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Members of MSU community share what Easter means to them

March 26, 2016

For many students who celebrate the Easter holiday, it's more than just egg hunts and eating marshmallow Peeps. 

Easter offers MSU students observing the holiday a wide range of experiences to promote renewal and personal growth.

For english and political science junior Julia Miller, Easter is about spending some lighthearted, quality time with her family.

“We go to church, come back, put sweat pants on and eat a big dinner,” she said. “My family always winds up doing drunk karaoke for some reason.”

One of Miller’s favorite memories, she said, was an ill-fated Easter egg hunt in her uncle’s expansive yard.

“He hid like 200 eggs and we found like five of them,” she said. “By the time he found them the candy inside was disgusting.”

“It’s been like two years and he is still finding them,” she added.

Because of her greek orthodox faith, marketing senior Anna Hogg’s said her Easter experience is different than most other students.

Greek Orthodox Easter, called Pascha, is more of a religious holiday, Hogg said.

The holiday is preceded by a special form of lent, where many Greek Orthodox christians traditionally abstain from consuming any animal products such as meat, dairy or eggs.

“We have holy week where there are services every night,” Hogg said. “Pascha services are three hours long and you’re standing up almost the whole time.”

Nonetheless, this does not mean Pascha is any less of a holiday. Pascha services are followed by a huge traditional feast of lamb, rice, spanakopita and other greek favorites, Hogg said.

Participants also play a game where each person receives a red egg from the priest and they attempt to break each other’s egg by smashing the eggs against each other, she said. “Whoever’s egg doesn’t break wins.”

For Q-Cross spiritual advisor, Rev. Jenn Tafel, Easter is a time to reexamine the story of Jesus’ resurrection in relation to MSU’s LGBT community.

“I go through Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter, with students, exploring how it a can mirror a person’s coming out,” Tafel said. “Jesus experiences from death to resurrection can parallel a person’s their wholeness in their gender or sexual identity.”

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