It’s like the opening of an awful joke.

What do chocolate eggs and the rising of Christ from the dead have in common?

Money!

If the fluorescent peeps and the plethora of pastel-colored products in the stores, or my comedic attempt at an introduction have not tipped you off: Easter is this weekend.

It never ceases to amaze, and confuse, me every year as to how the celebration of the savior of mankind coming back to life turned into a day of giant white rabbits offering jelly beans to children.

Yes, there is an obvious connection between Christ’s rebirth, the new growth of spring and life returning to the Earth, but how do we go from the crucifixion of a man to children searching for colored eggs and being rewarded with enough sugar to put them in a candy coma?

It seems like this is a case of religious capitalism.

I am sure there is a long, convoluted trail pointing to what Easter is now, but it basically pares down to the fact that Easter is too religious, so society has hidden it behind a mask of pastel capitalism and chocolate eggs.

In recent years, there has been a campaign to “Put the Christ back in Christmas.” But why not also, for the lack of a clever saying, bring the truth back in Easter?

Perhaps the Christian symbols of Christmas are a little bit more acceptable to society as a whole.

The Christmas story is one of hope. It is an inspiring tale of a family coming together despite persecution to bring new life into the world in less-than-ideal conditions.

Perhaps the tale of Jesus being scourged, abused and crucified by his people and betrayed by his closest friends is a little less kid friendly.

After all, we see candy canes at Christmas, but no chocolate crucifixes during Easter.

The scriptures of the Easter story are equally inspiring as the ones of Christmas. Easter is about the celebration of the resurrection of a man after he died for the sins of the world.

And this idea isn’t necessarily lost on people, considering Easter Sunday is one of the most highly attended masses throughout the year, competing only with Christmas.

It just bothers me to see how holidays that are supposed to be sacred are becoming commercialized.

Over time cultures and religions change, but in the process of this change we are losing the true core values of what these holidays mean by submitting to this pastel capitalism.

Emily Steele is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812

or DENopinions@gmail.com