In our over climate controlled modern world, where we can be warm when it’s freezing outside and cool when it’s roasting, we may not appreciate what seasons meant to them. Sure, we love to talk about ‘fall colors’ (and admittedly after decades in Florida and six years in the desert I’m no expert) but unless we live in Maine or Iceland, we probably don’t have jubilation at the sight of the first blade of grass popping up in spring time.

Spring was even more important in the ancient world as the time when the earth awoke from a long slumber, back into the cycle of life that would lead up to the season of harvest which sustained villages, towns, and cities. In this traditions rich environment – not of Good Friday or Easter morning — the first Christians found themselves trying to separate from the practices of other religions.

But what’s a startup religious group to do? The first rule of guerrilla marketing: incorporate the popular symbols of the day into your own celebrations. In order to compete with these other older, pagan traditions, the early church adopted many of the symbols of the festivals around spring.Enter the rabbit, a symbol of fertility, often used in the worship of a goddess of fertility, Eastre. Enter eggs, the classic symbol of birth and new life.

Commercialization has stripped Christmas of the joy of giving gifts and Valentine’s Day of the romance associated with a candle light dinner. But for me, I resist the pressure to succumb to Easter as an explosion of pastels and eggs. I welcome the reminder of sacrifice and the call to live again. And like the early church, I am a part of the society in which I live.

This is why I’m delighted to welcome you to the Hoppy Easter Eggstavaganza Giveaway Hop! There are over 250 blogs participating and lots of cool prizes.

This hop is sponsored by Once Upon A Twlight and I’m A Reader Not A Writer. This giveaway is from Friday, April 6 through Thursday, April 12 and winners will be announced the next day. Make sure you enter at each blog. I’m gifting a copy of my first novel, an e-book Saving Peace(no Kindle required) to one lucky winner. This is the story of three friends, separated by time, who are forced to decide if the memories they share will unite or divide them. We are talking about women here so it’s a book full of the dilemmas and dramas of being female!

To enter for a chance to win, fill out the form below.

More about Saving Peace:

Thirty years intervene in the friendships begun at the all female Peace College.  Sib, the local news anchor with dreams of going national. Mary Beth, the capable, restless mother of three. Kim, the college president who admits male students. Saving Peace is the story of promises made and broken, love found then lost, and redemption sought for the past.Three women. Two choices. One campus.