Mornington Peninsula Magazine MARCH 2021 Easter School Holidays Feature

Eggs are a potent symbol of life, renewal and rebirth dating back millennia. The egg was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The hard shell of the egg represented the tomb and the emerging chick represented Jesus, who triumphed over death.

The tradition of eating eggs on Easter is tied to Lent, the six-week period before Easter during which Christians traditionally abstained from all animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs. Because chickens continued to lay eggs throughout Lent, people would hard-boil the eggs, decorate them and save them for Easter. The modern tradition of eating chocolate eggs at Easter is a fun, kid-friendly twist on this ancient religious ritual, which is thought to have originated in Europe during the early 19th century. However, it could date back even further to the Wiccans, who used to bury coloured eggs symbolising their hope for bountiful crops and new flora in the coming year. The bunny represents new life because of its reproduction prowess. The reason Easter’s date changes each year is because it’s based on the Pagan solar calendar. Pagans would celebrate the new season on the Sunday after the first full moon of the northern spring equinox. Also celebrated at this time was Eostre, the goddess of dawn. Today we celebrate with hot cross buns on Good Friday and chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday. We can hardly wait, can you?

With many of us staying close to home these Easter holidays, finding fun, safe, family-friendly activities is a challenge. Luckily, the answer can be found right here on the Peninsula at Sk8house in Carrum Downs.

Sk8house is a 2000 square metre COVIDsafe venue that offers great value, good old-fashioned fun that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re young or just young at heart, roller-skating is not only fantastic fun but is also one of the best total-body cardio workouts. It’s proved to improve balance, motor skills, stability and co-ordination with the added benefit of performance skills. As well as general sessions and stressfree catered parties, did you know that Sk8house also offers a range of skate classes? Start with the ‘FUN-damentals’ of skating at Learn-2-Sk8 or Beginners Speed Skating classes, then as your confidence on wheels grows the sky’s the limit. For even better value you can add on a $5 bonus session along with a Sk8 class to give you up to five hours’ skate time for just $20 – skate hire included. Visit www.sk8house.com.au for session times and book now. SK8HOUSE A: 3/2 Amayla Cres, Carrum Downs T: 9773 6799 E: info@sk8house.com.au W: www.sk8house.com.au

What does the Easter Bunny do after depositing chocolate eggs at the bottom of the garden on Easter Sunday? Bounce into the pages of a storybook or hop into a film, that’s what.

Rabbits have captivated creatives for ever with their delightful twitching, jumping and thumping. From Richard Adams’ Fiver, the small rabbit in Watership Down, to Dick Bruna’s Miffy and Peter Rabbit in Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit, these furry critters have leapt into our hearts regardless of their capabilities for delivering the good stuff on Easter Sunday. Generations of children have depended on it. A wonderful ‘rabbit’ book is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo. It’s about Edward, a china rabbit who, after falling from a ship into the ocean, gets handed from owner to owner. Being loved and loving is at the heart of this gorgeous story where loss and recovery sees Edward hop towards self-discovery. The play Harvey, written by Mary Chase and then adapted for film in 1950, is another beautiful example of what it means to find friendship in the most unlikely of places with the most unlikely of buddies. The 1950s film stars James Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd, who has befriended an invisible 2m rabbit – or ‘pooka’ – named Harvey, and explores the themes of kindness, acceptance, madness and make-believe. Whether you believe in the Easter Bunny or not, one thing is certain: bunnies bring out the best in people. And why not believe in something you’ve never seen – or maybe you have. Either way, Easter is just around the corner and the eggs are on their way. Enjoy the day and celebrate with loved ones. We hope the Easter Bunny brings you chocolate eggs in abundance and much love and laughter. Go to Mornington Peninsula Magazine’s new website and search

the What’s On section to find Easter events happening near you. If you’re hosting your own Easter event, you can upload it there too for free.