No bunnies were hurt in this celebration of Easter
- Tammy Wallace
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Easter is another popular holiday celebrated in the United States and many other predominantly Christian countries. I grew up in a fairly rural community (picture large gardens, farm animals, and few stoplights). One day (it was Easter weekend) I remember watching a lamb running as if it was escaping a knife-wielding maniac. Then, a few minutes later, several people ran after the lamb. It really was running for its life, my mother explained. And that is when I started to equate holidays with animal suffering. But more on that another time.
Lamb is the traditional non-vegan dish served at Easter. And it is probably because Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, also known as the lamb of god (yes, that is a lower “g” as I am not Christian). For this reason, Easter is one of the most important holidays in the Christian tradition. Christmas, the supposed day of Jesus’ birth, is not as accurate a date according to many religious studies experts. Based upon many studies, he was probably born in the summer, but Christmas (or Yule as it is known in the Pagan tradition) was bogarted as his birthday and celebrated as such.
Easter, based upon the history of the crucifixion (there was documentation so that date was known as was the length of time bodies were left alone) is a more accurate date in the Christian tradition.
Christianity aside, many secular (non-religious) traditions for Easter that date back to the pre-Christian European cultures continue to the present day.
Several of these traditions are based around eggs. There is egg coloring, egg rolling, and hunting for eggs. Eggs, long associated with fertility (a popular concept to celebrate during the spring season), have been connected to the spring festivals since ancient Germanic times.
Another tradition is the Easter Bunny, which is thought to come to the U.S. from Germany in the early 18th century. Bunnies, also associated with fertility and procreation (the term “going at it like Bunnies” is an idiom about sexual relations), are said to bring children candies and presents, much like Santa Claus during Christmas.
However, while the term “Easter” appears to have Pagan origings, the Easter celebration we know today does not. The term “Easter” is thought to come from Eastra, a Saxon Goddess of Spring whose celebration was held about the same time as the Jewish Passover celebration.
The closest, truly Pagan, holiday is Ostara, the Spring Equinox, which takes place on March 21. Easter, as it is celebrated today, is on a different day each year, depending on the calendar used. In the U.S. it is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon after the Spring Equinox. And that doesn’t seem confusing at all, right?
As children, my siblings, cousins, and I always received Easter baskets from our grandmother. Maybe kids still receive those? And mine was always full of chocolate and books. We would have chocolate bunnies (ears went first!), chocolate eggs, chocolate bars, everything chocolate. And they would usually be from a local confectioner (Cerreta Candy Company in Glendale, AZ). It has always been a family tradition. And even though they don’t have any vegan chocolate options, they do have various nuts to enjoy, so I still purchase gifts for my family from them.
But…much like Halloween and Christmas, you can still enjoy Valentine’s Day as a vegan. So many vegan options exist! Instead of Lamb, try a vegan pasta dish. Or, if you still want that “meaty” mouthfeel you can use seitan steaks (the best “turkey” dinner I’ve had was seitan cutlets with mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and veggies). Instead of chocolate bunnies, you can make vegan chocolate truffles or a tart. Instead of dying chicken or duck eggs (I once knew a bougie family that bought Ostrich eggs to dye), you can make vegan sugar cookies and decorate them in the shape of eggs.
For more information about Easter, or vegan options to celebrate Easter, check out these links:
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