EASTER IN THE AIR: THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW

Take any festival and you will find that it has its roots that can be traced back to religious history. Hence, it is no surprise that the many festivals that we celebrate across the world have been spawned by a spate of significant events in antiquity. These important events etched an indelible impression on the collective minds of the people who felt the need to commemorate it, lest the posterity overlooked its importance. Thus, a slew of celebrations came into existence. The history of Easter is no different. It is one of the oldest and the holiest of festivals for the Christians. It is a day revered by the people who celebrate it with immense religious ardency. After Jesus' crucifixion, all his apostles were distraught thinking that they will never get to see him again. However, on the third day from his crucifixion, Christ rose from his dead body. Known as the Resurrection of Christ, this holy event brought joy and relief aplenty to his followers who began to celebrate the day to commemorate the resurrection of Christ. However, there are many interesting facts associated with Easter. To know more on it, explore the information below.

Easter Trivia

• The name Easter owes its origin from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes hare and egg.
• Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.
• Pysanka is a specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting.
• From the very early times, egg has been considered the most important symbol of rebirth.
• 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.
• Next to Halloween, Easter holiday paves way for confectionary business to boom.
• When it comes to eating of chocolate bunnies, the ears are preferred to be eaten first by as many as 76% of people.
• In the catalogue of kids' favorite Easter foodstuff, Red jellybeans occupy top most position.
• Americans celebrate Easter with a large Easter egg hunt on the White House Lawn.
• Easter Bonnets are a throwback to the days when the people denied themselves the pleasure of wearing fine angels for the duration of Lent.
• Easter is now celebrated (in the words of the Book of Common Prayer) on the first Sunday after the full moon, which happens on, or after March 21, the Spring Equinox.
• 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.
• Some Churches still keep up the old tradition of using evergreens - symbolic of eternal life - embroidered in red on white, or woven in straw, but most now prefer displays of flowers in the spring colors of green, yellow and white.
• The custom of giving eggs at Easter time has been traced back to Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans, to whom the egg was a symbol of life.
• The date of Passover is variable as it is dependent on the phases of the moon, and thus Easter is a movable feast.
• The first Easter baskets were made to look like bird's nests.
• The maiden chocolate eggs recipes were made in Europe in the nineteenth century.
• Easter is a “moveable feast” celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon which happens on or after March 21, the Spring Equinox.
• The first symbol of Easter was a chicken breaking out of its shell (Christ's resurrection).
• The tradition of giving eggs at Easter time has been traced back to Persians, Egyptians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans, to whom the egg was a symbol of life.
• The name Easter originates from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes hare and egg.
• The traditional act of painting eggs is called Pysanka (origins from the Ukranian word pysaty, “to write”)
• 76 percent of people eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.
• The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe in the early 1800s and still are one of the most popular treats associated with Easter.
• Every year, the White House hosts an Easter Egg Roll on the front lawn. The tradition was started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. 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.

Easter Colors
If you have celebrated Easter in childhood, you must surely remember the fun that you had with chocolate bunnies, hot cross buns, marshmallow chicks, brightly colored eggs, new outfits and bright hats that are the main Easter attractions.

Easter History
Easter marks the final day of the liturgical period in the Christian calendar. It is the end of month long fasting, prayers and the repentance for one's sins. It was only in the second half of the 2nd century when the festival was first celebrated in Rome.

Easter Island
So you think you know all about Easter? Well, there is no doubt that you may be aware of the tradition and history of the Easter, but have you ever heard of the Easter Island? Most likely not. Yes, this is because very few are aware of this Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the south eastern most point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people.