Easter and Religion, that’s what it’s all about, right?

Does it have to be?

I am not a Christian.

All of my family are.

I was raised in a Christian home.

My mother is a Christian.

My father is a Christian.

My stepfather is a Christian.

My brother is a Christian.

It’s coming up to Easter and the question I want to ask is …

What does EASTER mean for a NON CHRISTIAN?

I asked a handful of my friends to sum up in a sentence what Easter means for them.

Lauren, who is from a non religious background said ‘Spending time with my boyfriend’.

Davey, who is from a Jewish background said ‘Discounted chocolate’

Mark, who is also from a non religious background (and diabetic) said ‘It means absolutely nothing to me’

Claudio, who is Maltese and is from a Catholic Background said ‘Figgoli’ which is a traditional Easter Maltese biscuit filled with marzipan.

And for me, someone who was raised Christian, but is agnostic, I said ‘FAMILY.’

I’m not going to make this into a RELIGIOUS STUDIES lesson but today I want to explore, what is BEHIND easter, so we can figure out what Easter means for the average, non christian person.

I am and will never negate other people’s religious beliefs and what they choose to celebrate.

The perspective I want to give today is what EASTER can mean for us non religious folks.

The Easter festival was originally tied in with the pagan ritual of celebrating the commencement of SPRING.

Spring equinox.

New life.

New birth.

New plants and flowers.

The Christian festival of Easter is about mourning and then celebrating that Jesus was crucified to bear all of our sins and then came back from the dead.

Christians believe he had to die to free us from the power of sin.

If you look at other religions, festivals arise at this time of year also.

Passover in Judaism.

Holi festival in Hinduism.

It’s a time of REBIRTH.

It’s a time of NEW LIFE.

I mean, if you ARE a christian, Jesus came back from the DEAD (#ogrebirth) so that we can also have new life (#rebirth).

Everything looks towards the concept of NEW LIFE and REBIRTH.

Easter was always a time of celebration in my house hold.

We attended the services at Church.

We would go on a long walk in the countryside.

We would have fish and chips on Good Friday

(In Christianity, it’s tradition to not eat Meat on the day that Jesus died)

We would join together as a family and have breakfast together on Easter Sunday.

And we would have a big Easter meal in the evening, typically lamb.

We would share chocolate Easter gifts with each other.

Now as ADULTS, it’s a time when all of my family get together.

It’s a time of year where after all of us live in different parts of the country, WE ARE REUNITED AS A FAMILY.

My brother lives in Glasgow, and I live in London.

My parents will shortly be moving to Yorkshire as my stepdad will be taking his first role as a Methodist Minister after finishing his training.

As you can see my family are deeply Christian.

Do I feel odd being the only non Christian at Easter?

No.

Honestly not.

Because I respect their beliefs.

And they respect mine.

My brother is currently studying his PHD in Theology.

I had a conversation with him last week about being NON RELIGIOUS at Easter,

My brother said to me,

‘Even if I was NON RELIGIOUS, Easter will always mean a time spent with FAMILY for me’

This does not mean it isn’t valid if you choose to forget Easter.

If it means nothing to you.

If family is a difficult subject.

If it’s a difficult time for you.

As a recovered anorexic, Easter was a fearful time.

I would not and COULD NOT eat chocolate.

I could not engage in ‘bad food’ or eating more than my allotted calories for the day.

It was a time of excess that SCARED THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF ME.

Even last year, I asked that my family did not buy me chocolate as I feared a binge, so I asked for a bottle of whisky.

#priorities

I have never had a healthier relationship with food than right now.

I have never had a healthier relationship with my mental health than right now.

So as a non religious person at Easter, it really is a time to celebrate REBIRTH.

New life.

I think that Easter should be a time where we recognize that WINTER has ended and SPRING has arrived.

The winter can bring cold, dark, often cruel months.

And spring brings sunshine and colour back to the world.

The days are longer. The days are lighter.

Scientifically, we are absorbing more Vitamin D.

It is a time where we should recognize how we have all grown, what we have learnt from Winter and recognize that like Spring, our lives blossom and change.

What can you actively recognize in your own life is REBIRTH?

Maybe it’s that your mood has elevated with the season changing.

Maybe it’s a new job.

Maybe that you’ve started prioritizing relaxation and not over working and over doing things.

Maybe you’ve brought out your spring clothes.

Maybe you’ve connected with an old friend.

Take a moment to sit down and reflect on what is NEW and positive in your life?

What has RE BIRTHED for you?

In the spirit of rebirthing, I decided to make some Chocolate Eastery treats.

Why? Because I would have never engaged in cooking and eating chocolate or dessert items at Easter before.

Life’s too short #YOLO

These are like the Easter treats but more adult, because they’re DINOSAUR EGGS.

(Dinosaurs are more adult, right?)

They’re super simple to make.

They’re dairy and refined sugar free.

Nutty and fruity too!

They’re packed full of good fats, protein and iron.

Topped with a chocolate dinosaur egg filled with homemade Hot Cross Bun peanut butter (but if you haven’t homemade peanut butter, just used store bought. It’s Easter – relax!)

I called them Easter Dinosaur Egg Nests because I like a good sized easter egg and there’s less fiddling aboout to be done with these.

They’re super easy to make with basic, straight forward stuff you can find in the store.

And they’re bad ass because…. DINOSAUR EGGS?

Easter Dinosaur Egg Nests

Ingredients –

• For the nest –
• 70g of bran flakes
• 100g almond flakes
• 40g raisins
• 100g of 70% dark chocolate
• 30g of vegan butter
• 2 tbsp of agave syrup
• For the dinosaur eggs
• 100g of smooth/crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of mixed spice
• 25g of raisins
• 1 tbsp of agave syrup
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100g of dark chocolate

Method-

• Mix peanut butter with spices, raisins, agave syrup and a pinch of salt. Roll into small egg shapes and pop into a container. Put this in the freezer for 30 minutes- 1 hour until more solid.
• Melt 100g dark chocolate, vegan butter and agave syrup in a sauce pan over a low heat on the hob. Take off heat before completely melted and stir until fully melted. This is to ensure the chocolate doesn’t overheat.
• In a mixing bowl, mix together bran flakes, almonds and raisins.
• Pour over chocolate mixture and mix until all is incorporated.
• Get a cupcake/muffin tray and pop in cupcake cases. Put a heaped tablespoon of the mixture in each case, pushing your finger down in the middle for the Dinosaur Egg to sit.
• Put in fridge for 1 hour.
• Melt 100g of dark chocolate in a microwavable bowl in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in between. Do not over heat.
• Get Easter egg nests out of the fridge, and pour a tiny bit of dark chocolate in each hollow of the nest for the dinosaur egg to sit more easily.
• Coat each dinosaur egg in dark chocolate, rolling it in the chocolatey liquid with a spoon and sitting in each Easter nest.
• Put back in fridge for 30 minutes until fully set.
• EnJOY your Easter Dinosaur Egg Nests.

Enjoy your Easters, beautiful ones however you plan to spend it.

Much love,

Joy xx