Eat the raisin sauce anyway

PETER BUFFA

“In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you’ll be the

grandest lady in the Easter parade.” Irving Berlin, 1933. Do you know

he died in 1989, at the age of 101? Do you know what his real name

was? Israel Baline. Do you know what that has to do with Easter?

Neither do I. But it is a fun holiday, no? Aside from the religious

aspect, Easter is a very pretty holiday. Fancy duds, dinner on Easter

Sunday, chocolate bunnies, spring flowers, blue skies -- it’s all

good. And yes, it is time, once again, for the “Abbreviated

Ecclesiastical and Secular History of Easter, Bunnies and Eggs --

Plus Some Other Stuff.”

Where do all the bunnies come from? From other bunnies, obviously,

but the rabbit was a symbol of fertility thousands of years before

Christ. The first depictions of “Easter” bunnies appeared in Germany

in the 1500’s, and the first edible E-bunnies were also German, first

showing up as a sweet pastry in the early 1800’s. The German emigres

we mistakenly call the Pennsylvania Dutch brought the idea of a

kid-friendly Easter bunny to this country. They called it “Oschter

Haws,” which means “the oyster laughs.” No it doesn’t. It means

“Easter rabbit.” Pennsylvania Dutchettes were taught that if they

were good, the Oschter Haws would sneak into the barn or garden and

leave a nest of brightly colored eggs behind. Boys would leave their

caps and girls would leave their bonnets out to entice the Easter

Bunny to use them as a nest, which, incredibly, he always did. The

Easter Bunny is no fool.

Speaking of oysters, why do they call it “Easter?” It’s from an

Old English word “Eostre” which means, “we can’t spell.” That’s not

true. Eostre was the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, and her festival

was a celebration of rebirth, which makes it a logical ancestor for

the Christian holiday of Easter. Ever wonder how they decide when

Easter will fall from year to year? By the time I get through, you’ll

be sorry you did. Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and

April 25. It all depends on that year’s paschal moon. The paschal

moon, as if you didn’t know this, involves the lunar cycle that

produces a full moon on the vernal equinox, usually March 21, or the

first full moon thereafter. Had enough? Hang on. We’re almost done.

Easter is the next Sunday after the 14th day -- the full phase -- of

the paschal moon. Well, OK then. Any questions? Hope not.

What is the preferred dish for Easter dinner? If you didn’t say

“ham,” go to your room. It is one more holiday tradition that the

early New England settlers borrowed from their Native American

neighbors, who threw a springtime planting party every year. They

would party hardy for days, feasting on a selection of smoked meats

that had been salted and stored for the winter. The settlers took one

bite, went bonkers and started making their own version with the most

plentiful meat they had -- pork. Thus was born the ham dinner on

Easter Sunday.

What about the colored eggs? Simple. Eggs have been a symbol of

the cycle of life since ancient times. The Romans, Persians and

Chinese all painted and decorated eggs during their spring festivals.

There’s also a wonderful Polish legend about coloring Easter eggs.

Supposedly, Mary offered eggs to the Roman soldiers at the foot of

the cross, appealing to them for mercy. As her tears fell on the

eggs, they were transformed in brilliant colors.

What about Easter baskets? Anyone? In Europe, Catholics would put

the makings of their Easter dinner in a basket and bring it to mass

that morning to have it blessed. In the last century, the basket

evolved into a candy and chocolate affair for the kids. The baskets

would be waiting for them when they got back from church, left behind

by you-know-who with the big ears and the thunder thighs. Chocolate

bunnies ruled the world -- well, Easter anyway -- from the mid-19th

century on and presented kids with the same baffling question they

wrestle with today -- should you start with the head, or save that

for last? I always started with the head. The bunny knows what he’s

there for; you know what you’re there for; just get on with it.

I was never much of a fan of the marshmallow chicks called “Peeps”

(too sticky), but there is an interesting story about them. Peeps

have been around forever, but in recent years, they became very

popular with Born Again Christians when the story spread that they

were first made by a candy company called Just Born -- in Bethlehem,

Pa., no less. That much is true. But the part of the story that got

left behind was that the Just Born company was named after the man

who founded it in 1917 -- an immigrant named Sam Born, who was very

Russian and very Jewish.

At the turn of the 20th century, families all across the country

would gather for a stroll down “the boulevard” in their Sunday best,

and some cities are trying to revive the custom. In New York, Fifth

Avenue is closed to traffic on Easter Sunday, and the street comes

alive with families, baby strollers and dogs -- with plenty of

bonnets on the babies and bunny ears on the dogs, of course. So there

you have it, you little chocolate bunny you. Savor the season, smell

the flowers, enjoy the day, and if someone puts raisin sauce on your

ham, eat it anyway. It’s Easter. I gotta go.

* PETER BUFFA is a former Costa Mesa mayor. His column runs

Sundays. He may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].