By Amayah Schoener
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Easter is originally a Christian tradition commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ;
today, many religious and non-religious people celebrate Easter with family get-togethers, egg hunts and a visit from the Easter Bunny.
Easter falls on Sunday, April 5, this year, and many New Mexico State University students have fun plans for the holiday.
Freshman conservation ecology student Amalia Tenorio from Socorro, N.M.; freshman psychology and communication studies student Adeline Arenas from Albuquerque; and freshman counseling and community psychology student Stella Simpson from Belen celebrate Easter every year.
“We’re not really on the religious side, it’s more just a family BBQ, and we like really do the eggs and the candy,” Simpson said. “It’s definitely just an eating, talking tradition.”
“I still think about it, about Good Friday and Jesus, and all that,” Arenas said, “…but I don’t feel weird celebrating without it.”
All three agree that the Easter Bunny is terrifying.
“Those big eyes… they haunt me,” Tenorio said.
“I used to be so scared of the Easter Bunny, I couldn’t even sleep,” Arenas said.
“I think he’s a cute tradition, but he’s a little scary now, especially the one in the mall,” Simpson said, “I would never let my kids near that.”
Freshman geography and environmental studies student Oskar Koeppel from Farmington and freshman electrical engineering student Spencer Brann from Rio Rancho don’t really celebrate Easter outside of eating the occasional Peep or chocolate easter bunny.
“That’s the best part of any holiday, the candy,” Koeppel said.
Both students are curious about the origins of the holiday.
“Just the fact that we paint eggs is really interesting,” Brann said.
“It is kind of weird, like why choose a bunny?” Koeppel said.
“I thought it was an Easter kangaroo…” Brann said.
Freshman biology student JoyMei Lincom from Los Alamos; freshman musical theatre student Savannah Weiss from Santa Fe; and freshman nursing student Emilie Fuksa from Artesia; are all part of the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) and the University Presbyterian Church (UPCA).
This Easter, they are all planning to go to church and spend time with their families and friends. Each has a deep connection with the holiday.
“I think easter has turned into being a lot about Easter eggs and the Easter bunny,” Lincom said. “While that’s a fun part of it, that’s not the main reason we celebrate.”
“I think it’s really cool that someone died and then came back to life, and that I don’t have to be scared of death anymore,” Weiss said.
“It’s a reminder that Christ died for me.” Fuksa said.
Junior journalism and media studies student Gilbert Bustillos from Las Cruces celebrates the religious and secular parts of Easter.
His favorite easter tradition is the confetti eggs.
“Once everybody finds the eggs, it’s just a war for like 10 minutes with everybody running around and cracking them on each other’s heads,” Bustillos said.
Bustillos practices lent every year; this year, he gave up alcohol.
“I want to be more in tune with my religion, and being Catholic,” Bustillos said.
He looks forward to cracking open a nice cold beer this Easter Sunday.
Sophomore digital filmmaking student Adrian Quintero from Chaparral has similar traditions to Bustillos.
He usually goes to church on Easter morning and eats breakfast with his family. He also likes taking his nephew to a local easter egg hunt. Although Quintero enjoys the Easter egg tradition, he is not likely to eat one.
“I would probably throw it at someone instead,” Quintero said.
He personally thinks eggs should only be eaten scrambled.
Freshman social work student Cassandra Serna from Santa Fe; freshman mechanical and aerospace engineering student Victoria Rodriguez from Hobbs; freshman secondary education student Sara Martinez from Belen; freshman nutrition and accounting student Alexandria Booton from Los Alamos; freshman justice political philosophy and the law student Nuala Colgan from Los Alamos; and freshman finance student Miranda Carrioo from Roswell are all part of the same Catholic bible study. Like Lincom, Weiss, and Fuksa, all have strong Christian grounds in Easter.
“I think it’s more of a religious thing for me than an Easter bunny, egg hunt type thing,” Serna said. “I see it more as a big, happy, rejoicing, Jesus has risen, hallelujah.”
Martinez agrees; her favorite Easter tradition is attending the Easter Vigil Mass at night with her family.
All have mixed feelings about Easter eggs.
“I despise boiled eggs, I think they are disgusting,” Colgan said.
“They have to be hot out of the pan covered in pepper,” Serna said.
Rodriguez likes the confetti eggs – known as cascarones – she can break on people’s heads.
“My mom’s side of the family is from Mexico, so they didn’t celebrate Easter the way they celebrate it here,” Carrioo said. “To make me and my cousins feel like we belonged with everyone else here, we started doing Easter egg hunts and Easter eggs.”
Everyone is looking forward to the holiday and will be spending it with loved ones.
If you will be in Las Cruces this Easter and feel like celebrating, there will be an Easter Eggstravaganza at the Rio Grande Vineyard and Winery.
There will also be many church services happening. Here are all the ones on University, across the street from NMSU.
Happy Easter!
-
-
-
-
-
