Balderdash

Why Is Easter Like Whipped Cream And A Cherry?

Because it’s always on a sundae, of course!
A very happy and blessed Easter to all of you! May we all arise in true Christian spirit and strive to be better people in the future. Easter is the culmination of the season of Lent. During Lent, people are supposed to reflect, fast, pray and do acts of penance. People abstain from a certain kind of food they particularly like, for instance sweets, meat or chocolate, during this period. Unfortunately in our house, we had got loads of chocolates as gifts from people visiting from overseas. Beautiful Dreamer and I just couldn’t resist them. Yes, what greedy hogs we are!
Dancing Doll, who had given up eating chocolate for this period, was gloomily remarking that B.D. would probably wade through all of them in next to no time. So I got a plastic box and put aside her portion and sealed it with packing tape to make sure there was no plundering! Then I marked it with her name so no-one could say they had forgotten that it was hers. I was just thinking the imported Cadbury’s eggs would be definitely overpriced, when hey, presto! My friend from Aussie arrived with some scrumptious looking, colourful eggs. We are looking forward to trying them out since they seem to have very unusual and exotic fillings.
At a recent gathering with friends, one of us remarked that normally we would be abstaining from different types of food, but this year we all seem to be tucking in. Bad girls! One of my friends actually wants to do a thorough investigation on why they are not going to sell Haagen-Das ice cream locally any more. We told her that she must be the only person in Sri Lanka who can afford it! D.D.’s boyfriend told me yesterday, “Aunty, I’ve given up eating pork for Lent, I’m waiting for Easter to come and eat your roast pork with passion fruit sauce!” Help! I can’t quite remember the recipe for Passionate Pork, but I smiled and said, “Sure!” Oh dear, age is stealthily catching up with me.
The name for the feast of Easter is supposed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre. Before the birth of Christ, she was worshipped as the goddess of Spring. Some people believed that the sun died in winter and Eostre made it come to life again in the spring. The animal symbol of Eostre was the hare. The hare signified fertility and rebirth of nature following winter. Since rabbits were more accessible, they replaced the hare and hence we have the birth of the Easter bunny. Children would leave carrots out in their gardens for the Easter bunny during Easter.
Germans told their children to fashion nests out of their caps and bonnets before Easter, and if they were good, the bunny would leave them coloured eggs for Easter. The thinking here was that Jesus died and then rose from the dead. Eggs also appear to be dead but are very much alive, and after a while chicks emerge from them. Long ago, there were reports of eggs made out of carved wood and precious stones. There was a game called egg rolling, where boiled eggs were decorated and then a race was run where the eggs had to be rolled on the grass using a wooden spoon. Sweet eggs appeared in the last century, made of sugar, marzipan or later on, the very popular chocolate.
Easter is the biggest feast in the Christian year, though through the years Christmas has become more popular, probably because of all the commercialisation associated with it. I must share this funny anecdote with you:
There was this guy who was walking out of church after Easter service. The priest was standing by the door, accepting greetings and talking to people on their way out as usual. The priest gripped the guy’s hand and exclaimed, “You need to join the army of the Lord.” The guy replied, “I’m already in the Lord’s army, Father.” The priest said, “Then why do I see you in church only at Christmas and Easter?” The man lowered his voice and told the priest in a conspiratorial manner, “I’m in the secret service!” The priest was flummoxed and the man made a quick get away. How’s that for quick repartee?

So I shall leave you with a corny Easter joke;
What did the Easter bunny say to the carrot?
It’s been nice gnawing you!

— Honky Tonk Woman