Happy Easter, everybody!
We’ve spoken about Ishtar before: there is an ancient story about Tammuz (also known as Attis, Osiris, Dionysus, Adonis, Orpheus, or Jesus—you get the idea), who was born of a virgin, died, and was reborn. He was the lover of Ishtar.
The festival associated with Tammuz began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated, after three days, in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection. Tammuz, beloved of Ishtar, was killed by a wild pig. As Tammuz was killed by a pig, a pig must be slaughtered and eaten on that Sunday.
His blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree, and the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz.
There is a forty-day period of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz. During this time, no meat is to be eaten. Worshipers were to make the sign of a “T” in front of their hearts in honor of Tammuz. They were to make and eat sacred cakes with the marking of a “T” on top.
Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, the celebration begins. That is Ishtar’s Sunday, and it is commemorated with rabbits and eggs, which are sacred to her.
Now that Lent is completely over, resume all of your previous bad habits with barely any newfound spiritual insights.
Hopefully you’ll find all those Easter eggs, or you’ll be sorry. Year-old hard-boiled eggs left behind Grandma’s couch really, really stink—enough said.
The Haus of Dcaligari 