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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The Eid Festivals - Eid ul Fit and Eid ul Adha

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The Muslim festival Eid-Ul-Adha is the Festival of Pilgrimage for Muslims. It is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijjah to mark the end of the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. This is a festival that recollects fundamental events in Muslim history; the call of Prophet Abraham for believers to visit the Kaaba he had built.

Basically Eid-Ul-Adha signifies a festival of obedience and sacrifice through following God's commands and the spirit of sacrifice and dedication that Muslims harbor with fellow Muslims and other human beings.

The great patriarch, Abraham was so God abiding that he was ready to immolate his beloved son Ismael at God's command. But God then acknowledged his obedience and sent a sheep to be sacrificed instead. Today believers donate to the poor and rejoice during Eid-Ul-Adha.

Eid-Ul-Adha starts with a usual bath wherein all members of the family seek each other's forgiveness and pardon. There is a special congregational prayer organized in the mosque to recall the spirit of Abraham's sacrifice.

Another joyous Islamic festival is the Eid-Ul-Fitr that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. This is the day people thank Allah for their strength and self-restraint during their fast during Ramadan. The first sight of the new moon on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth Islamic month decides the date of Eid-Ul-Fitr and the start of celebrations.

The festival is also referred to as the 'Festival of Fast-Breaking' where you see a great rush in markets the day before the festival. This is when people shop for gifts, clothes and sweetmeats. Eid-Ul-Fitr also signifies the payment of obligatory charity, fitrah. Being the festival of charity, the poor, ailing and orphans are remembered and are relieved by Muslims who give donations, kindness and love generously.

The morning of Eid finds all Muslims attending morning players after which everyone wears their best. Men wear white kurtas, pants, surma, perfume and a white or colored topee to complete their attire. Women wear beautiful churidhars and shalwar kameez with embroidered shawls. After eating a special Eid preparation of milk, sugar and vermicelli, the male attend special prayers at the mosque.

The mosques are packed on Eid-Ul-Fitr where rich and poor stand together in front of their Creator to cement the bond of affection and brotherhood of Islamism by hugging each other and greeting 'Eid Mubarak'. The rest of the day is spent visiting relatives and friends to exchange greetings and gifts. Children look forward to Eid-Ul-Fitr as they receive Eidi in the form of cash or gifts from elders. Radio stations play popular 'Qauwwali' while the television screens progams with Muslim flavor.

No Lid celebration is complete without Biryani. Its preparation is a part of the rituals of Lid that is transmitted from mother to daughter and master to disciple. Besides Biryani, meet and chicken Kababs, kulfis, faloodas, pulaos, Shawai and other delicacies are gorged after one month of restraint. All friends and relatives participate in the joyous, and traditional celebrations of Eid-Ul-Fitr.

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Printable Easter Bingo

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According to Christian religious belief, three days after Jesus Christ was crucified, he was resurrected. Easter (which is also known as "Resurrection Day" or "Pasha") is the Christian holiday and festival, perhaps the most important feast of the Christian liturgical year, which marks these events. The word "Easter" is used both to refer to the specific holy day and to the season of the church year which includes Easter day itself.

The date of Easter does vary each year, and the calculation of its date has been an issue of some controversy among Christians, at various times in history. The reason that the date moves is that Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover - the Last Supper is generally regarded as having been a Passover meal - and of course date of Passover is determined using the Jewish lunar calendar. The usual formula that is used to calculate the date of Easter has been described as placing Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the vernal equinbox - but even this is a simplification. Furthermore, since Eastern and Western Christian use different calendars (Julian and Gregorian respectively), even today there is no universal agreement on the date of Easter.

Although Easter has its roots in Christianity, today it is also a secular celebration. Most Western countries provide public holidays around Easter, and these holidays provide a excellent opportunity to spend times with friends and family. Children of course enjoy Easter eggs at this time, as well as chocolate, candies and sweets of all times. The holiday also provides the opportunity for Christian children to learn more about their faith, and for children of all faiths (and no faith) to learn about the history of Easter.

An activity that you may wish to consider for the occasion is Easter bingo. Bingo is in general suitable for marking most holidays (not just Easter), because the game is easy to learn, a lot of fun and is open to people of all ages to play. Some older people can of course enjoy the game as just a bit of fun - but kids can actually learn quite a bit while playing.

In order to play you will need some bingo cards printed with words or phrases relating to Easter instead of the traditional numbered bingo cards. In the old days, you would probably have had to send off to a specialist publisher to get these custom bingo cards - but today it's much easier and cheaper - you can simply print bingo cards from your computer. With suitable bingo card maker software, you can easily print as many bingo cards as you wish, on any topic or theme.

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Best Easter Ideas - Chocolate Yummies Fill Empty Tummies

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How time flies by, it only seems like yesterday when the tedious job of taking down the Christmas decorations was undertaken and stored up the loft, only to repeat the whole tedious process accordingly to commemorate Easter. However, because the lord is involved with both festive dates - makes tasks as such not so tedious at all but much more rewarding. Christmas day we celebrate the birth of Christ and Easter Sunday his resurrection.

Tradition up holds by giving a child a chocolate egg on Easter Sunday, and in some cases more because of greed, all because mom and dad give in to their demands. This is not good for their health or your pocket. Parents need to downsize on the chocolate egg or quantity. Huge savings can be made by doing this thus giving you those extra pennies to spend on healthy candy alternatives.

Easter is about feasting but do take care of what edible delights you are serving up. Keep your child`s welfare in mind. hence no guilt trip for you if the child is sick from overeating or piling on the pounds

If the feast table is to be laden with yummies to fill the tummies then it is a good idea to include some healthier alternatives. There is a vast variety of healthy replacements for candy baskets.

Instead of chocolate or marshmallow candy, fill the baskets with natural cookies which can be baked at home and juicy fruits. Mini boxes of raisins dried apple pieces and sultanas are a good choice of appetizer.

Fill basket with low fat candies.

Both stuffed bunny rabbits and jelly beans are tempting eye candy to a child and low in calories.
After the feast their will be the cleaning up so no time to cook tea, a good idea is to have the children decorate hard boiled eggs which can be eaten with a salad.

If the hens have been laying and you have spare eggs organize an egg rolling competition. Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a slope, the winner is the one which rolls the egg the furthest, survives the most rolls, or is successfully aimed between two pegs!

Below budget-friendly activities for kids this Easter:

Take the kids on a shopping spree. Give each whatever you can afford and let them choose their own Easter gift, by doing this the day will not seem as long than that of being in the home running out of ideas as to what to do next.

Easter Garden : Pick up some flower pots, and seeds, and teach your kids a few gardening basics then let them plant their own spring flowers.

Sometimes a change of location is all it takes to keep kids entertained and more so at Easter time. So why not take the kids on a picnic, weather permitting. Whether it is the garden or a nearby park the kids will love it. Bring a toy to play with, it would be in your best interest to replace the old kite or ball with a new one, this will excite the children more.

Give young children a basket of brightly coloured plastic eggs; with coins inside each egg, be careful with small items placed in an Easter basket.

Easter day is named after the Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre, whose feast took place at the spring equinox. Easter is now the spring feast of the Christian church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Traditionally Easter eggs are given as presents symbolising new life and the coming of spring.

Happy Easter

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Fun treasure hunt clues

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Treasure hunts bring an instant smile to almost everyone. Close your eyes and think back to Christmas, treasure hunts them down for a long time, perhaps with their parents or their favorite pirate birthday party, he never could forget I played. Most adults do not have that kind of entertainment in old age, simply because the creativity and the time needed to reach something just did not make the extra minute or energy in those days. What if this little 'treasure hunt silly statements have not beensomething you had to do it myself? What happens if you imagine what topic you want and click with you! - One would be for you?

Funny instructions treasure hunt can be difficult. Do you have a mouth in a smile. Witty evidence can not be boring .. want you to think, imagine, question and then suddenly you know what to do. Share a treasure hunt with your family is a great way to think outside the box and instead of writing a lot of time, can only be foundyes ... download the program .. and follow the simple instructions for them to life for those who come to love more.

Plan a pirate birthday party for your child exactly like you remember? What does this information help? Now, do not forget to put this in comic pirate lingo! "Old pirates, sailors and sea lions are known as salts. If you are an expert, or do you think this is wrong? If you agree, you deserve a reward. In the table, as it seeks to shops. It is not a rogue or scurvy dog . Takeonly be a duplicate, not a pig. "Scavenger Hunt instructions are not just stupid .. or cry for clarifications on the new rhymes and sayings shocking your children have probably never heard before. Need a nice game of treasure hunt in rhyme for children, just learn to read? How is it for you? "He who has the gift of 'buyer has purchased. What clothes dryer ____" you guessed it! Dryer. The faces are bound to break out laughing.

Excitednot just say, entertaining and play the treasure hunt hunting information the children? Want to turn up a notch? Grab your camera and ponytails and ribbons to go back to the '80s with your friends. The "80's Picture Hunt" is full of evidence completely fun shouting "Pretty in Pink" and "The Breakfast Club." You'll enjoy this fascinating as it is used in the gallery on Pac-Man.

So let's not make fun of the treasure hunt clues are the exception, in order to apply the rule to all your parties!

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Not Sure What To Serve For Easter Dinner?

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Make These Easter Treats Your Easter Feast!

Easter Day and the Easter recipes we choose to cook play an important role in our lives.

Easter is about life; it's about springtime and welcoming back the flowers and birds; it's about a warmer sun on our backs and a renewed faith in all the good we want and believe in for everyone. Easter is a day to be with family. Easter is about love.

Yes, some people will think about new suits and new dresses and as a time for chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs. Certainly a number of children will. But for me, Easter is about being with family and friends and enjoying a great meal with them.

I recently saw a statistic that says, despite the fact that the better restaurants seem packed with people on Easter, only 35 per cent of Americans go out for their Easter meal. That means 65 per cent of us either stay at home and cook or we are the guests of relatives who are doing so.

I will be cooking and preparing Easter dinner at my house this year for the first time in 24 years! I finally have a fully trained, very competent staff at my restaurant. They will handle everything at the business, allowing me to cook for my family, relatives and friends. I consider this a great honor, not a burden. This is one of the things I do best, and I enjoy it!

One of the most interesting things about Easter is that it is somewhat of a "melting pot" holiday, with traditions from many cultures and religions. But there is no doubt about it, food plays a big part of celebrations in every culture.

Not sure what to serve for Easter dinner? The recipes on this page are traditional Easter recipes, or would make good components to an Easter dinner. But don't stop your recipe search here on this page. This is only a sampling of what you will find on my website.

Ham is a traditional main course at this time of year, so I have included a wonderful ham recipe here, along with a secret restaurant appetizer recipe, a starch and vegetable to accompany the ham and a recipe for dessert - a fabulous Triple Chocolate And Vanilla Cheesecake.

But on my website I have many other Easter recipes from which to choose. Mix and match components of these menus or other recipes on the website to create your own perfect Easter dinner.

This Crab Artichoke Dip Appetizer is the all-time best selling appetizer at my restaurant, despite the fact that crab is expensive. The combination of ingredients is what drives the price but it is so good my restaurant guests buy it frequently. They have asked me for this crab recipe many times and, until now, it has always been one of my secret restaurant recipes.

Hot Crab Artichoke Recipe For 8-10

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese

2 cups of mayonnaise

3/4 pound of Dungeness crab

1 cup quartered artichoke hearts

1/2 cup white onions, diced

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons green onions, minced

2 tablespoons red pepper, minced

2 tablespoons celery, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons parsley, chopped

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella cheeseInstructions:

In a mixer, whip the cream cheese until soft but not airy

While the cream cheese is mixing, prepare the crab, artichoke hearts, onions, garlic, red pepper, celery, parsley and cheeses

When the cream cheese is softened, fold in the remaining ingredients, adding the cheeses last

Refrigerate until ready to use

Bake in a baking dish in a pre-heated 375 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on top and bubbly around the edges

Serve with thinly sliced French bread and/or artisan crackers

Apricot Glazed Ham Recipe

Preparation time: 1 1/2 hours. Serves 15.

Ingredients:

One 5 pound old fashioned smoked, boneless ham (pit ham)

1 cup apricot nectar

1 cup apricot preserves

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmegInstructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F

Place the ham and apricot nectar in your roasting pan

In a small mixing bowl, combine the preserves, marmalade, cinnamon and nutmeg

Spread the mixture over the surface of the ham and loosely cover the ham with foil

Bake for 1 1/4 hours basting your ham with pan juices every 20 minutes

Using a thermometer, check the internal temperature of the ham and remove it from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F

Slice the ham and place slices on a serving platter and spoon the pan juice over the slices ham

Basic Scalloped Potatoes

Preparation time: 20 minutes. Serves 8-10.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted

8 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I am fortunate to have a mandoline, otherwise slice the potatoes with your knife)

2 medium onions, diced

2 cups heavy cream

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ground Allspice, optional

Fresh parsley, mincedInstructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Grease a shallow baking pan with some melted butter

Place a layer of potato slices on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with half the onion, salt and pepper to taste

Place a second layer of sliced potatoes over the first layer

Repeat the layering process until all the potato slices are gone

Pour the heavy cream over the potatoes, sprinkle again with salt and pepper and if you wish - AllSpice

Drizzle the remainder of the butter on top

Bake for one hour in the oven or until most of the cream is absorbed and the top is golden to golden brown

Sprinkle parsley on top to serve

Fresh Green Bean Recipe

Preparation time: 5 minutes (once your Dill Butter is prepared). Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans

Dill Butter - Recipe Below (or simply use regular butter and salt and pepper if you prefer)Instructions:

Wash beans thoroughly in clear, cold water and trim the ends

If using baby green beans, you probably do not need to cut them into smaller pieces. Otherwise you may want to cut the green beans at least in half. You can cut them straight across or at an angle

Place green beans in a pot of boiling water and blanch them for 3-4 minutes (Some people add a bit of salt to the boiling water, but this is optional and there should be plenty of room in the pot but don't use more water than you have to. If you are cooking more beans than you have room for, it's okay to cook them in batches.)

Drain beans in a colander

Place your Dill Butter in a skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat to melt the butter

Put beans in the pan with the Dill Butter and heat thoroughly, making sure the beans are re-heated but not over-cooked

Plate beans and serve

Dill Butter Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Makes enough for bean recipe above.

Ingredients:

1/4 pound soft butter

1 table spoon chopped or minced fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

3/4 teaspoon lemon juiceInstructions:

Coarsely chop the dill and process in a food processor with the butter, garlic and lemon juice (or mix thoroughly with a fork)

Shape the mixture into a roll and wrap in parchment paper or wax paper and twist the ends

Store in freezer until needed

Triple Chocolate And Vanilla Cheesecake

Favorite Restaurant Dessert Recipe For Home Cooks

Preparation time: 30 minutes. Serves 12.

Ingredients For Crust:

4 1/2 ounces Oreo cookie crumbs

1/2 ounce melted butterInstructions For Crust:

Combine the Oreo cookie crumbs and the butter in a mixing bowl and pour into a springform pan

Spread the crumbs over the bottom and press down with your hands to firm it

Smooth the crust with the back of a spoon

Chill in the freezer while preparing the cheescakeIngredients For Cheesecake:

2 pounds softened cream cheese

1/3 cup flour

14 ounces of Eagle Brand condensed milk (no substituting, this is an important ingredient)

7 whole eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 ounces chocolate chips, meltedInstructions For Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe:

In a Kitchenaid mixer, beat the cream cheese on low and then beat until fluffy

On low speed, add the flour and mix well

Gradually add the Eagle Brand condensed milk, mixing until smooth

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well

Pour half of the batter into the prepared crust in the springform pan

Add the melted chocolate chips into the remaining batter and mix well

Pour the chocolate batter evenly oven the white layer in the springform pan

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree F oven for about 40 minutes

Cool the cheesecake out of the refrigerator until the cheesecake is room temperature, then refrigerateIngredients For Glaze:

4 ounces of chocolate chips

1/3 cup whipping cream (not whipped)Instructions For Glaze:

Combine chocolate chips and cream in a sauce pan over low heat to melt chips and combine

Cool slightly, pour over the cheesecake and refrigerate

Enjoy your Easter recipes and the company of those you share them with! Cultivate the love!

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Easter Traditions in France

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Considered the revered cradle of Christianity, France commemorates Easter with huge cheering and energy. The whole nation of the French flag parties in the Eastertide events and shops are skilfully adorned with chickens, fish, bells and dark and white chocolate rabbits.

Easter Fish

'Poisson d'Avril' (April Fish) is the French Easter fish that appears on April 1st when French kids enjoy in playing a sort of 'April Fool's' prank. They stick fish made from paper to the back of grown-ups.

Flying Bells

Flying Bells or Cloche Volant is a different significant element of France's Easter practices. On Good Friday, French Catholics deem that every church bell in France take off to the Vatican City in Rome, taking with them the sadness and pain of people who grieve the crucifixion of Jesus on that day. The flying bells go back on the morning of Easter Sunday and have with them piles of eggs and chocolates.

Easter Eggs

Kids awaken on Easter Sunday and check the nests they put in the yard or grounds, looking forward to getting well adorned Easter eggs. The game of rolling uncooked eggs on an incline is French tradition during Easter. According to myths, the last egg was the winning egg and represented the stone that is spun over the tomb of Jesus. Having fun with the eggs is one of the much-loved activities of children in Easter. The kids play a game wherein the eggs are tossed in the air and they have to catch them.

Traditional Banquet

In France, people usually cook lamb during Easter. A lot of Christian homes prepare 'Gigot D'agneau' or leg of lamb particularly for this event.

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