Latest Easter fashion: Real meaning

Has anyone else noticed that those tacky outdoor Easter decorations just

don't seem to be as prevalent this year?

Coming into "fashion," so to speak, only within the last decade, front-yard

displays of brightly colored plastic eggs hanging from trees had begun to

proliferate. Never mind that the decorations didn't make logical sense -

since when do eggs hang from trees? - the trend threatened to turn Easter

into just another excuse for gaudy excess.

But then Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, hit theaters. Rising

to the top of the box-office charts in spite of unfounded and overblown

criticism - and maybe even a little fear from those weak in faith of any

kind - the film about the last hours of Jesus' life provides a graphic,

shocking reminder of the whole purpose of the Easter holiday.

It isn't about bunnies, candy or fancy clothes; Easter marks the most

important holiday in the Christian calendar, celebrating the resurrection of

Christ after his sacrifice for the collective sins of all mankind.

That's heavy stuff. It certainly makes those front-yard decorations seem

trivial.

It's just a theory, but maybe that explains the reason this year's

best-dressed yards are wearing only the colors God and landscapers gave

them: the bright flowers of azaleas and camellias, the green of

spring-awakened lawns, the symbolism-heavy blossoming of dogwoods.

This isn't to say that giant hanging eggs or gigantic inflatable rabbits are

somehow sacrilegious.

They aren't, any more than Santa Claus and Christmas trees are violations of

Christian principles. But it's a safe assumption that Gibson's stark vision

of the events leading up to the original Easter have made all those yard

decorations seem, well, plastic.

There really is more to Easter than candy and clothes. Like Christmas,

Easter is a blend of secular and religious observances, and sometimes

commercialization threatens to obscure the religious significance. But that

shouldn't diminish either holiday's importance to Christians.

The Passion of the Christ is credited with bringing a renewal of faith in

the Christian community. If it also is responsible for uncluttering a few

yards, perhaps that's a visible sign of the very renewal Easter is meant to

bring, too.