History of Easter

A Colorful History of Easter and Easter Symbols

While everyone knows that Easter brings out a festive mix of brightly decorated eggs, adorable bunnies, and cute baskets in spring, Easter is also a combination of important events in different traditions.
In Christianity, Easter is preceded by Holy Week. This week includes Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus' last supper with his disciples; and Good Friday, which remembers the day of his death. These somber days are then followed by Easter Sunday to celebrate the day that Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.
Easter is also related to the Jewish holiday of Passover, a period that remembers Israelites' freedom from slavery in ancient Egypt. This is observed during Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew lunar year – which also happens to be between March and April.
Also according to St. Bede, an English historian, the term "Easter" is derived from the Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, whose name is Eostre. Pagans had festivals in her honor during the spring equinox, when daytime is equal to night time.
So where did the Easter bunny and eggs come from?
European pagan religion incorporated rabbits and hares in their celebration as a symbol of fertility. In Germany, pagans even named their hare "Oschter Haws" and early settlers introduced him to America during the 1700's. In their stories, Oschter Haws left eggs the night before Easter for the children to hunt and find on Easter morning – some children would even build "nests" for these anticipated eggs in baskets and bonnets.
Meanwhile, eggs were used to represent resurrection – a celebration of new life in Christianity. Likewise, many other ancient civilizations from India to Greece have used the egg to emphasize the significance of life. While the origin of coloring eggs is unknown, some reports date it back as far as 2,500 years ago where Zoroastrians painted eggs for a New Year celebration. Today, for varying reasons, beliefs, or for just plain fun, people from different cultures all over the world dye eggs and present them as gifts or as little treasures around Easter time.

Upcoming dates for Easter:
2011 -- April 24
2012 -- April 8
2013 -- March 31
2014 -- April 20
2015 -- April 5

I thought this was really interesting! I never realized how much Easter shifted every year? This year it is really late!! Do you like Easter being later or earlier or do you even have a preference?  Why do you think it changes so much every year? Is it weird to you that most holidays are on the same day every year but Easter isn't?  Now that were playing twenty questions I'll ask a few more haah just kidding!

Perfect for an Easter in Florida!

Dye-ving Dudes

by NAOMI SHULMAN 

See larger photo

• Total Time Needed:

1-2 Hours

These hard-boiled snorkelers are fully equipped for a dip in the blue (or green or pink). For a hilarious centerpiece, display a row of the finished dudes sitting in their dye-ving tanks.

Materials

• Egg dye
• White eggs, hard-boiled
• Permanent marker
• 3/4-inch round white adhesive labels
• 1-inch-wide water-bottle lids
• Small rubber bands

• White glue or glue gun
• Flexible straws
• Self-adhesive foam
• Small clear glasses or bowls (optional)
• Small pitcher (optional)

Instructions

1. For each snorkeler, dye the bottom third of an egg, then let it dry.
2. Draw eyes on a label and adhere it to a water-bottle lid. Slip the rubber band around the egg, about a quarter of the way down. Glue the lid over a rubber band.
3. Trim a straw 1 inch above and 2 inches below the flexible section. Bend it into a snorkel shape and glue it in place.
4. Cut foam flippers (trace our template ). Glue them to the egg, adhesive side down, and let dry. Stick the adhesive side to the display surface, or, if you like, to the inside of a small glass or bowl. With the pitcher, gently pour in dye until the egg is partly submerged.

Notes:

White glue is kid-friendly but requires drying time; using a glue gun is an adult's job.

Happy Easter!!!!

I'm going to include a few things here to get you all ready for Easter! I am actually going to spend Easter with my family and were all going to meet up in Columbia, SC where my uncle John is a pastor of a church! So here are some ideas I had for us to keep the kids entertained! Because there are lots of little ones now!!  First, will make sumy yummy easter treats because kids love cupcakes and especially when they get to be involved in the decorating! So I thought these would be fun to make!!

Easter Bunny Cupcakes

You don't have to grow a garden like Mr. McGregor's to have a family of rabbits show up at your house on Easter -- or any other time.

Ingredients

• A cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe)
• White icing
• Shredded coconut
• Pink decorators' sugar
• Jelly bean nose
• Chewable Sweet Tart eyes
• Large marshmallow
• Mini marshmallows

Instructions

1. Frost a cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) with white icing and sprinkle on shredded coconut fur.
2. Cut a large marshmallow in half widthwise. Squeeze each half slightly to give it an oval shape, then decorate the sticky side of each one with pink decorators' sugar and set them in place for ears.
3. Add a jelly bean nose and either jelly bean or snipped Sweet Tart eyes, and mini marshmallows for cheeks. For a finishing touch, draw on decorators' gel pupils or whiskers if you like.
4. Then I found this one! SO I want to do this one too lol! Theyre just all so cute!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 Twinkie

• Chocolate sprinkles
• Orange frosting
• 2 candy lemon slices

5. X
   
   

   Instructions

   1. To make a pair of nests, first spread 1/2 cup of shredded coconut on a cookie sheet and toast it under a broiler until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove the coconut from the oven, stir it, then toast it for 30 seconds more. Repeat as needed until all of the coconut is evenly toasted, then let it cool.
   2. Next, melt 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips in a double boiler according to the package directions. Remove the pan from the heat (keep the chocolate over the warm water) and stir in the coconut.
   3. For the nestlings, lay a Twinkie flat on your work surface and cut it in half. Press 2 chocolate sprinkles into each half for eyes and pipe on orange frosting beaks. Let the beaks set a bit, then stand the chicks upright on waxed paper and spoon the warm coconut mixture around them, shaping it into rings. Lastly, use frosting to stick on trimmed candy lemon slices (we used Brach's) for wings.
   4. 
      
      
      Some more cute idea:

Workouts for this week!

Monday : 2 mile warm up, than for 6 miles...2minute hard, 1 min.jog, 1 min
hard, 30 sec.jog, 30 sec hard, 30 sec  jog, (fartlek),
Tues. easy 6 to 8 miles
Wed. 3 x 2 miles (6 min pace for meg, 6:52 pace for Katherine)
Thurs : easy 6 to 8
Fri: 2 mile warm up, 4x 200m with 200m jog, 3 x 1000 w/ 2 min rec,  2x 400
So these workouts are preparing me for the women to women 10k that I'm racing in not this weekend but the next! Here is a little bit about it below! What I'm most excited about though is that after the race we get our medal put around our neck by the cute palm beach county fire fighters haah! I though that was a cute spin on an award presentation that I have never heard of before! I guess b/c it is an all female race, they decided to do this!
Women for Women 5k/10k was created to celebrate women and their strength.  Women in running has grown in the last several years and women are averaging 60% of the total race field.  It is a time when women of all ages come together to support each other in achieving a common goal.  We are excited to have the first time runner to the seasoned veteran.  The race course offers a sunrise as you head over the challenging Lake Worth Bridge.  There you will enjoy the ocean view briefly as you head back over the bridge to end your run through the Historic South Lake Worth neighborhood.  The finish line is at the "M" Street Park  and will be filled with music and excitement as you head to the home stretch where family and friends cheer you on.  Finishers Medals to ALL!  Enjoy the after celebration with food,drinks and raffles.  So bring your sister, mother, daughter or best friend to celebrate you!   

This is exciting too!

You Could Win..

Friday, 08 April 2011 17:11 | Written by Administrator | | |

You could win one of these exciting raffle items:

We have 2 4G AT&T phones to raffle off, each worth $499.

Baskets from Mind, Body, Sole

Baskets from Spa

Watercolors from local artist

In addition to many items in the goodie bag: magazine, sample lotions, sun screen, bug repellent, nutrition bars, biofreeze and coupons

I'm super excited about this race! I'll let you know how it goes!!

 

A joke!! I mean I guess its funny!

So one of my guy friends sent me this and even though I am making fun of myself and its demeaning to women, I do have to admit that I think it is kind of funny!

 

Greene Easter Break Hours Assignment

A Post from my favorite blog-Skinny Runner!

I decided to add this for my beloved friend chris hernandez!!

Would You Rather….

Give up chocolate for life

or

Give up coffee for life?

I’d give up chocolate because I would be a raging psycho without coffee.