Sunday, March 23, 2008

Easter is just too early this year

The earliest Easter in more than one hundred years is upon us.
If you enjoy Easter, as I do, you tend to see it as a time of rebirth, the Earth rejuvenating herself after months of frost and bitter winds. Jesus rising from the dead is reflected in nature.
However, an Easter that falls just after the Spring Equinox is a tad problematic. It may look like spring around here: Daffodils everywhere you look; most azaleas and fruit trees such as cherry are in fragrant bloom; most horsechestnuts are already coming into leaf; the blackbirds are singing once more. But, the weather is atrocious.
Most of Europe is in a cold snap right now. On Friday, it rained off and on here, sleet mixed with the rain. Squirrel and I had only just gotten home from the supermarket when a brief thunderstorm hit. It's been a long time since I'd seen it thundering-and-lightning with sleet (1977, to be exact, if my memory does not fail me).
And yesterday, it snowed off and on. No accumulation, of course, but it's interesting that yesterday was the first time it has snowed here all winter long. Even more fascinating that technically, as aforementioned, it's not even winter anymore. But, as most of us who live above the 40th parallel know, the weather does not care what the calendar says.
I always feel a bit spiritual around Easter. I know that sounds incredible coming from this curmudegonly so-and-so who normally complains about holidays, but it's true. One Easter morning, many moons ago, my mother had drawn pictures of deer, rabbits and a dragon, and then showed them to my sister and I, just before our Easter egg hunt. I've never forgotten that; I never will. I associate Easter with a time of rejuvenation for dragons as much as anything else.
But I'm afraid I prefer Easter in April. March is usually still too wintery to celebrate the arrival of spring.

5 comments:

goddessdivine said...

It does seem a bit early. At least it was sunny in my neck of the woods (chilly, but sunshine).

goddessdivine said...

Oh, and Happy Easter ;-)

Mrs Andy said...

I totally agree with you on this...I do not like EAster in March at all. It was cold here yesterday, so much so that I pulled out some wool socks and a sweater! Blah!

John said...

Easter is definitely more of an April thing.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Easter always seems like a April holiday to me. This year it was less than a week after St. Paddy's Day!