Go beyond chocolate for Easter

Like all holidays, Easter is no exception when it comes to overconsumption. We covered the topic for Christmas and Halloween and have already made it to Easter. A celebration of pagan origin whose origins we quietly forget and which is increasingly transformed into a celebration of excessive consumption.

There are a multitude of historical elements which place the egg at the center of several traditions. According to our European roots, in the Middle Ages, eggs were one of the foods prohibited by the Church during the forty days of fasting preceding the Easter festival. Owners of laying hens were left with a large quantity of eggs. In order not to waste them, they began to decorate them and give them as gifts. Louis XIV asked for the largest egg laid during Holy Week to be brought to him. The king ended up giving his courtesans large baskets filled with eggs gilded with paint as gifts.

In France, the tradition is that the bells bring back eggs on their return from Rome on the day of the Resurrection and spread them in the gardens... and now the hunt for coconuts is on! The Anglo-Saxon culture was the one that subsequently introduced the Easter Bunny.

Chocolate gifts are certainly the most given during this period. Over time, we have seen quality transform into quantity and overpackaging has no place! Poor quality involves palm oils, waxes, phthalates and a multitude of other elements that we don't want in our food. Added to this are deplorable working conditions in cocoa farming: children at work, salary of $300/year, use of toxic pesticides, etc.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Good quality organic and fair trade chocolate has appeared on our shelves in recent decades.

Same Not Same from Revolver 3 on Vimeo .

It is very easy to decorate eggs in an eco-friendly way as medieval families did. You can simply scoop them out of their shells by poking a hole in each end and soak them in boiled water with red onion skins for a reddish color, beet juice (pink), spinach (green ) or saffron (orange-yellow). Nothing could be more magical!

Eggshells can also be used to make seedlings which will be used both to create an original centerpiece and to offer to your family and friends. Again, you need to carefully scoop out eggs by poking a small hole at both ends. On one side, enlarge the opening about 2/3 the height of the shell. Place two centimeters of soil and sow some aromatic herb seeds. Then place them back in their container so that they stand upright and cover them with a small dome perforated in a few places. Place the container near a sunny window. As soon as the shoots touch the film, remove it.

Fewer and fewer families offer only chocolate. The era we are in propels us towards greater diversity... If you want to offer something else, why not combine business with pleasure? Easter is also the approach of the spring season. Who says change of season, also says emerging need. The children have grown up and it is also time to take inventory of our needs. So let's offer as needed: a new pair of desired but necessary shoes, a summer outfit, a pair of sandals... I'm sure you don't have to look any further. Once again here, the key is to buy less and buy better. Favoring ecological and sustainable clothing and accessories should be at the center of your concerns when the time comes to make a purchase.

We can also offer totally original and locally made gifts. Gifts that will impress not only for their appearance but also for the intention behind them. Gifts promoting waste reduction! There is an emerging Zero Waste trend that will help you in your choice: reusable snack bags, grocery bags, makeup remover pads...

Yes and no. No if it's a piece of clothing that's a whim and will be worn only for the event. Yes, if this clothing corresponds to a real need that you have, that you will wear it on a regular basis and until its end of life and that you choose it carefully by considering ecological spring clothing .

Ecologically yours