Easter

It’s Easter Sunday and like for Christmas day I have many good childhood memories. Mom used to decorate the house with bouquets of fresh green twigs hung with colourful Easter egg shells. Usually we had nice warm weather which led to a walk in nearby forests for an Easter egg hunt. As children we believed that it was the Easter Bunny being in charge of delivering Easter eggs. The custom of having Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs has its origin in Germany. The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behaviour at the start of the season of Eastertide. The Easter Bunny is sometimes depicted with clothes. In legend, the creature carries colored eggs in his basket, candy, and sometimes also toys to the homes of children, and as such shows similarities to Santa Claus or the Christkind, as they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holidays. The custom was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau's De ovis paschalibus (About Easter Eggs) in 1682. My Grand-Uncle, Willi Harwerth, illustrated a book called “Ostermärchen” written by Christian Morgenstern. His front image pictures 4 Easter Bunnies sitting among beautiful spring flowers. Today we have nice weather and true to tradition we will be doing a walk in the nearby park. HAPPY EASTER!