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I recently read a blog post in which the author had commented on how she feels that Easter egg hunts take away from "what Easter is about". This thought really got me musing.
There was a time when I would have, in the name of the purity of the Christian faith, argued for the rejection of all such "non-biblical" culturally linked festive activities. I would have agreed that such activities do detract from the essence of the Christian holiday and are undesirable encroachments of the secular world: a "watering-down" of what really matters. That was then and this is now. My views couldn't have changed more.
It is an undeniable reality that spirituality must be incarnated. We tend to call this incarnation, religion. Religion, which at one point in my past I understood to be a negative term, is the expression and living out of spirituality by human beings. Once one accepts that religion is the natural expression of spirituality, i.e. the rituals and activities of communities who have come together to enact and embody their spiritual beliefs, acceptance of Easter egg hunts are not far off.
What I mean is this: culture is not something that happens outside of religious activities. It is not merely the inane and vapid music that pounds at us through television, radio, or internet. Nor is it merely something that happens on particular days of the calendar in which people from Eastern Europe or Asia (or wherever else) dress up in strange old-fashioned clothes and dance and eat different food. Culture is the mode of human beings who live in any sort of proximity with each other. Culture is how values, history, and identity are communally expressed and transmitted through successive generations. Culture is unavoidable. Sure, one can argue that a particular culture is unwell or has destructive values and expressions; but culture in and of itself is not a bad thing (any more than speech itself is a bad thing).
Religion and cultural expression are inseparable. This is not a bad thing - it's human thing (and a divinely given ability I would argue). When this is understood, the question regarding Easter egg hunts changes slightly. It is still a valid question, but the way in which we understand and approach it as a cultural activity ought then to guide us in addressing it. Does it, or any other activity, detract from the purpose and message of the religious holiday (and the truth/significance revealed in it)? Is it a proper cultural expression of the meaning of the holiday? Does this activity properly reflect - and convey to the next generation - the value, history, and identity which Christians find in Easter?
It seems to me that the person (or community) asking this question must first explore what the significance of Easter is. I might begin addressing this question by asking those little ones who are so eagerly involved in the hunt why they think we are doing this activity. How they think this does, or does not, relate to Easter. At least the discussion itself will likely be fruitful in achieving the desired transmission of values and identity.
My perspective on such "human traditions" is that they usually began with proper intention and were at one point effective as a cultural/religious expression. The question, then, is whether or not they remain so. We humans will always use such signs to express and transmit ideas and values - especially to children. I think that as a pedagogical exercise, which is essentially what most such cultural/religious activities are when children are involved, they are great. A child may not understand the theological significance and importance of religious holidays the way an adult is able to, but that does not mean that it can not be conveyed in other (more fun and boisterous) ways.
Insofar as these human traditions are able to express the divinely guided Tradition of the Church and her teachings, they are indeed good and true.
I say go hunt those tasty chocolate eggs with the kids and discuss with them why we do these silly fun things at Easter.
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