The Case for Secular Easter
I grew up Christian. My parents took me to church just as their parents took them to church. And yes I had Sunday school teachers and pastors who guided me, but I felt self-driven. Unlike some children who were not interested or felt forced, I was committed, interested, and liked being part of the tribe. As a child it was nice to have some “truth” to cling to. Like most kids, I was not in control of much in regards to my life. I knew so little compared to what I did not know. Having a religion to stand behind made me feel like I had a bit more concrete in my life.
Of course now that I can look back, my relationship with Christianity was less about faith and more about fact. Try as they might, no one can prove Christianity is the Truth. It is not a huge surprise that as I grew up I realized the fallibility and the relationship fizzled out. I take some of the principals and teachings from the bible with me still. I particularly find value in the quest to be more Christ-like, but I do not believe most of the events in the bible actually occurred, as I had when I was younger.
It is hard separating oneself from what we once believed. I have had to do this more times than anyone that I know of (although I have not spent any time in anyone else’s brain, so maybe that is not a fair claim to make…). My faith unraveled over a couple years, and it took me a while to come to terms with what I actually believed. In reality, I am not totally rock-solid today, but I do not identify as Christian and I probably do not believe in a god.
That brings me to Easter.
Growing up, I was always irritated with friends, community members, television, for making Easter secular. The bunnies, the egg hunts, the gifts for kids who could not tell you the first thing about who Jesus is, let alone what the holiday stood for. (I had the same frustrations around Christmas, by the way.) I believed people were taking a holy day and completely disrespecting it.
Did I come up with this idea entirely on my own? Of course not. Most things children say or think are influenced by their parents, role models, and friends. I am sure one of my parents or Sunday school teachers mentioned this at some point. But I want to be clear on one thing: I am not here to throw anyone under the bus!
Now I do not believe that Jesus rose from the grave on the third day. So the entire premise of Easter is one I do not believe in. Am I done with Easter? Is Easter done with me? Part of me still thinks that you should not celebrate Easter if you are not Christian.
Around family and old church friends I often just try to blend in. I used to be believe what they believe, maybe they still think I do, we have not talked about where I stand, so I just pretend to be someone I am not. This often feels like the easier option. But I also feel like a fraud. I feel guilty for participating in a holiday that celebrates something that I do not believe in. Most people who never believed in Jesus struggle with these feelings around Christmas and Easter (tell me if I am wrong!), so it has made me start to resent them. I left one camp but have not joined another, leaving me stuck in the middle with my cognitive dissonance. Can I still find something to celebrate in Easter?
Last year I was having the same internal debate (and the year before that, and the year before that, and… you get it). I did not want to feel resentment towards humans that are just looking for a reason to celebrate. Could that not be enough? Life often comes and goes and we do not really take a moment to mix things up. Could I learn to grant myself Easter as an opportunity to be playful and joyful with my family or friends? That still did not feel like a good enough answer. So I decided to do some research!
Sometime around middle school someone told me that Pagan traditions inspired the rituals surrounding Christian holidays. I likely felt defensive about this at the time, but it is now an avenue I can explore as a way to approach Easter. I did a deep dive learning about the origins of Easter celebrations, and it should come as no surprise that there is no single origin and no unified understanding. This all happened a long time ago, and things are constantly changing!
Pagans celebrated spring equinox; days are now longer than nights, new life is appearing, all signs that they survived winter. The word Easter likely comes from the pagan goddess Eostre who was the goddess of spring and renewal. (Meanwhile most other European languages derive their word for Easter from the Jewish Passover.) Pagan traditions associated rabbits and eggs with new life and Christians found new meaning in them in connection with resurrection.
I finally found my answer. I no longer celebrate Jesus taking away my sins so that I can live eternally, but I can still celebrate the life I have on earth. Flowers are in bloom, the days are sunnier, and radishes are arriving in my CSA basket. Easter is an opportunity to reflect and try to be a more loving and patient person. I do not believe in the goddess Eostre any more than I believe in a Christian God (although I might pretend to, you know, girl power), but I love the idea of honoring spring and renewal, in whatever way that manifests.
I was not raised to read the bible as an allegory or giant metaphor, but if I look at it that way, perhaps this is what the story of resurrection is really about. Jesus could represent the fact that we always have another chance to be better, stronger, more present, more patient, more loving, for ourselves and others.
This year Easter came during social distancing, so it was even harder for me to know what to do to mark the occasion. I normally dye Easter eggs, but this year I decided to honor my local, already multi-colored eggs, by letting them remain their natural color. I have never spent an Easter alone before, but times are different. So what did I do? I went for a walk and appreciated the sunny weather and blossoming trees, then I came home and did a colorful puzzle.