How to have a Blessed, Irish Easter

After the sunrise (or Sonrise as many Christians refer to it) ceremony, it is time for worship in church, and then the festivities.

Butchers, who for the long days of lent have gone through some slow business, will often hold a mock funeral for a herring. This is symbolic of the end of lent, the end of abstinence, and the return to eating meat. A day of great joy for butchers. They have a procession where they might whip the herring, but whatever they do, it involves this poor doomed fish.

The egg, being a symbol of life and new birth, spring and the raising from the dead of the Lord Jesus, plays an important part in the celebrations on this day. Children can boil and paint them. They can be given away, eaten, rolled in a race to see which one can go the farthest, and of course, the well known egg hunt where they are hidden and the children set out to find them.

Another Irish custom is to have the children gather raw eggs, then cook or roast them in a special contraption built at the edge of their farm. This ritual is called a cluideog (cludog). All egg shells must be saved to place around the May bush.

Easter Sunday, as mentioned above, is the day when lent comes to an end. The Savior has risen, and there is no longer need for mourning and sacrifice. It is a time to celebrate. It is time to feast. Beef is the meat of choice. And then there is the cake dance. The best dancer wins the cake.

As the day winds down, everyone heads for a "Sunday" well and a big bonfire is lit. With any such gathering in Ireland, you can be sure there will be plenty of fun and story telling. Then it's time to go home and go to bed. After all, tomorrow is Monday and life goes back to normal.

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