Happy Easter!

Tati: Mel wrote this post for Friday, but my lazy ass is posting and commenting only tonight. You can approach this in two ways:



#1 thinking I’m lazy.

#2 pretending Mel is posting from the past and I am commenting from the future.



Another note. You will notice our Easter banner looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! That is because Agnes was busy with her work and I had to do the banner this time. Don’t tell her I’m better though, we don’t want her feelings hurt!



Mel: Well today is Good Friday which in and of itself is weird but the bizarre etymology of that is not what I wish to look at today – rather the events to take place on Sunday. Yes folks, Sunday is Easter and no matter which way you look at it, there is something to celebrate and a way to celebrate it.



Tati: I like to celebrate it by painting bunnies instead of eggs.



Mel: The holiday of Easter, like that of Christmas and other major Christian holidays, comes from a repurposing of Pagan holidays and celebrations. Easter most likely comes from Eastre a Saxon goddess of the dawn that symbolized Spring and Fertility. Her specific symbol was the rabbit and in many accounts the egg. Her celebration took place in April around the Spring Equinox. Questions as to where Eastre herself originated and what she symbolizes fall under debate however she is generally grouped with Ishtar and other goddess of sex and fertility. Festivals in Eastre’s honor were often at dawn and the Christian tradition of the Sunlight Service may have origins in these roots. Interestingly a lot of the “messages” of Easter – rebirth, life, light, etc coincide with those of Spring celebrations themselves and particularly Eastre’s.



Tati: AHHHHH! Tha's why bunnies lay eggs during Easter then!

Mel: YEP! So for you – 12 Easter/Eastre traditions, symbols & celebrations:



Rabbits –connected with Eastre as a symbol of Fertility because if there is one thing that bunnies do it’s procreate. Which when the only thing lower on the food chain than you is grass, it makes total sense. I whole heartedly support Bunnies and their fuzzy little tails and wiggly little noses.

Tati: You know Mel, you shouldn't underestimate rabbits. I mean I once thought turtles were cute and harmless, until I saw a turtle eating a pigeon in one fucking bite! Here, if you wanna see it too.



What about this bunny? It looks like a bunnification of a mad man ready to kill you!

Donnie Darko anyone?

Mel: Well, Should you decide to ignore Tati's delusions and so choose, you can do Bunny related activities in celebration such as: The Bunny hop and other Rabbity, Twitchy Dances.







Tati: Bella looks highly disturbed, disturbING!



Mel: You can spend your Easter eating carrots and saying “What’s Up Doc?” , Put Objects on a Bunny, Build a Giant Bunny, Watch some Happy bunny, Wear Bunny Ears, poke a bunny...



Wear some Bunny Shoes, Make Bunny Crafts, Do some bunny bumming, visit the Bunny Ranch or invent your own Rabbit Game:







Tati: Since we are on bunny mode, you can watch your favorite movies re-enacted by bunnies right here.

Mel: Eggs – symbols of life and spring and Eastre it is traditional in many parts of the world to color & decorate eggs. Afterwards people hide them, find them, roll them, break them, give them, save them, and eat them.

Tati: I love how you put the egg spring roll on the montage, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with Easter eggs…Or has it? Care to explain?



Mel: Nope!



The Sun – because of the proximity to the Spring Equinox – the symbol of the end of winter and the shortening of the night, originally celebrated as the true “New Year”, Dawn celebrations continue in the form of sunrise services, however should you not be attending church in your jammies this year there is nothing stopping you from greeting the dawn in your own private way.



Tati: The Sun : )

Mel: New Clothes – I always wondered as a kid but never complained, about wearing a pretty new dress for Easter. However much like Brazilian new year and new underwear, apparently its good luck to shed the old, and celebrate the changes of the new.

Tati: That's kinda freaky (the babies I mean...)



Mel: Bonfires – Held from Good Friday till Easter Sunday apparently it’s the time when witches are at their worst and witches are scared of fires. Although if historically burned on them, I think I too would avoid them.

Tati: I believe not only witches, but every living creature should stay away from bonfires.

Don't worry, your sight should come back in a few minutes

Mel: Witches

In Finland little girls (and sometimes boys) dress up as witches and go door to door reciting good luck poems in exchange for money and candy. I sense the work of Elvis in this – who is eating my EASTER LIME PIE STOP IT RIGHT NOW!

Fat Elvis looks full of Mel's lime pie

Mel: Water

Used in just about every religion somewhere as blessing, purity and the like (baptism anyone?). Apparently people in Africa and Europe really get in to it, with guys throwing buckets of cold water at the girls. It starts by breaking into your neighbor’s home and pouring buckets of cold water over the sleeping women folk and continues from there into an all day water fight. An elaborate mating ritual that gets everyone completely soaked in possibly freezing temperatures, who could say no? Have a water fight in celebration!



Tati: I would probably eat off the head of the motherfucker who woke me up with a bucket of water (you've been warned).



Mel: Spanking

Okay, apparently popular in Eastern Europe in addition to or instead of water – spanking someone with twigs is supposed to be a blessing?



Men make homemade switches (whips) by tying together willow & birch branches and decorating them with ribbons – they then go around hitting women so they stay healthy and beautiful. The woman then gives him a colored egg or money in order for him to stop and as “thanks”.



I suggest if this is how you wish to celebrate Easter you do it with consenting parties in order to avoid prison.



Tati: Leave it to Europe to make fucked up stuff looks normal...







Mel: Chocolate

Chocolate rabbits come from Germany and came to the US by way of the Pennsylvania Dutch (aka Amish) and in many parts of the world that have European influence Easter is marked by Chocolate Eggs & Chocolate Rabbits. In Brazil the eggs are commercialized chocolate eggs – like a Snickers or Crunch Egg, or with themes like Spiderman, Wall-E & Hannah Montana.



Tati: Or Star wars shit

Mel: Butter Lambs

Apparently in some parts of Europe “Butter Lambs” are made and served at Easter. Take this time to make your own butter sculptures!

Tati: D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G

Mel: Hot Cross Buns – Like so many other things these are an old tradition that then have been repurposed but basically these are buns with candied fruit or chocolate with a cross shape on the top made with frosting, slicing the bread or well however you want really. There are other traditional breads & cakes but these seem to be the most popular. If you make them today they supposedly have MAGIC POWERS OF HEALING. So make some today – here’s a recipe for you: recipe



last but not least…



Mel: PEEPS!

Everything can be made “Easter” with the addition of a Marshmallow Peep. This marshmallow goodness hailing from Bethlehem, PA is Easter at its best. Peeps = Instant Easter Dioramas, Microwaves & the Apocalypse.

Tati: Peep show hihihi

There was supposed to be a video of Elvis peeping the peeps here but Mel got lazier than me, so please enjoy a cool video of nothing: