Easter Eggs for Anya: A Ukrainian Celebration of New Life in Christ

Easter Eggs for Anya: A Ukrainian Celebration of New Life in Christ Review

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Easter - A Time For Celebration and a Time For Reflection

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Easter is the time of year when all Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after he was crucified on the cross. It is probably the most celebrated occasion in the Christian calendar. It is even more important than Christmas itself.

Easter itself is the culmination of forty days in which time Christians pray, fast and reflect. That time is called Lent. The forty days are said to represent the forty days that Jesus was out in the wilderness alone and where he overcame many temptations of the devil.

The week before Easter itself is the Holy Week. Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday and is the day Jesus had the last supper with his disciples then Good Friday is the day Jesus was crucified. As we all know Easter Sunday is the day in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and should not be forgotten when we celebrate Easter.

Christian Church

The Christian church was looking for a time to hold a celebration for the resurrection of Christ and changed the pagan celebration of Eostre into their own celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. They also changed the day on which the celebration took place and decreed that the new date was after the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the Vernal Equinox. This also meant that the date changed from year to year and is now celebrated between the 22nd March or in some cases as late as the 25th April.

Many centuries before Jesus was resurrected from the cross civilizations celebrated the coming of spring with grand festivals and rituals so it's no coincidence the Christian church used this time to celebrate Jesus' life and death.

Warmth, Light and Fertility

Even before Christianity began people celebrated the coming of spring by organizing grand festivals and sacrifices to honor their goddesses of spring. They all knew that if their goddess was pleased with them then she would reward them by warming and lighting up the land, give new life to overwintering flowers, trees and shrubs and to bring new life into animals and birds too not to mention the fields upon which they grew their food.

But where did the Easter celebration come from? Well we are not quite sure but it's almost certain that it is from one of these events:

Goddess of Fertility and Spring

The word "Easter" could be derived from the pagan word Eostre who was the goddess of fertility and birth. The pagans believed she returned to earth each year around what we now call spring time and bestowed light and warmth to the land. To mark the coming of Eostre the pagans laid on huge celebrations in her honor so as not to upset the goddess.

There are other events that claim to be the original Easter celebration including:

The Jewish Passover

Another version is the Jewish Passover with some people believing this Hebrew tradition was the basis of Easter. The Jewish people celebrated around Easter time to herald the freedom of the Israelites from incarceration and slavery. This, along with the resurrection of Christ which happened around the same time as the Jewish Passover contributed too many Jews considering the Passover and Easter being one.

Even the word Easter is a little mysterious in it's origins.

Lost in Translation

The word Easter itself is said to have come from an actual translation error. The Latin word Alba or white is thought to have been mistranslated when translated into German. The Alba word means white but it can also mean sunlight and its thought that the sunlight translation was used and therefore the word Easter was born.

Easter Bunny and Brightly Painted Eggs

It has become a much commercialized event too with the integration of Easter eggs, chocolate and the Easter bunny being at the forefront of the commercialization. The original Easter bunny and eggs originated from pagan times when they associated them with the coming of spring and fertility. The pagans would paint them with bright colors and hang them in trees and bushes and also give them out to family and friends. But it was the Germans who carried on with the tradition, so much so that around the 18th century the first chocolate Easter eggs were created by them. Since then we have seen an explosion of people giving chocolate around Easter time but it should not be forgotten why Easter is important for another reason.

Never Forget why we Celebrate

No matter how or why we celebrate Easter there is one thing that all Christian's must never forget. You should never forget the reason why the world over people celebrate Easter, and that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For that very fact Easter is an important date in the Christian calendar and possibly more important than Christmas itself.

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Chocolate Party Ideas - 7 Ways to Sweeten Any Celebration With This Rich Candy Treat

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Who doesn't love chocolate?! The rich, sweet taste appeals to everyone from little kids to their great grandmothers.  So if you're looking for that special ingredient to add something extra to your next party, why not choose this delicious treat?  You can make it your entire party theme or just the crowning touch to your celebration.  Here are seven ways you can use chocolatey goodness to elevate your party to the next level.

1. Invitations.  Set the tone for your party by choosing invitations with a rich cocoa brown color scheme.  It's become a trendy color in the past few years, so the invitations shouldn't be difficult to find.  Add a drop of chocolate fragrance oil, scented perfume or even scratch and sniff stickers to the back of the envelope before mailing.

2. Atmosphere.  Just about any candle shop will carry candles scented with this delicous fragrance.  Scatter these small lit candles around the party to create an inviting ambiance.  Decorate with cocoa brown balloons.  You can use other balloon colors to accent the brown, such as silver, gold and red.  If you want to take it a step further, you can have napkins, plates and tablecloths in the same or coordinating color.  Using your digital camera on macro mode, take super close up photos of candy bar wrappers or the inside of a Whitman's sampler or box of truffles.  Make poster size enlargements of your pictures and display them at the party.

3. Chocolate Fountain.  This makes an elegant centerpiece and is a lot of fun.  Although a word of warning, it also very messy.  You can buy these small fountains for a reasonable price and rent larger ones.  For a cheaper alternative, consider a making a rich chocolatey fondue.  You can still dip pieces of fruit, cake, marshmallows, graham crackers and pretzels into the mixture.  But since the fondue tends to be a bit thicker in consistency than the fountain, there is also less mess potential.

4. Games.  If you're having an entire theme party, you might want to also include some games.  Hide gourmet wrapped truffles for a sort of Easter egg hunt.  You could fill a jar with M&Ms and have everyone guess how many candies it contains.   The person that comes the closest can take home the entire jar as a prize.  Play trivia by researching candy facts online.  Use wrapped confections as game pieces for bingo or other games.

5. Tasting.  You could build a whole party around this.  Invite your guests to taste and rate a variety of chocolates.  Break apart each bar and display on individual plates. Make sure you label each plate with it's name, country of origin, and anything else interesting about it.  This way, your guests can distinguish between the samples, when they mark the cards you printed for their ratings.  Don't forget to offer breadsticks and crackers to cleanse the palate between tastings.

6. Unique menu items.  Instead of just the usual devil's food cake, how about croissants filled with this rich ingredient?  Replace standard brownies with cocoa raspberry cookie bars.   You can serve white, milk or dark chocolate covered potato chips, popcorn and orange peel. Believe it or not, they actually sell bacon that has been coated in this delectable confection.  You don't have to go that far, but it certainly would be a conversation starter!

7. Chocolate favors.  Whether you have a candy theme party or a regular traditional event, you can't go wrong if you send your guests home with tasty party favors.  Personalized chocolate-bars are popular.  The candy bar wrappers are imprinted with your message and sometimes even a photo.  You can also find little mint size tins filled with these gourmet treats with the top cover displaying a personalized design customized for the occasion.  Your party favors don't have to be limited to the edible variety.  You can also give away cocoa scented candles, lip balm and bath beads.  Or how about a funny T-shirt or magnet with a quote about this dreamy confection?

So, the next time you plan a party, think about this delicious treat.  Whether you add just a little sweet touch to your celebration by giving your guests chocolate favors, or pull out all the stops and throw a big cocoa theme party, your guests will be delighted.

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Easter Gifts - Gift Items That Will Make the Celebration of Birth More Rewarding

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I always conjure the picture of an egg when I hear the word Easter. When I was younger, I even though that the celebration of Easter was somehow relevant to an egg. Something about the chickens, maybe? Back then, I was not really sure what Easter was all about. As I grew older, however, I realized how very significant the Easter Sunday is in the lives of Christians. It is the day that symbolizes the rebirth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the very reason why we have a lot to celebrate for during that day.

I remember seeing Easter celebrations revolving around games and every kind of festivity one can think of. I have also come to realize that the eggs that I so commonly saw during these celebrations were to symbolize birth or life. And indeed, birth and the ensuing life of our savior and of ours is truly something to be amazed at and be happy about. Easter eggs were also popular for being decorated and then given as gifts. I guess this has something to do about bringing artistry to life and giving someone a symbolic attribute to life.

Easter is a lot of things, and just like many celebrations, it also involves gifts. Easter gifts are as varied and as parallel as with any other gift-giving celebrations, but in some ways, they are also unique. For instance, who would give someone a decorated egg in Christmas or in ones birthday? The uniqueness that comes with some of the popular Easter gifts comes with their relevance to the celebration. One thing I have also noticed about the gifts given away during these celebrations is that they are not always and necessarily things bought from the store. There are a lot of gift items given during Easter that are homemade or personalized.

With Easter comes the festivity expected of a celebration life and birth. And although Easter gifts need not be expensive or even bought, they require thought in order to make them even more special and more symbolic of life and sharing. Below are some gift ideas that you can give for Easter.

Religiously-themed.
Easter is mostly a Christian celebration. Thus, religiously-themed gift items around Christianity are often popular. These can include the bible, or even simple bookmarks with religious passages will do.

Novelty items.
The decorated egg is one of the most popular gifts given during Easter, and it is a novelty item. It can be a way of expressing your artistry to the one you are giving it to, or it may be a way symbolically sharing life, as what the egg typically represents in Easter celebrations. There are a lot of different designs that you can beautify your egg with. You need not be an official or professional artist; all you need is the thought.

Home-made.
What makes the Easter gift giving truly special is how the gifts come with a lot of thought, especially when they are home made. The person receiving the gift will really be able to say that the effort alone makes it wonderful. You can probably bake cookies or brownies for your home-made gift.

Easter represents the celebration of life, let your Easter gifts show that.

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Easter Brunch - The Celebration That is "Egg Cellent"

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Easter is the welcome banner of Spring. Whether you decide to have a delightful breakfast served after church services or a formal sit-down dinner with your best silverware, china, and linens, there is another option to consider. Brunch showcases an informality of morning taste treats with the sumptuous offerings of dinner. On such a special occasion such as Easter, foods are presented in silver casserole trays and the table is sparkling with daffodils and tulips, as well as baskets overflowing with creative colored eggs and bunny cookies.

As you go through your recipe files, look for some do ahead dishes that will allow you more variety at a slower pace on Easter Day. Serving a variety of hot and cold foods is sure to please the food choices of everyone who shares your Easter Brunch.

Condiments such as butter, jams and cream cheese should be chilled in their serving dishes so that the frosty goodness melts on toast, muffins and Easter breads. Peach muffins topped with brown sugar and pecans tantalize your guests from baskets set around such entrees as scrambled eggs or ham and swiss strudel. Succulent roast beef carved into thin slices will literally melt in sheer goodness or let your guests taste the traditional leg of lamb seasoned to perfection with just a hint of garlic and lemon.

Asparagus, while simple to prepare, makes brunch a true Springtime event. Glazed bacon strips are a reminder of childhood "candy" treats and tart shells brimming with the first strawberries of the season fan across a cool, creamy custard filling. Add a mint leave and you have eye appeal and taste satisfaction.

The aroma of baked ham slightly sweet with warm juices running down each slice stands next to a colorful bowl of buttered carrots with a green accent of chives, highlighting all the pastels that Easter represents. French toast sticks bring the young and young at heart together and chocolate chip coffee cake just begs for a smooth, hot and delicious cup of coffee.

Serving breakfast fare and dinner specials allows everyone to pick and choose, find new favorites and renew past memories of fantastic food, great companion-ship, and the wondrous opulent colors of Easter. Don't forget the camera for those scrapbook additions of family and celebration photos.

Enjoy Easter in all its delights with family and friends and know that all your ventures into culinary land will finish up "eggs cellent". Something to think about ©Arleen M. Kaptur February, 2009

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