63336 hunts down the Easter rabbit

22 April 2011

Easter, the movable feast based around the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, has become synonymous with over-priced chocolate eggs and chocolate bunnies. The name "Easter" itself has nothing to do with Christianity, though; it comes from an Old English word, "Ēostre". Ēostre was a Germanic goddess who was celebrated in the Anglo Saxon time period known as Ēostur-monath, which eventually became Easter.

The reason Easter's a movable feast is because the First Council of Nicaea (a meeting of important bishops in 325AD) decided that the feast would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon following the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere. Previously, the date had been set by the Jewish calendar but some Christian scholars believed the Jewish calendar was no longer accurate enough, so the council came up with a new computation for the date.

The Easter bunny appears at this time as a symbol of the fertility of Spring. Easter eggs are given because the egg was a pagan symbol of the Earth's rebirth (spring) and early followers of Christianity adopted the egg as a symbol of the rebirth (or resurrection) of Christ.

However it isn't all about eggs and bunnies in some parts of the world; various Easter traditions have sprung up in other countries:

Parts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands have a traditional story that church bells fly off to Rome during Easter, after being silent for a few days beforehand because they are mourning the crucifixion of Jesus. The bells then fly back to their native countries bringing chocolate eggs as gifts.

Bonfires are a common tradition in various parts of Scandinavia at Easter time. This is because the popular holiday Walpurgis Night (named after Saint Walpurga) falls close to Easter. This night for witches has Scandinavian children going trick or treating whilst bonfires are lit to keep Judas Iscariot away: a sort of Easter/Halloween/Bonfire Night mash-up.

In the Czech Republic, people might get a good whipping at Easter time, but only if they are fortunate! It is considered good luck to be gently beaten with a braided whip which is believed to make the receiver happy and healthy for the rest of the year.

In Poland people prefer to eat a butter lamb rather than an Easter egg. Naturally, lambs are a common symbol of spring in many countries, but they aren't often made completely of butter. This fatty treat is known locally as Baranek wielkanocny.

In various places such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Mexico, Easter time means it's time to set fire to an effigy of Judas. There were times when this event was known rather controversially as the "burning of the Jew" in some Latin American countries.

Many people in the world look forward to Easter, but maybe not so much the people in the Philippines who decide to re-enact parts of the Via Dolorosa at Easter. Devout Christians will carry a heavy cross, indulge in some self-flagellation and in some cases even allow themselves to be nailed to a cross.

In Bermuda people like to fly kites at Easter, to represent Jesus ascending to heaven.

In Switzerland fountains are turned into festive Easter Wells, using decorations and streamers. For these places, especially in the Alps, water is a symbol of life.

Finally Australia. Being a country full of the most dangerous animals in the world, an Easter bunny wouldn't last too long, so Australians have adopted an Easter Bilby instead. A Bilby is a nocturnal omnivore that likes eating bugs and looks like a cross between a mouse and a rabbit that's been hitting the gym on a frequent basis.

Whatever your inclinations, 63336 wishes you a Happy Easter and suggests you don't eat all your Baranek wielkanocnys at once.

63336, launched in April 2004 and the world's first premium text based question and answer service, is designed to answer – in minutes – any question sent via premium text or from the 63336 mobile app. From the start it has led the market in providing the fastest, most accurate, and most entertaining way to get answers to any question: from trivial, to tricky, to downright troublesome. Answers are provided by a highly–skilled workforce of home-based researchers, 95% of whom reside in the UK. The service is available 24/7, even when you're abroad.

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