To My Easter Page..It only took me almost 4 years to make this page..Enjoy and Have a Happy and Blessed Easter....



          The above globe was made by myself at Image Magik.


          Religious Events:


          Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important feast in the Christian calendar. The churches are filled with worshipers, the altars are decorated with Easter Lillies and the music proclaims the joy of the season. Easter Sunday falls sometime between March 22 and April 25. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21. Easter Sunday ends a period of preparation for the feast of Easter. This 40-day period of prayer and fasting, called Lent, begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday is known as Holy Week. Good Friday marks Christ's crucifixion; and Easter Sunday, his resurrection. The custom of a sunrise service on Easter Sunday can be traced to ancient spring festivals that celebrated the rising sun. The custom developed further in the Middle Ages, when celebrations at sunrise were also popular. People gathered to pray as the sun appeared and then went in procession to their churches.



          Easter Traditions and Festivities~~


          Hop aboard the Bunny Train~~~~Here you will see and learn many interesting facts about Easter and Springtime traditions...



          As we look out the window of the Bunny Express Train, we see people with their bright colored Spring finery, as they stroll down the Avenue(maybe 5th Ave) for the Easter Parade.


          ~~The Easter Parade~~


          Easter Sunday has traditionally been the day to bring out your Spring finery. I remember as a little girl, getting a new Easter outfit and okay lets not forget about the new Easter Bonnet..I did not promanade in any parades, but did wear my outfit to Church on Easter Sunday.. The new clothes were a symbol of New Life. This tradition lives on in New York's Easter Parade, an annual procession of folks decked out in their fanciest outfits, which dates back to the Civil War period. We especially love to look at the hats – there are usually some amazingly extravagant creations. The parade begins at 49th Street, near Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral (one of the main churches that the parade participants traditionally attend) and goes up Fifth Avenue to 57th Street. The festivities kick off at 10 AM and last until about 4 PM. Of course the original and grand-daddy of all Easter Parades in the Unitied States is the one held in Atlantic City, where they promanade on the Boardwalk.


          Look to the left...Look to the right...see what is happening on the White House lawn and surrounding areas!


          ~~Easter Egg Hunts and Egg Rolling Contests~~


          Colored eggs are used in egg rolling contests and Easter egg hunts.


          In an egg rolling contest children roll the eggs against each other or down a hill and the one that remains unbroken is the winner. The lawn at the White House in Washington, DC has been the site of an egg rolling contest since 1878. Today children roll their eggs on the White House lawn, in hopes that the President of the Unitied States will be watching them. Egg rolling is a popular present-day yearly custom.


          In an Easter egg hunt, children of the communities search inside or outside for colored eggs allegedly hidden by the Easter rabbit. On Easter morning the children of the house join in a search to locate the eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden while they where asleep. The searching might continue though out the house with the older children helping the youngest. Sometimes prizes of candy are awaiting the child finding the most eggs.


          ~~The Easter Egg~~


          One of the best-known Easter symbols is the egg, which has symbolized renewed life since ancient days. The egg is said to be a symbol of life because in all living creatures life begins in the egg. Today many people color Easter eggs and decorate them with fancy patterns and symbols. The sun symbolizes good fortune, the rooster, fulfillment of wishes, the deer, good health and the flowers, love and charity.


          ~~The Easter Basket~~


          Easter Baskets symbolize nests where the Easter Bunny laid it's Easter Eggs. Today, baskets are used for the Easter Bunny to hide the colored eggs and other goodies in for children to find on Easter! And we can thank the Germans for the American tradition of Easter baskets and for the ideas of coloring and hiding Easter eggs. German immigrants brought the tradition here in the late 19th century. Before that time the children found their eggs and goodies in their shoes.


          In conclusion folks..these are the customs that I am used to from childhood to the present, which I have passed on to my children and they will pass on to my grandkids. I am sure there are other traditions, customs and symbols that I did not cover depending on denomation and nationality, but whatever they may be...enjoy your Easter Season!!


          I would like to thank my FBF and sis for making the lovely backgound set for this page.






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