Before we begin, I think it’s important to know that we are just one pagan family with our own perspective of the world around us. What we believe, and what we observe or don’t observe is a reflection of our family culture, not the default for all Pagans worldwide.
To Easter or Not to Easter? That is the question!
When we first began building our little family the concept of cultivating magical experiences surrounding the holidays we all have come to know and love was at the forefront of my mind. For starters I wanted to honor both sides of our families with the traditions that mattered to each side. I also wanted to honor the parts that aligned with our thoughts and beliefs, even if that meant dropping an observance or two. Not out of disrespect to either family, but out of respect for ourselves. This has lead me down a path where I had to ask myself a lot of questions:
- Does this Holiday align with our thoughts and beliefs collectively as a family?
- Would celebrating this makes our family feel fulfilled?
- What is the origin of this celebration, and how can I honor that?
- How is this Holiday celebrated today, and how can I honor that?
Naturally, when it came to Easter these are the questions I asked and more. While the origins of Easter correlate with other springtime festivals from other cultures, and very much had been influenced by those observances (no not just the Pagan ones), it’s still a Holiday that is rooted in Christianity, and because of that it has always felt disingenuous to celebrate. I mean, I don’t celebrate Passover, Ramadan, or Nowruz, to name a few, during the spring; why is Easter any different?
For one, it’s a holiday that is fairly interchangeable between religious and secular traditions. It’s a holiday that’s so heavily ingrained into much of western society that many people assume it’s the default and up until recently I myself have not heard anyone speak on the other celebrations that are observed this time of year. With the exception of the people who celebrate them, of course.
How did I make my decision?
Choosing to turn away from Easter is a difficult decision to make when you are coming from a family that typically celebrates it. There’s a lot to consider, and choosing not to celebrate can mean a lot of other things, especially in a society that holds even the most secular parts of this holiday as the default. It can easily lead to isolating yourself and your family from community based activities. It’s important in a lot of aspects of life to have a strong communal foundation or else it can feel very ostracizing to be the family that goes against the grain.
However, I do struggle with social anxiety and building a community is painfully difficult. Much to my dismay this is a case where want is my rock and ability is my hard place. This would be a problem for me no matter which end of the spectrum we fall on in this regard.
Now, we are a pagan family and celebrating the vernal equinox instead has always been the preferred choice. It feels more ‘correct’ for us to flow with the natural rhythms of the Earth. Does this mean we don’t celebrate Easter? Not necessarily. However, we are moving away from it. It’s been a few years and a lot of deconstructing our mindsets surrounding this holiday, but for a bit Easter has been celebrated alongside the Equinox, though we are working towards not celebrating it at all.
Typically, I would like to have had baskets of goodies, and a huge meal on the equinox, however this year things didn’t work out as planned and we all decided Easter was a good make up day, plus it gave me a few more weeks of time to get everything sorted.
In short, my answer to the question: “do you celebrate Easter?” Is yes, well at least sometimes, but no it’s not the major holiday in our household.
What about you? What os your favorite spring festival?
neasenest.com 
Leave a comment