Ahimsa Grove

Ahimsa Grove is a resource for vegan pagan living. It will include personal experiences and musings, recipes, shopping tips, vegan ethical and dietary considerations, and ideas for pagan practice including spells, rituals, and herbcraft.

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Neo-pagan and vegan ways to take part in the Easter fun

Now that the Neo-pagan holiday of Ostara is behind us, the secular/Christian celebration of Easter looms ahead. I know that many of us celebrate the mainstream holiday with the rest--especially as it has become a more secular event where all kids expect an Easter basket, and probably to take part in an egg hunt.

Due to our avoidance of eggs, we vegans have to adapt this holiday a bit more than other Neo-pagans. Here is an article that I wrote up about the season, and ways vegans can join in the fun. 

While it is mentioned in the article, I want to make a special plea for folks to avoid giving chicks, ducklings, or bunnies as Easter or Ostara gifts. While fun and well-intentioned, this type of giving often backfires both for the humans and the critters involved. 

 

b2ap3_thumbnail_easter-rabbit.jpg

 

 

Five Ways to Celebrate Vegan Easter

A sure sign of spring is the Easter holiday making its pastel-presence known in every marketplace. “Easter” is a Christian holiday, but it has become a cultural celebration as well. Easter also occurs in the same time window as Passover and other religious holidays, like the neo-pagan holiday of Ostara. All three of these religious holidays have an egg as part of the seasonal motif, and they all do something to celebrate springtime energies.

Whether it is the secular event or a religious tradition, this is the time of year to celebrate themes like new birth and fresh beginnings. If you have children, they may be seeing their peers celebrate and want to join in. You may have a community or family tradition that celebrates, as well. So here are five ideas for veganizing what I will call “Easter,” though you may call it something else.

 

1)      Use plastic eggs for baskets and hunts. Fill them with vegan sweets. Sites like www.veganessentials.com have whole sections of Easter-basket friendly candy. You can also make your own vegan chocolates or egg-shaped cookies. If your children want to decorate eggs, craft stores sell wooden or plaster versions.

2)      Donate to a vegan education and advocacy organization so they can educate the public about Easter holiday risks to animals like rabbits, chicks, and ducklings.

3)      Donate (time, wish list items, or money) to a pet shelter or animal sanctuary. These organizations often get flooded with “Easter” animals who have been surrendered or abandoned. Perhaps your family can do a volunteer day or an educational visit.

4)      Take veganized Easter or Passover type foods to family dinners, religious celebrations, and potlucks. “Betty Goes Vegan,” by Dan and Annie Shannon, has a whole Easter menu and Passover menu. Mayim Bialik has great, traditional Passover fare in “Mayim’s Vegan Table.” Between the two books we’re talking maple roasted Tofurky, hot cross buns, sweet treats and matzo ball soup. So much of these holiday traditions has to do with “comfort food.” By giving people cruelty-free options, we can help them see it is possible to move away from reliance on items like eggs and ham.

5)      Tap into the energy of the season to plan your garden. You can micro-garden inside with containers, or have an edible landscape outside. Two books that might help are “Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces” by Patricia Lanza, or “Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture” by Toby Hemenway.

I’m wishing you a happy holiday season and a beautiful, peace-filled spring.

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Tagged in: easter Pagan vegan Wicca
Leslie earned her Master of Divinity Degree at Vanderbilt University and is a Wiccan Priestess, Ordained Interfaith and seeking ordination through the Temple of the Feminine Divine in Bangor. Her column in SageWoman, “Child of Artemis,” deals with women and our relationship with animals. Leslie considers herself a cultural worker, dealing with issues of violence and oppression as they impact humans and other species. She has worked at a rural domestic violence prevention program since 2001 and is a board member on VegME, Maine’s vegan advocacy group.  

Comments

  • Rachel Seiler
    Rachel Seiler Tuesday, 25 April 2017

    My Mom pointed me towards your blog, and I'm glad she did!

  • Leslie J Linder
    Leslie J Linder Wednesday, 10 October 2018

    Thanks for reading, Rachel! You and your mom. ;)

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