by Conny Manero

Created on: February 14, 2009

Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, but for children the world over Easter means a celebration of chocolate. Chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies and a variety of other candy.

While in some places it is the Easter bunny that drops off chocolate eggs and bunnies for children, in parts of Europe children believe the bells of Rome knock the tasty treats in their backyard.

As a child I didn't doubt this story for a moment. On Easter morning I stood in my pyjamas in front of the living room window, facing the garden, trying to spot the white, light and dark brown eggs, to get there ahead of my seven year older brother. Brother dear knew it was all a myth but played along to humour me.

Such fun I had, looking for the eggs, dashing from one place to another, filling my basket with eggs and bunnies of various sizes.

Every year there was also one very large egg, stuffed with pralines, wrapped in see through foil, held together with a silk red ribbon. It was understood that the bells of Rome had dropped off this particular egg for my mother.

Once I was a mother myself, I carried on the tradition of a chocolate eggs hunt with my son. Living in South Africa at the time, where Easter is celebrated in early fall, I had to take the sun into consideration and organize the hunt very early in the morning before it got too hot.

While my husband kept our five year old son indoors and entertained him, I hid the eggs in the garden, seeking out shadowed places. Somewhere along the line I was joined by Mickey, our seven year old Tabby cat. He trotted alongside with me as I placed egg after egg under bushes and trees.

Once I was finished I called my son that the Easter bunny had been, that he could ...
Before the sentence was finished Dieter flew into the hall and out the door.

Five of the fifteen eggs he found in under a minute, but then he came to a standstill. Where to look next?

Mickey who was sitting some distance away turned his head towards my son and let out a loud meow. Dieter looked up, saw Mickey near a rosebush and spotted the sixth egg.

Once the egg was found, Mickey moved to a nearby palm and let out another meow. Dieter followed.

The rest of the egg hunt proceeded in similar fashion. Some eggs and bunnies Dieter found without assistance and at times when he got stuck, all he had to do was look towards the cat.

Needless to say, the following year, while I was hiding the eggs, Mickey was kept indoors.

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