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 tofurkey, 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.
Let’s celebrate spring right along with the rest, and be
proud our cruelty-free choices. I’m wishing you a happy holiday season and a
beautiful, peace-filled spring.
No comments:
Post a Comment