Whether celebrated for religious reasons or otherwise, Easter is a holiday that finds joy and hope in life and in nature. If Easter is indeed a time to celebrate life then we’d do well to respect the lives of our animal friends as part of the celebration. Read on to learn about the Easter tradition and how you can celebrate with compassion in the true spirit of the holiday.

The Easter Tradition

For Christians, the days leading up to Easter are a solemn time to commemorate Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died to save them from their sins. Easter celebrates the third day after the crucifixion when Christ is believed to have risen again and ascended into Heaven. Easter is therefore a time to celebrate rebirth, new life, and hope for the future. It always occurs near the beginning of spring (at least in the Northern hemisphere), and in the secular sense, Easter has become something of a spring festival that celebrates life with symbols like eggs, chicks, baby rabbits and green grass. Some people believe that the secular traditions associated with Easter involving eggs and bright colours, for example, have their roots in pre-Christian, Pagan celebrations.

Take Care for Companions' Sake

Chocolate's Not for Everyone

On Easter, sharing chocolate has become a tradition and many people might think it’s a good idea to offer a piece to companion animals without realizing that chocolate can be poisonous. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine that can be toxic to dogs and cats. Small amounts of normal chocolate may cause symptoms like increased urination, vomiting, diarrhea, and hyperactivity, while larger amounts can have more serious effects, including hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma, and even death. So if your companion animals are to join in the feasting fun at Easter, find them a non-chocolate treat designed for animals.

Decorate Safely

You might want to do some Easter decorating but, as is the case with most holidays, know that the decorations can be quite harmful to your companion animals. The colourful Easter "grass" used in baskets and other decorations can be harmful to digestive systems, getting caught in intestines and possibly causing internal bleeding. Don’t let any of this plastic grass lie around. Cats enjoy eating real grass (without the pesticides, thank you!) and some animal supply stores sell indoor pots of the plant made especially for cats to munch on.

Enjoy Vegan Chocolate

Remember to make sure there are no milk ingredients or honey in the chocolate and candy you buy. Dairy cows generally live miserable indoor lives, forced to remain constantly pregnant, providing an endless supply of milk, and slaughtered when they run dry. And the bees that make honey don’t have it easy either; they often die trying to sting the intruders that “harvest” what they’ve produced.

Save the Easter Bunny

With Easter fast approaching, pet stores are stocking up with "Easter Bunnies". Be kind; don’t buy rabbits or chicks just for some seasonal fun, especially if you plan to get rid of them once Easter is over. If you know of someone who is thinking of purchasing a rabbit at Easter, let them know it's a bad idea. Contrary to Eastertime hype, rabbits and small children are not a good match. Typically, the novelty wears off and the rabbits are dumped at a shelter, or set free in the woods.

The natural exuberance, rambunctiousness and decibel-level of even the gentlest toddler is stressful for the sensitive rabbit. Children like a companion they can hold, carry, and cuddle, just as they do their favorite stuffed animal. It is unreasonable to expect a child to be able to take full responsibility for the care of a rabbit, or to make a 10-year commitment to anything!

Each year after Easter, animal shelters receive many phone calls from people who purchased a bunny that died within days or weeks. Sadly, some pet stores sell rabbits as young as 4 weeks old. Since the babies don't naturally wean until 6-7 weeks old, their digestive tracts have not properly formed. This can lead to diarrhea, other gastrointestinal problems, and sometimes death. Raising baby rabbits requires specialized care and diet.

Most rabbits seen in pet stores are produced on rabbit factory farms, also known as rabbitries. These farms closely resemble a battery hen operation with rabbits housed in small wire cages stacked on top of one another. This method of farming is undeniably cruel and results in health problems such as sore hocks, stunted crawling gait and even cannibalism. Cannibalism results from the stressful and boring conditions, or because the mother cannot provide enough milk for all her young. The restriction of natural behaviours and movement can cause psychological disorders as well.

If you must have an Easter bunny get a plush one; he’ll last forever and no animals will have to be traumatized or harmed. 

Easter Treats

This year, don’t worry about labels. Why not make your own treat. Try whipping up some of these special vegan Easter delights.

Chocolate Nests

Makes 10-20 nests, depending on how big you want them.

Ingredients

• 3 breakfast wheat biscuits (e.g. Shredded wheat), crumbled
• 100g vegan chocolate
• Tiny candy eggs (e.g. Whizzer's, or make your own with marzipan or vegan icing)

Preparation

• Place paper muffin cups in the tin.
• Melt the chocolate and stir into the crumbled wheat.
• Put a spoonful of the mixture into each cup and shape with the spoon into a rough 'nest' shape. How big or small you make these is entirely up to you!

• Leave to cool and set (in the fridge is fastest). Then place two or three eggs in each nest.

Little Orange Easter Cakes

Makes about 24 small cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup golden caster sugar
• 5 Tbsp. sunflower oil
• 1 cup of soya milk
• juice and rind of one orange
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence
• 100 g. bar of dark chocolate
• Whizzers mini eggs or other vegan candy to decorate
• Paper muffin cups

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 380˚F.
• Combine the dry ingredients then stir in the oil, soya milk, juice and rind, and vanilla essence.
• Put a couple of spoons of mixture into each cake case and bake for about 15 minutes or until done.
• Allow the cakes to cool, then melt the chocolate and spread it over the cakes.
• Decorate each cake with one mini egg or other candy of your choice.

Almost Homemade Easter Chocolates

Ingredients

• Vegan dark chocolate
• Plastic molds in desired shapes.

Preparation

• Melt chocolate slowly in a double boiler or microwave stirring frequently.
• If you like you can add flavouring to the chocolate while it is melted, such as vanilla, orange, or peppermint extracts.
• Pour melted chocolate into molds, tap to remove any air bubbles and let harden at room temperature.
• Remove from mold and enjoy!

Lemon Snaps

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups white sugar 
• 2 tsp. baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 2 Tbsp. lemon zest 
• ¾ cup vegetable oil 
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice 
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease cookie sheets.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
• Make a well in the center of the mixture and fill it with the oil, lemon juice, and vanilla.
• Stir everything together until it forms a dough.
• Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown. For a softer cookie, bake for only 7 minutes.
• Cool on racks, and store in an airtight container.