When you think of Easter, whether you are religious or not, which family traditions come to mind? Egg hunts were always a favorite of mine. The oval shape egg has been a universal symbol in many religions across the millennia, symbolizing new life, rebirth, and fertility.

According to “The Easter Book” by Francis X. Weiser, S. J. “the origin of the Easter egg is based on the fertility lore of the Indo-European races. To our pre-Christian ancestors, it was a startling event to see a new and live creature emerge from a seemingly dead object. The egg, to them, became a symbol of spring.

Long ago in Persia, people used to present each other with eggs at the spring equinox. For them this also marked the beginning of a new year.

In Judaism, eggs are an important part of the Passover seder plate.

For some Christians, the egg symbolizes the rock tomb out of which Christ emerged to the new life of his Resurrection.

There was a practical reason why eggs became popular on Easter – they were forbidden during the 40 days of Lent. However, chickens still laid eggs, so they were often collected and decorated. Of course, many countries have egg hunts and games. Plastic eggs are often filled with candy treats. Every year in Washington, D.C., there is an egg-rolling party on the lawn of the White House. This custom is traced back to Sunday School picnics and parades at Easter in the years before the Civil War. At these picnics, the children amused themselves with various games and eggrolling was one of them.

THE LOCAL IGA will be opening every Tuesday and Wednesday 7-8 am for seniors.

TAX SEASON IS upon us and Will Rogers said it right – “the income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf.” Or perhaps Henry Leabo has it right when he said “it is more deductible to give than to receive.”

WITH EVERYONE BEING quarantined in their homes, all schools being closed, library and senior center closed and folks can’t gather at local restaurants to have a meal, it’s sometimes difficult to get local news.

My friend laughingly advised me that once this is over, she plans to eat out at least for 3 weeks breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sounds like good advice to me.

You can help me with any personal, family, business or other news of our area.

Just email KayCollings@earthlink.net