Bunnies, Jesus or Both?

I’m going to admit it, Easter is my favorite holiday. I know, everyone loves Christmas with all the decorations and presents etc. but, to me, Easter is as good as it gets. Flowers are blooming, winter coats are tucked away, days are longer and there’s a feeling of renewal in the air.

That renewal is not just a seasonal affair for me, it’s very much a religious one as well. For Christians, Easter is the central feast in the liturgical year. After a forty day season of fasting, prayer, and penance called Lent, on Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Both my husband and I are Catholic and we baptized our daughter into the Church when she was only 6 weeks old. It is very important to us that she learn about the Church’s traditions as well as practice them.

While she’s still too young to understand our beliefs, she is very much a part of our Church and our faith is very present in our home. We say the same prayer with her every night before she goes to bed and we take her to Mass every Sunday with us.

I’m looking forward to this Easter because she just turned one and will be able to grasp some of the merriment around it. No doubt, she will be fascinated by giant bunnies, egg hunts and pretty dresses, but I’m hoping she’ll take in some of the spiritual aspects as well. Liturgically, this season has some of the most beautiful services of the entire year with feasts like Palm Sunday, Easter and the Ascension.  

While it’s important to me that she understand and engage in our Catholic faith, it is equally as important that she appreciate other religions. This is especially important since we live in an international city such as Washington.

This time of year is particularly enlightening since Easter is linked to Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its placement on the calendar. As she grows up, we’ll be able to explain to her that people celebrate different holidays based on their religious beliefs, yet many of those feasts can also be linked up through history.

As for the “secular” symbols of Easter such as baskets and dyed eggs, I have absolutely no problem with them. As long as she knows that it is a religious holiday, the rest is just bonus!

In fact, my first purchase, on a recent trip to the North End of Boston, was a surprise-filled chocolate egg. Italian tradition states that every child must crack open a big chocolate egg on Easter morning. The egg always contains a special surprise. Who am I to break with tradition?!