The Hill of Tara and Other Easter Traditions
by Kat Behling

	Remnants of ancient structures are still evident on the legendary Hill of Tara.

In Pre-Christian Ireland, the Spring Equinox of March 21st had long been a time of great celebration, symbolizing warm weather was soon to return and with it, fertility and rebirth. Over the centuries, many of the early pagan customs were incorporated with those familiar to Christians as Easter traditions.

The ancient Druids traditionally welcomed the Equinox with a massive bonfire. According to legend, St. Patrick’s return to the Hill of Tara - the seat of the Irish High Kings – came at Easter, coinciding with one of the pagan fire festivals that particular year. The King decreed that all fires remain extinguished until the Kings' fires were lit to announce the festival. Patrick, perched on the nearby Hill of Slane, lit his fire first. The Druids, fearing if Patrick’s fire was allowed to burn that somehow it would burn forever, tried to extinguish his fire - but their efforts proved unsuccessful. In hindsight, their fears may have been well-grounded, given the impact Patrick’s mission had on converting the people of Ireland during his tenure and beyond.

Realizing the Irish people were resilient to abandoning their traditions of ritual fires and ceremony, Patrick instituted the symbolic Paschal Fire to open the Easter Vigil the night preceding Easter Sunday. The ruined ecclesiastic buildings at Slane and the earthen mounds that remain at Tara are still visited by holiday-makers and pilgrims alike.

In addition, two ancient fertility symbols long associated with the Equinox eventually become a part of both the secular and Christian Easter customs. What would Easter be without eggs and jelly beans? Because eggs were plentiful, they were often eaten prior to the Lenten fast. The tradition of coloring them, hiding them in baskets or in egg hunts date from the ancient practice of gathering colored eggs from birds’ nests. And the fertile hares of pagan times have become the beloved “Easter Bunnies” of today.