The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Colgate University's Professor of Astronomy and Archeology Anthony Aveni, author of "The Book of the Year - A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays" is an expert on holiday customs. Here are a few answers to questions frequently posed to him about the celebration of Easter. How does the figure of a rabbit on the surface of the moon relate to the Easter holiday? "The Chinese, Indians, Africans, Mexicans Ð all have looked at the face of the moon... and have discerned the figure of a rabbit. Central to various stories born of this lunar vision is the theme of sacrifice. It is this element of their stories that lies at the root of our modern association of rabbits with the most important Christian festival in the seasonal calendar, Easter. And it is no coincidence then that the date on which Easter falls is fixed by the moon." In the history of the world, when was there the first hint of a seasonal holiday like Easter? "The earliest hint descends from the 24th century B.C. Ð the Babylonian Akitu festival celebrated in the city of Ur and dedicated to the moon and the equinoxes." How did Easter come to represent a convergence of consumption with Christianity in America? "Following the Civil War, an increase in Episcopalian and Roman Catholic immigrants led to an increase in the popularity of the celebration of Easter. Decorating churches and dressing in Easter finery were common practices. The Easter bonnet became a postwar fad and resourceful retailers began promoting Easter cards." How did American folklore embrace the idea that the Easter egg comes, not from a bird, but a hare? "This is a tradition brought over by the Pennsylvania Dutch who were also responsible for the groundhog and Groundhogs Day. The story traces back to a Teutonic goddess of the dawn, Eastre, who changed a bird into a four-footed creature known for its prolific fertility. In parts of 19th-century Germany an effigy of the hare was often placed in baskets of eggs given as gifts during the season. People were prohibited from eating them during Lent so that the luxury of devouring eggs on Easter Sunday might better be appreciated. In more wasteful late 19th century times, they took to rolling them on the ground in a race Ð a vague reminder of the rolling away of the stone from Christ's tomb." Why hasn't the date on which Easter is celebrated ever been established on one particular Sunday? "The date is set by a complicated formula devised in A.D. 325 by the Council of Nicea based on the equinoxes and phases of the moon. Attempts to establish a firm date have always failed." Founded in 1819, Colgate University is a highly selective, residential, liberal arts college enrolling nearly 2,750 undergraduates. Situated on a rolling 515-acre campus in central New York State, Colgate University attracts motivated students with diverse backgrounds, interests and talents.
