island easter egg hunt

the easter egg hunt is an old island tradition.

more than 25 years ago, my mother-in-law Mary and her friends started the egg hunt for their children.  now with grandchildren, Mary and Lacey are still the Easter Bunny helpers today.  everyone on the island drops off their eggs (40 dozen dyed eggs this year!) and goodies at one of the helpers' houses, and very early Easter morning, Mary, Lacey, the Bunny and her teenage human helpers go out and hide the eggs.  as an island rite of passage, when children decide they are too old for the hunt they can become helpers- complete with an initiation ceremony.  at 9 a.m. sharp, Mary and Lacey give their Bunny speech and children set off into the woods and the wet meadow to search for eggs- both real dyed and chocolate.  after all the eggs are found, we gather for a pot-luck brunch, a bonfire (we islanders love our bonfires) and music.

Mary says: "...the first Sunday after the full moon after the spring equinox is Easter.  What about the full moon?  The full moon doesn't rise until the sun sets.  The full moon rises, the sun sets.  Every other time of the month it's a little bit different- it's very mysterious.  So, we've got the sun energy and the moon energy together.  We have the sun all day going across the sky and then we have the moon coming out so we get them both here on earth helping us.  The special thing about this time of year (the rebirth and renewal of Spring), and why (this celebration) is right around the full moon is because we need the energy of the sun and the moon.  The man and the woman.  The yin and the yang.  The in and the out.  The heart and the head.  we need it all..."

 

 

 

 

 

i hope you had a good day today!