Ostara and Holiday wars

[sparkindarkness]

Ostara is a wonderful relaxing but energising holiday to me. I have been enjoying feasting and dancing and joy and knowing that the year's a going and it's time to get on with it all, all the groundowrk I laid down in Imbolc and even beltane, it's time to get well on with it and get life (and my life) into full swing. I'm recharged, refreshed, powerful and proactive. I like it.


Of course I begin my recharge with a brief look at my forums to see the same eternal arguments

Nutcase no.1 screams at all his fellow Christians that only pagans celebrate Easter and true Christians should celebrate Passover you evil heathens. My response: Easter has pagan roots. So? Does it matter? Modern celebrants of Easter either don't care about religion at all (which is another matter entirely) or are still praying to the Christian god, think of al the christians things etc. Honestly, they're celebrating your holiday and they're worshipping your god, does it really MATTER that they're not doing it according to what you consider the official forms? Do you really think your god (your all loving one, remember?) is going to go apeshit over this? Frankly, if your deity does have those kind of anger management issues I'd be leaving his church.

Nutcase 2, who believes pagans are faking to be trnedy (which, to be fair, I think a fair few do, but that's their business) smugly asks whether I will be taking advantage of the holiday and whether I will be having chocolate eggs because it's a CHRISTIAN holiday (he does this every Christian holiday in an attempt to prove my covert Christianity by receiving Christmas presents or some kind) Ok, try analysing that again nutcase and tell me exactly what EGGS and BUNNIES have to do with crucifiction? Honestly.

Nitcase 3: *sigh* look, didn't we cover it at Christmas? Just because someone doesn't say "happy easter" doesn't mean there is a vast conspiracy to destroy Christianity. No, it doesn't. The existence of non-Christians is NOT indicative of persecution against Christianity. Gods, who says "happy easter" anyway?!

There is some more semi-legitimate whining about the holidays and shops being closed and only Christian holidays being recognised. Personally I look it at like this - national holidays and days off are a GOOD thing. Free time good. No work good. Sleep in Good. It's all good. Now, it would be nice if every religion could be recognised this way, but how many days WOULDN'T be a holiday under those circumstances? Take the day off. Call it "I'm a lazy arse and like chocolate" day instead of Easter (because, let's face it, the number of Easter celebrators going to church in this country? Not that many). Have some chocolate.

We need some days off. They might as well be now as any other time (though an extra one in November would be nice 'kay thanks).

Comments

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Would it be too horribly crass to offer to share our Thanksgiving with you? Fourth Thursday in November, aka "eat yourself sick while watching idiots in padded costumes pretend they have balls" day.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

If the government will give us a day off for it I'll bite!

[touchstone.livejournal.com]

For Nutcase #2: http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/002389.php

As far as Nutcase #1 and divine anger management issues go, I can only quote the old aphorism: 'We create God in our own image.'

[baranduyn.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. I also celebrate pagan and societally-sanctioned variants, except I always have devilled eggs on Easter.

We also have people who move the celebration of solar Sabbats to the weekend for convienience sake. Uh, no. The Equinox or Solstice falls when it falls and rituals work best when in tune with the actual Equinox or Solstice as opposed to the flippin' weekend. Not that I'm averse to celebrating a holiday three or four times, mind you.

Bugger. Anybody want some devilled eggs?

[klgaffney.livejournal.com]

people need to calm the hell down, celebrate what the choose to celebrate for the reasons they would celebrate it, and leave other people the hell alone. every persons relationship or not relationship with their god(s) needs to stay between them and their god(s), and is thier own business. i hate that crap. anybody else that sticks their nose were it doesn't belong shouldn't complain when it gets bitten off.

...and now i'm thinking maybe one SHOULD just make buttons with the fravashi "minding one's own business" saying on it and just sticking them to people.

and i will never see anything wrong with wishing anyone a happy day, regardless of what they want to call it. jeez.

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

People say Happy Easter over here, but it's generally a person to person sort of thing. I'd give a double-take to anyone in a store wishing me a Happy Easter, but I expect it from family. (Although most of my family usually say Happy Easter with this curious expression that asks, "Can I say Happy Easter to the pagan? Is that okay?")

My Easter/Ostara was lovely, but I avoided any and all message boards. Also, I give it about 10 years before Easter is just as commercialized as Christmas and ceases to be a Christian holiday at all.

[kathminchin.livejournal.com]

I say Happy Easter to my Christian friends. They respond with Happy Ostara to me. I guess I'm lucky that I don't get the insane nutjobs.

[manna]

Every year, I get an Easter card from my mother-in-law, addressed to Mr & Mrs [My Husband's Name]. As an atheist who kept my own name when I got married, it used to make me roll my eyes. Now I just have some more chocolate instead.

Now, it would be nice if every religion could be recognised this way, but how many days WOULDN'T be a holiday under those circumstances?

I think recognising a few more religions' rights to a Bank Holiday or two would be a great idea. If we try, I bet we can get down to a four day week for at least half the year.

[mnemsyne.livejournal.com]

I didn't really realize that Easter is pagan as well. (I'm pretty bad about remembering exact days though.)

They should all eat more chocolate. It's good for the endorphins.

I'm so tired of this war of the religions bullshit.

[thisdaydreamer.livejournal.com]

Does no one recognize the holiness of the day after Easter? Half Price Chocolate Day!!!! It is also celebrated on February 15th. *happily munches on good chocolate*

[solid-squid.livejournal.com]

I think the suggestion is that the egg symbolises the rock rolling away from his tomb, hence rolling them down hills (although it's a complete waste of an egg and didn't happen until three days *after* easter). Iirc though, wasn't the egg actually a symbol of the pagan godess who's date of worship became easter?

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

LOL, very true - and rather depressingly so

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I celebrate and ritual on the actual date but also may hve a coven meeting as close to the date as is actually possible simply because practicality demands it of me, it will be less ritual laden (insofar as anything is) and more celebratory though - because we want to keep celebrating AS a coven and honour each other, ourselves as a group and a whole as well as celebrating ourselves and the day

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It needs to be tatooed on everyone's foreheads, really it does

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It seems weird, it's like a new thing a very few people are doing. I can't decide if it's the religious ones pushing for more prominence or a commercial attempt to turn Easter into more of a money maker

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Sanity... how very very odd in this day and age

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

heh, I've long since given up trying to explain things to some of my relatives, normally i let a lot slide because it's sooo much fun when they say something very very silly in front of me and I get to say *ahem* in a pointed tone and see how many shades their face can go through

rockin'! All hail national holy long weekend in the name of the goddess... umm... Slackyiesis!

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

More sex and chcolate and marijuana for everyone!

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I'm weird in that I'm not a lover of chocolate (I like chocolate, don't get me wrong, but in any quantity? Just makes me sick) and hate hot cross buns. i generally look at Easter and the cheap chocolate days after with an eternal outsider attitude *sniffle*

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's a new one on me :) They'll really stretch when they have to, won't they?

Eggs (and bunnies) are both common fertility rituals and common in the many rituals (including Ostara, the goddess) at this time of year

[mnemsyne.livejournal.com]

I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

[solid-squid.livejournal.com]

Ostara, that was the one! I knew it started with an O, but wasn't sure of the rest.

And yes, that's what I was told as a kid, that the rolling eggs down the hill symbolised the rock rolling away from the enterance to the tomb. As far as I'm aware that's what the people telling me believed too.

Only reason I remember though is cause we used to tease my sister about her slip when she claimed the tomb was the one that rolled away. I figured it sorta fit with everything we were taught, but was a little doubtful since it was specifically an egg at easter, not a boulder

[solid-squid.livejournal.com]

and dude, how did I miss the name in the title of the post -.-;