Easter Facts
| Published: 12th March 2008 23:37 |
What is Easter?
Easter is a Christian Festival that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. His crucifixion is said to have taken place on Good Friday and 3 days later, on what is now called Easter Sunday, is recognised as when he rose from the dead.
Easter Eggs
Eggs have long been viewed as a symbol of new life and indeed the custom of exchanging eggs actually started long before Easter was celebrated.
It was a custom of the Egyptians and the Persians to exchanged eggs decorated in Spring colours, as they believed Earth hatched from an egg.
Early Christians are understood to have used red coloured eggs to symbolize the Resurrection and it became a tradition in England to write messages and dates on their eggs and exchanging them with friends and loved ones.
It was during the 1800's, that candied eggs started to be seen. However these were quite different from the Easter eggs we see today, being open at one end with a scene appearing inside and typically use as table centerpieces.
Easter Bunnies
Once again deriving from the Egyptians, rabbits were seen to symbolize new life and rebirth.
The visit of the "Easter Bunny" however is based upon a German Legend, which tells of a poor woman who decorated eggs for her children to find during a famine. At the moment they found them, they looked up to see a big bunny hopping away and hence was born the story of the Easter Bunny distributing eggs.
Other Facts
· The name Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, originally of the dawn. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honour
· Easter always falls between the 22nd March and the 25th April each year, as (in the words of the Book of Common Prayer) it takes place on the first Sunday after the full moon which happens on or after 21st March.
· Pysanka is a specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting.
· The initial baskets of Easter were given the appearance of bird's nests.
· The maiden chocolate eggs recipes were made in Europe in the nineteenth century.
· Each year witnesses the making of nearly 90 million chocolate bunnies.
· When it comes to eating of chocolate bunnies, it is the ears that are preferred to be eaten first by as many as 76% of people.
- 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.
· Easter Bonnets are a throw back to the days when the people denied themselves the pleasure of wearing finery for the duration of Lent. 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.
· The most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883 the Russian Czar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie. The first Faberge egg was an egg within an egg. It had an outside shell of platinum and enameled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown. This special Faberge egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the custom. Fifty-seven eggs were made in all.
· In 1878 President Hayes and his wife Lucy officially opened the White House grounds to the children of the area for egg rolling on Easter Monday. The event has been held on the South Lawn ever since, except during World War I and World War II. During the war years the Easter Egg Roll was held at the National Zoo, and other Washington locations.
· The Guinness Book of Records holder for the largest Easter egg ever made is the Belgian chocolate producer Guylian who made the chocolate egg with at least 50.000 bars on behalf of the city of St. Niklaas. The egg measured 8.32 metres high . Twenty-six craftsman worked altogether 525 hours to build the egg. They needed 1950 kg of chocolates.
