Out of all of Canada’s national holidays, Easter has some of the strangest traditions. It’s a Christian holiday, but regardless of religion, everyone gets to enjoy a long weekend.
Easter is a great excuse to get together with loved ones, cook turkey or ham, and gorge on too much chocolate. Still, have you ever wondered why we celebrate Easter the way that we do?
If so, you’re not alone. Hunting chocolate bunny eggs doesn’t make a lot of sense but, there are reasons why we do these things.
Regardless of what you are up to this weekend or what you believe, we could all stand to hear the history behind these traditions. Here’s the story behind the tradition—and a Word Hunt to go with.
Banging Bunnies
The festival of Ostara is a pagan holiday used to celebrate the Spring Equinox. A goddess of fertility, Ostara was thought to help all new life grow and was responsible for bringing the spring each year. Have you ever wondered why bunnies became the chosen Easter animal? It’s because she appreciates their sexual appetite. Rabbits were considered to be sacred to Ostara because of how quickly they reproduce.
Coloured eggs and Easter baskets
Ostara loved rabbits so much that she had a special one named Lepus and she gave him the ability to lay multicoloured eggs. As the story goes, children would find the eggs in the forest and present them to the goddess as a sign of fidelity. Overjoyed by their love and gifts, she would have her rabbits return the eggs to the children in grass-filled baskets.
Easter egg hunts
Believe it or not, Easter egg hunts are an adopted tradition that originated from religious conversion. At Easter, Pagan children would colour eggs so that they could present them to Ostara. In order to try to convert these children, Christian priests would offer money in exchange for the eggs.
If you have ever wondered why we hunt for chocolate eggs and paint regular ones, now you know the answer.
On behalf of everyone here at the Cannabis Life Network, we hope that you and your family have a Happy Easter and spring season.
