It is sometimes interesting to investigate history a little in order to determine the context of modern events.
Take Easter, for example.
While many Christians view Easter as the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, Easter as a religious event goes back much farther than that.
"Easter" comes from the ancient Germanic Goddess of spring, nature, and renewal, Eostre, or Ostara. This Goddess was symbolized by the hare and eggs, for reproduction and fertility during a time of year when the Germanic folk celebrated the coming warmth of spring and the planting of new crops, at a time marked by the Spring Equinox.
People would often color these Easter eggs, give them as gifts, eat them for good luck, and even hang them from trees to welcome good spirits:
The display and gift-giving of colored eggs was a common springtime practice among ancient Saxons, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Egyptians, and other pagan peoples.
This celebration continues today as the Ostara Rite, or Easter, though the Christians have adjusted the storyline a bit.
Even the Easter Bunny comes from the ancient Germanic religions:
Germans brought the legend of the Easter rabbit to America, though Easter itself wasn't widely celebrated in America until after the Civil War.
So give thanks to Eostre by coloring an egg (and you can refer to a previous post on some egg coloring ideas for the computationally inclined), eating a chocolate bunny, and welcoming the warmth of spring. These rituals are much more traditional than you might have previously thought.
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