I love a bit of trivia and think my ideal job would be a researcher for the UK TV program QI. With the Easter break coming up, here are a few details to impart to friends, relations, colleagues, and random people on the bus over the long weekend.
Easter is more than just a day off to eat hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and rabbits; it is the most significant event on the Christian calendar, celebrating Christ’s resurrection.
However it takes its origins from a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth.
Celebrated in the northern hemisphere’s early spring, it honoured the pagan Saxon goddess Eostre. When the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the holiday, since it fell around the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, was merged with the pagan celebration, and became known as Easter.
So why the eggs and rabbits? A feast of eggs was used to honour Eostre as it has always been a symbol of new life; coloured eggs would be rolled over fields in the hope of having a good harvest later in the year. According to the legend, Eostre’s favourite animal was a large bird. However one day the bird angered her so she changed it into a rabbit. Thus we have the combination of rabbits and nests with coloured eggs.
Around the world, Easter celebrations have different traditions. In Czech Republic and Slovakia, women can expect a whipping from willow tree sticks as this apparently increases their beauty! Meanwhile the women in Hungary traditionally get a bucket of water poured over them.
In Nordic Easter folklore, apparently witches cavort with Satan at this time of year, so in Sweden and parts of Finland, expect to see something akin to Halloween, with little girls dressed as witches with a copper kettle looking for treats.
In Australia, we have the Easter Bilby delivering eggs on Easter morning. This tradition stemmed from an attempt to raise awareness of the country’s dwindling population of its little rabbit-sized marsupial.
Regardless of faith and country, I’m sure we’ll all have a sense of renewal this weekend simply because we’ve taken an extended break from work.
But stay safe this holiday; anyone who watched the Australian TV series the Gruen Transfer a couple of years ago may remember a spoof advert convincing us to give up our public holidays. For those of you who didn’t see it, in this advert we were advised the less time you were at work, the more you were at risk.
These were the stats given to back up the statement:
– There were 41% more car accidents on a public holiday
– You were twice as likely to be injured doing DIY
– There was a 20% increase in domestic violence
– Alcohol related accidents rose by 25%
– Severe sunburn cases increased by 25%
wadders007 