In the minds of most Australians, not just the 10% who go to Church, what is the foremost reason we have for celebrating Easter?

It’s time to be honest with ourselves as a nation and acknowledge an order of priority instead of pretending to be religious.

Firstly, most of us welcome it as a great 4 day long weekend holiday to be enjoyed by as many as possible.

Then, we happily welcome the Easter Bunny who brings our Easter Eggs. Many regard the Bunny as the Easter equivalent of Santa Claus, while in ancient societies Rabbits and Eggs were a symbol of fertility.

Also, we hugely enjoy Hot Cross Buns, lots of them. These were first made in the 6th century by the Greeks as holy food to be eaten after concluding their traditional fast on Good Friday.

Last of all, a small number observe an important Christian tradition which is the original basic reason for our holiday weekend even though the last Australian Census revealed that only one in two Australians believes in God and only one in ten are active Church members..

We should also note that Australia is one of very few nations that observe Easter as a public holiday. While over 100 nations recognise Easter, few declare it to be a public holiday.

So why does Australia pretend to be Christian at Easter and Christmas?

Fact is we are observers of traditions for which most of us give little thought.

For me, it is a quiet endorsement of my long term decision to have Jesus the Man as my role model of life and an affirmation on my commitment to walk with him as we try to create a world of peace, justice, and equality of opportunity.

Everald