Have a wonderful Easter holiday

Just a quick note to wish you and your families a blessed and enjoyable Easter holiday.. Cherie Houston

Thought you might enjoy a little trivia about Easter, which as we know is considered the holiest of days for all Christians, commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus after his Crucifixion. Like the origin of this celebration, the precise date of Easter Sunday too has been a matter of contention. However, there is a general acceptance of the proposition offered by 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, according to which, Easter owes its origin to the old Teutonic mythology

Just like Passover which is dependent on the phases of the moon and has different dates each year, Easter is also a movable feast and doesn’t fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars but Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25. This year “2011” Christians around the world will celebrate Easter today, on Sunday, April 24^th..

Here are some interesting Easter trivia facts you may not have known:

• Easter is known by different names across the world. Some of them are: English - Easter, French - Paques, Spanish - Pascua, Italian - Pasqua, Albanian - Pashke, German - Ostern, Greek - Pascha, Norway - Paaske, Holland - Pasen and Swedish - Pask
• The name Easter owes its origin from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes hare and egg.
• Apart from English and German, the name of 'Easter' has been derived from Pesach, the Hebrew name of Passover festival
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest Easter egg made till date, was just over 25-ft high and was made of chocolate and marshmallow. Weighing at 8,968 lbs., the egg was supported by an internal steel frame
• The Easter Lilly symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus because the shell represents the tomb of Jesus and the flower that blooms represents life after death.
• The maiden chocolate eggs recipes were made in Europe in the nineteenth century.
• Vegreville, Canada is the site of the largest Easter egg in the world.
• Pysanka is a specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting.
• Most children (74%) eat the ears of their chocolate bunny first. 13% eat the feet first, and 10% eat the tails first.
• In 1878 U.S. President Rutherford B. 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.
• The initial baskets of Easter were given the appearance of bird's nests.
• 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
• From the very early times, egg has been considered to be the most important symbol of rebirth
• Hot cross buns, made by European monks, are counted amongst the earliest Easter treats. They were given to the poor people, during the month of Lent.
• Red jellybeans qualify as the most favorite food stuff for kids on Easter