BY MARK COUPAR
Easter in the truest sense is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus on the Sunday after his crucifixion, in the Christian religion.
Easter is always determined by the Sunday following the first full moon after the equinox. For example, this year the equinox is on 20th March and following full moon is on the 30th March, therefore Easter falls on the 30th March.
The resurrection of Jesus aligns with the new Spring growing season (in the northern hemisphere).
The Easter Bunny character found its way to America in the 1700s by German immigrants with the tradition of an egg-laying hare, so the story goes. Eggs, chicks and bunnies in ancient times were symbols of fertility and new life in the Spring.
In every supermarket Easter eggs surround me. Egg hunts are being planned across the suburbs, and I also remember Easter Bonnet parades at school when I was a kid. Over 25 million hot cross buns were sold in Australia last year – a lucrative sector, which is probably why they start selling them in December.
I wonder how many of our children know the true meaning of Easter – it’s not just a time to eat as much chocolate as possible in the shortest space of time. Wishing all our readers a safe and blessed Easter.
