Happy Easter,
In
medieval times a festival of egg throwing was held in church,
during which the priest would throw a hard-boiled egg to one
of the choirboys. It was then tossed from one choirboy to the
next and whoever held the egg when the clock struck 12 was the
winner and retained the egg.
The
first Easter baskets were made to look like bird's nests.
Easter Bonnets are a throw back to the days when the people
denied themselves the pleasure of wearing finery for the duration
of Lent.
The
traditional act of painting eggs is called Pysanka. To
Egyptians, the egg was a sacred token of the renovation of
mankind after the Flood.
The
egg has always been a symbol of the Resurrection to Christians. The
date of Passover is variable as it is dependent on the phases
of the moon, and thus Easter is also a movable feast.
The
custom of giving eggs at Easter time has been traced back
to Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans, to whom
the egg was a symbol of life. Every
year at Easter Pope John Paul sends his " Urbi et Orbi " to
the world.
Easter
is now celebrated (in the words of the Book of Common Prayer)
on the first Sunday after the full moon which happens on or
after March 21, the Spring Equinox. Some
Churches still keep up the old tradition of using evergreens
- symbolic of eternal life - embroidered in red on white,
or woven in straw, but most now prefer displays of flowers
in the spring colours of green, yellow and white.
In
the United States Easter is celebrated with a large Easter
Egg Hunt by children on the White House Lawn. To
the Jews, the egg marked the time of their departure from
the land of Egypt.
By
tradition, it was obligatory (or at least lucky) for churchgoers
to wear some bright new piece of clothing - at least an Easter
bonnet, if not a complete new outfit. Have Fun on Easter!^_^