Happy Easter And Good Friday

Today is a holiday that many Catholics and Christians celebrate. As a Roman Catholic myself most everyone in my extended family celebrates Good Friday. Today's blog is to explain to those of you exactly what Good Friday is all about. So I will begin with the official Catholic version of what this day means to me.

To begin, church and prayer are always expected, and on this very important day Christians and Catholics unite to observe the anniversary of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. It is in memory, and belief that Jesus died for the salvation of mankind. While the entire history of the religious ritual, and observation is deep rooted this link will explain in great detail the entire history and meaning behind the crucifixion.

The most important part of the crucifixion is the celebration of Easter or the "Rebirth" of Christ who is said to have risen after he died. Christians and Catholics believe that Christ will come again and also celebrate his rebirth in one of the most important masses of the year.

To most of us Easter will always be remembered as a family day with Egg painting, crafts, the Easter Bunny and fun events. For me, the best part of Easter is watching my kids run around the yard looking for hidden eggs, and candy. As a kid I remember My parents hiding their loose change in plastic egg containers. We would later hear that the neighborhood kids were still finding surprises months later.

As an adult, one thing always did puzzle me, and that is the idea of an Easter Bunny, to me this is something akin to Santa Claus, while many may know the story of Santa and Saint Nick where exactly did the Easter Bunny come from?

Today I asked myself that very question and learned that the Easter bunny is a symbol of fertility representing rebirth, as rabbits are born in the spring. The Egg on the other hand has more in common with a chicken than a rabbit but they were also considered fertility symbols. Historically Catholics could not eat Eggs due to lent (a fasting period) and at the conclusion of lent (Easter) there was plenty of eggs to be had. This is my take on it, but be sure to share your views as well as I am no expert on the historical evolution of these types of traditions, however they do seem entirely emblematic. Happy Easter to all of you!