Tag-along (or parasite, if you will) traditions

We have the red eggs too. From what I remember, it is said that one of the women visiting Jesus on the Cross was carrying a basket of eggs that she left at his feet for a while when mourning, and the eggs got red from the blood. The "Easter bunny" is gaining more and more grounds, but I think it has nothing to do with Easter, it's just a commercial invention helping shops sell more...

We had chocolate bunnies starting out here this year for the first time, imported tradition, and just an excuse to make money as you say. Mind you I'd rather eat one of those than that dreadful soup.

And thea I'd go for the soup. LOL. See how opposite we both are. :) And still we are good friends. :) Cub learn from us not to pick arms at first possible opportunity. :)

Please read the comment I posted for savypat's response (the no 1 response). I refer to the "lambs for Easter" tradition there. Being Jewish you'll probably be able to tell me if my assumptions are correct and correct me if they are not.

My bad! I didn't read your post too carefully, and I understood you are Jewish.

I'm sorry - something must have gotten lost in "translation" somewhere. Did you say you were Jewish, or did you think I said I'm Jewish? I meant Jesus was Jewish, and hence, His culture's aversion to pork. Yes, I'd say your assumption about lambs for celebrating Passover is correct, based on the Bible's description of that event. Along with unleavened bread, etc. However, it's best to ask a practicing Jew how they do it now. I'll see if I can get one of my friends here, who is Jewish, join in on the discussion, if she's interested.

I'm getting to that book... I'm a big fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, but only a few books of this series appeared in Romania. However, I downloaded the complete series of audio books and I'm listening to them in order of appearance. I know there's also a movie made after Hogfather, but I always seem to miss it when it's on for Christmas (obviously the holiday inspiring it). Do you know the movie? Is it any good?

the film is actually very good. it doesn't cover everything that the book does, just as films never do, but I have it on DVD and I do watch it fairly often. The Hogfather is one of my absolute favourite discworld books, it just makes me feel so cosy and festive. it brings home what the time of year is all about to me.

That's true, food is turned into a tradition itself, even if it's not connected in any way with the event celebrated. I'm guessing the turkey for Thanksgiving tradition has a perfectly reasonable explanation: wild (and later on domesticated) turkey were widely available back in the day, when US was just established as a nation, and as turkeys hatch in thew spring, they reach adult size by autumn, when Thanksgiving is celebrated. So, why not attach eating turkey when a turkey is big enough for a family to eat and when it's available that time of the year, right? Some dishes are, however, connected to the celebrated event. For example, the lambs slaughtered for the Easter dinner have a biblical mention. They have nothing to do with the Crucification, but they are related to the pre-Christian Jewish Easter. I'm talking about the Exodus, where Moses is told to announce the chosen people to slaughter lambs and paint the doors with their blood so that the plague won't touch their children. It so happens that the plague came when they were celebrating Easter, so the slaughtering of lambs on Easter became attached to the Easter even in its new signification, as the Resurrection of Christ. It is also very convenient, as Easter occurs in late spring, when the sheep give birth to their young, and it is much more convenient to slaughter male lambs young than invest in feeding them, as they don't give milk and can't bare. (I'm not talking about the large herds bred for wool or meat, I'm talking about what the common folk have in the back-yard pack of sheep).