Balaton Fishing at Easter - photo by Nigel A. JAMES
.Chocolate Sins are no Sins!
The German word for Easter, Ostern, has nothing at all to do with the east as in the English word Easter; it has, instead, to do with the old pagan goddess of fertility, and, the chocolate rabbits that are eaten in great quantities owe their existence to the fact that rabbits were an ancient symbol of fertility. In Hungary, however, things are different.
The Hungarian for Easter is Huswet (pronounced whoshvait). This word has nothing to do with any of the German or English understandings of the word; instead, it takes its reference from the words meat and sinning! The first half of the word, HUS, means meat, and the second half of the word, VET means sin.
Easter in Hungary, is a time of fasting, and meat is strictly taboo! Hence the name Meatsin! The eating of chocolate eggs and chocolate rabbits, however, are not even remotely considered bad. Neither of them, after all, are made of meat!
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