EASTER
come in the Spring
each year. It is a joyful
celebration because it honors the resurrection of Christ. It is the day he is said to have
risen from the dead. This happy day follows a long period of penance and mourning for the
death of Jesus Christ. The 40 days, called Lent, begin on Ash Wednesday. They extend
through Good Friday, the day of Christ's crucifixion, and end on Easter Sunday.
Easter occurs on a different Sunday each
year. It is celebrated on the first Sunday that follows the first full moon after March
21st (the first day of spring). The Roman Emperor Constantine, who was a Christian, set
this date for Easter back in the year 325 A.D. Most churches have followed his rule ever
since.
The celebration of Easter is one of the
most important holidays in Christian countries throughout the world. But many Easter
customs are not religious. In America, there is an Easter "parade." In towns and
cities, people go walking or to church in their newest clothes. Men sometimes dress
formally and women and girls traditionally have a new Easter bonnet.
Brightly colored Easter eggs are another part
of the celebration. In some areas they are given out on Easter morning. In other places,
they are hidden, and children must hunt for them. Egg-rolling is another Easter pastime.
Each year, an egg-rolling contest is held on the lawn of the White House in Washington.
Contests are also held in England and Germany.
How did eggs come to be part of the
Easter celebration? Perhaps because they are the symbol of new life. Christ's resurrection
was a new life. Also, Easter comes at the beginning of spring, when all of nature comes to
life after the cold winter.
The Easter rabbit appears each year, too.
In Germany, people say the Easter rabbit brings the eggs and hides them in houses. This
idea was brought over to the United States by German settlers.
In Russia and many of the other Slavic
countries, Easter eggs are works of art. Beautiful and intricate designs of many colors
are drawn on the eggs. They are painted by hand, and many are saved and passed down
through the generations. The custom also includes taking the eggs to church to be blessed.
In Italy, also, eggs are taken to church to be blessed.
Easter eggs, parades, and bunnies have no
part at all in the Latin American Easter. All of Holy Week -the week before Easter- is a
religious festival in Mexico and South America. On Palm Sunday, palm leaves are blessed in
the churches, as they are in many North American churches. Churches are decorated with
fruit and green plants. There are religious processions and Passion plays, telling the
Easter story.
People go into deep mourning on Good
Friday, but Catholics in Latin America celebrate the resurrection on Easter Saturday.
After church, people go into a wild celebration, with whistles, church bells, and
fireworks! In many places, people play rough games with a straw figure dressed up as
Judas, who told the Roman soldiers where to capture Jesus. The Judas is hanged or burned
by the crowd.
In Europe, too, there are many solemn
processions on Good Friday. These are sad funeral processions mourning the death of
Christ. In a town in Italy, young men run through the streets. As they run, they hit
themselves on the legs with pieces of cork studded with broken glass, so that they will be
hurt as Christ was.
Lent, the 40 days of penance, is an
important and serious part of the Easter season. And Carnival, right before Lent, is the
wildest holiday of the year in many parts of Europe and Latin America. There are great
parades, street dances, and costume balls for three days or even longer. The biggest South
American carnival is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Even the very poorest people work for
months to have a beautiful costume for the street dances.
French settlers brought this custom of
carnival over to the United States. A Mardi Gras carnival is held in New Orleans each
year.
Mardi Gras really means "Fat
Tuesday" in French, because everyone tries to eat up the good things they will not
eat after Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. In England, people often have pancake festivals.
In Germany, they make doughnuts.
With all the parades and customs, though,
Easter is still mainly a time to celebrate new life. Spring is in the air. The long days
of winter and of Lent are over. It is a day to remember the man who was born on Christmas,
died on Good Friday, and rose again on Easter Sunday. Spring and
the rituals of Easter Bunnies and egg hunts signify re-birth
and a new time to reflect and renew.
Legendary Tale
The tradition of the Easter rabbit came to America
with German immigrants during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Edible name Tags
Make anyone feel special with a personalized cookie. Use
the cookie as place cards or include in an Easter Basket
Easter Tree
Who says trees are just for Christmas? Place some pussy willow stems in a flower pot, them
trim your Easter tree with edible cookies
Cookie Hunt
Create Easter cookies and place them in our cellophane bags. Hide them in the yard or home
and invite the kids to a festive Easter cookie hunt.
Easter Treats
To find an assortment of Easter Goodies, Basket
Stuffers, Treat box, Cello Bags, Shred, Eggs-traordinary gifts, tableware and decorations
hop on over.
