A recent conversation with several friends who are also lapsed Catholics got me thinking about Easter’s significance in my life. Why do I still celebrate it when I no longer attend Mass?
Ties to my childhood faith remain, although they have thinned and frayed. I’m at a loss to explain why I still feel that religious tug, but I do.
Some of the symbols associated with Easter have an even stronger pull: the natural world coming back to life in spring, daffodil and tulip bulbs blooming after lying dormant for months, and eggs representing new life. The idea of yearly rebirth and renewal resonates with me.
Maintaining an Easter tradition also matters to me, because it ties my small family to past generations.
Even though much of Easter’s religious meaning has faded for me, I feel a connection to my heritage and to the natural world. This Sunday my family will gather, eat a more elaborate meal than usual, and I’ll add a bouquet of spring flowers to the table. I won’t wear special Easter clothes
but our grandchildren might—mostly because it’s fun for their mothers to buy cute outfits. My granddaughters are too young to understand the idea of gathering pretty dyed eggs, so they’ll get small toys, and only the adults will get candy eggs.
Our celebration is not all past generations would have done, but it’s right for me.
Comments
5 responses to “Easter Traditions Evolve”
I think holidays can be about both tradition and religious beliefs, and can also be about one or the other. So there’s nothing wrong with honoring the Easter tradition even if you no longer believe in the faith you were raised in. To each his/her own, I always say! And happy Easter, however you celebrate it!
Thank you! What a good perspective. Happy Easter to you and yours!
Happy Easter, Ellen! 🐇🪺🐥
Thanks! Happy Easter or Spring—whatever you may celebrate 🌷🌞
Thanks! Like you, I lean a bit towards spring!