the way, I loved the year that Bryan made us all mid-eastern food for Christmas. I am sure he does a great job with Easter too. I suggest you and Matt dye some eggs next year for the fun of it. Great way to be creative.
Hipnosis...if when I'm pregnant I have a hard time with smells maybe I'll consider it.
Mom: It was a blended mixture of mashed lentils, onions, garlic, hard boiled eggs and a few other things. I never would have guessed what it was made out of if I didn't know. I've never had real liver pate so I can't tell you how similar it was, but the lady that was helping me with the Seder said it was just like the real thing.
a blended mixture of mashed lentils, onions, garlic, hard boiled eggs and a few other things. Now doesn't that sound yummy. Actually, liver pate doesn't exactly sound great either but I haven't ever tried tried it. Would I have to have 57 bites of it?
I am taking credit for the rubber bands, crayons, stickers, and masking tape. They are all tricks I learned from Cannon's sister Rainey, and then I taught them to our family. Before that, I think we just did wax candles and dye.
Bryan, you are an amazing cook. I am at a stage of life where I do 5 ingredients or less.
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