Easter: Tradition vs. Truth

Every year, we engage in a bizarre ritual involving plastic grass, vinegar-dyed eggs, and chocolate ears. But when you strip away the cellophane, what remains?

We hide brightly colored eggs for children to find. The egg is an ancient symbol of the "primordial tomb." 

Long before the modern era, eggs were forbidden during Lent. On Easter Sunday, people would break their fast with eggs, often painting them red to symbolize the blood of Christ.

Its "truth" is less about a scavenger hunt and more about the celebration of a life-giving force breaking through a cold shell.

Easter is one of the few holidays that isn't tethered to a fixed date on the solar calendar. Its truth is astronomical. It is determined by the Paschal Full Moon—specifically, the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.

It is a holiday literally synchronized with the cycles of the earth and sky.

The "Easter Hare" was brought to America by German immigrants in the 1700s. The "truth" here is purely biological; hares and rabbits are ancient symbols of fertility because of their ability to reproduce rapidly in the spring.

You might say a Hare fucks like a rabbit!

Over time, the fierce "Hare" was softened into the cuddly "Bunny" to sell more marshmallow chicks and chocolate.

Buy a new outfit, buy a basket, and eat a massive ham dinner.  At its center, Easter is the narrative of The Great Pivot. It’s the idea that a story which looks like a tragedy (a death) can actually be a comedy (a rebirth).

Whether you view it through a religious lens, a spiritual lens or a seasonal one, the truth of Easter is the stubborn persistence of life. It’s the refusal to stay buried.

In a world that often feels static or declining, Easter—stripped of its fluff—serves as a reminder that cycles are real. Winter ends. Things change.