Today's challenge topic is; Health Activist Choice! Write about what you want today.
I'll admit it is a nice break today to choose my own topic to write about. And since tomorrow is Easter, I thought I would make my topic related to Easter!
So where did the idea of the Easter bunny and eggs come from anyway? The exact origins of the Easer bunny are a bit unclear. Rabbits are known to be prolific procreators and are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. The Easter bunny is thought to have first arrived in America in the 1700's with German immigrants. Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. The egg is an ancient symbol of new life. It has been associated with pagan festivals for celebrating spring and symbolizes the rebirth of the earth. Dying Easter eggs is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century.
Last year, I wrote about skipping the pre-packaged Easter egg dyes to make your own natural Easter egg dyes. This year why not take it a step farther, and instead of dying real eggs, why not come up with a more ethical option. Did you know, egg laying hens are probably the most confined animals of today's factory farms? According to the Farm Sanctuary, over 280 million egg laying hens in the US are confined to battery cages, stacked and lined up in warehouses. Each hen is packed inside a 16 inch wide cage with four other hens. In this tiny space the hens cannot even stretch their wings or legs. I won't go into more detail here about the horrors of factory egg farms, but if you would like to read more, check out this article by the Farm Sanctuary for more information. If you do choose to use real eggs this year, buy them locally from a farmers market, you not only support your local businesses, you also help out the environment by reducing waste and consumption of fossil fuels through transportation. Make sure these eggs are cage-free before buying them. Another advantage is these eggs are usually organic!
Instead of using real eggs to decorate and hide for Easter, why not come up with an alternative. Plastic eggs can be filled and used year after year; you can even sometimes find these at thrift stores or on craigslist. Wooden or clay eggs that can be painted and decorated can be found at your local craft store. Or why not bake egg shaped sugar cookies that can be decorated by the kids. There are so many alternatives, you just have to get creative!
Do you have any special Easter traditions that might not be the norm?
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