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Friday, 2 April 2010

Easter Themed Wedding Celebrations


What can be a better time for marriage than Easter, when one can hear the birds singing melodious songs, giving a warm welcome to the spring season. After chilly winters, springs are very refreshing. Kids are excited about Easter egg painting and the blooming flowers spread their fragrance everywhere. So the Easter theme wedding is not only going to be interesting but also a special one.


Here are some ideas for an Easter wedding celebration:

* Easter has a lot to offer like Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, spring flowers etc. Thus there can be many ideas for deciding on the theme.
* Predominant colours of Easter wedding can be cream, white and yellow. For the contrast concept, green would look fabulous. The green colour reminds us of the fresh green leaves. The colour of the sky as in blue can also be incorporated.
* During the Easter festivity, the churches are beautifully decorated with fresh lilies and tulips. So, for people who believe in court marriage, the venue for their special moment is already beautified.
* Easter wedding invitations should reflect the flavour of the festivity. As the base, anything right from bunny rabbit to cute looking yellow chickens to beautifully painted Easter eggs can be incorporated.
* The bride can choose some soft fabrics for her wedding dress like velvet, chiffon, and georgette. Intricate designs, beautiful beads and sequin work characterize a bride's wardrobe. Light shades like pink would be a fantastic choice to make. The bride can embellish her hair with spring flowers. It will look awesome and unique.
* The groom can wear a light coloured suit. A pure white suit will look just perfect.
* Easter recipes will serve as the perfect menu for the day.
* Decorate the marriage venue according to the festivity.

Festive Ideas for an Easter Breakfast

For a spring look: cress, narcissi, bread plait, fresh orange juice in tall glasses, baked Easter bunnies and green-coloured eggs.

A wreath of narcissi, hay and twigs.

Easter garden bunnies to keep the Easter spirit everywhere.

A tray full of Easter products for a quality Easter breakfast delivery service.

Easter Sunday is packed with activities. There's the early morning church service, a mid-morning Easter egg hunt, late-day family gatherings and visits in between.
The day off can be started right with one of the above-mentioned breakfast ideas to suit both style and Easter elegance.

Easter Traditions & Facts

Easter Facts

Easter is a grand festival of Christians. There are many interesting facts about Easter that we are all unaware of.

Here are some Easter facts:

The name Easter owes its origin to 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, the egg has been considered to be the most important symbol of rebirth.
The initial Easter baskets 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, the Easter holiday paves the way for confectionary business to boom.
When it comes to eating of chocolate bunnies, it is the ears that are preferred to be eaten first by as many as 76% of people.
In the catalogue of kids' favourite Easter foodstuff, red jellybeans occupy top most position.

When Is Easter

Easter is the most important festival of Christians as it is observed to honour the Jesus' return to life. Easter is a festivity of colours and joy. It brings a message of hope along. It conveys the message that after the dark clouds, there is a ray of silver lining. Easter has a lot of significance especially for the Roman Catholics. They use the Julian calendar for the purpose of calculating the Easter day date.
Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the full moon night of the spring season. Generally the Gregorian calendar is used for the purpose of computing the Easter date. In many countries, Easter Monday is granted as a legal holiday.

Easter History

The origin of the Easter festival dates back to the Pagan times. It is celebrated to honour Jesus’ return to life. There are many legends associated with Easter history. One Easter story says, that the very name Easter has been derived from Eostre, who was the Anglo Saxon Goddess of spring. Thus, it is also said that the Easter celebration is actually dedicated to the refreshing spring season. This Pagan holiday, Easter is one of the principal religious festivals of Christians. It was earlier addressed as the festivity of Eostre that always occurred during the period of vernal equinox, when the ratio of day to night was exactly the same.
But some of the legends say, that this festival Easter actually owes its origin to the Hebrew tradition, instead of the Christian tradition. According to the Hebrew lunar calendar, it falls in the first month also known as ‘Nisan’. According to Hebrew tradition, the reason behind its celebration is that, it was during this period, that Israel after having suffered for 300 years finally got rescued from the bondage of Egypt. But in all the legends, one thing that is emphasized is that, Easter is a grand holiday that is celebrated to glorify the victory of life over death and light over darkness.

Easter Traditions

Easter Colours

The Easter colours wheel encompasses innumerable colours. Most of the people are unaware of the Easter colour philosophy. In fact, all the colours of Easter have their own unique significance. If one is indicative of brightness, the other represents the darkness of our sins.

1 - RED: this colour is associated with the blood that Jesus Christ shed for mankind. Thus the colour red is a symbol of love and sacrifice for goodness of humanity.
2 - WHITE: this Easter colour signifies purity and grace.
3 - GREEN: the colour green brings rays of hope. Green is the colour of grass.
4 - PURPLE: Easter colour purple is indicative of royalty. It is said that the colour purple brings wealth.
5 - YELLOW: it is the colour that is related to the brightness of sun. It’s a colour that brings joy and happiness.
6 - BLACK: it is the colour that indicates the evil side. To put it other words, we can say black signifies darkness.
7 - ORANGE: it is the colour that represents hope. It is associated with the dawn of day.
8 - PINK: Easter colour pink indicates fresh beginning.

Easter Cards

The trend of exchanging greeting cards for Easter has become very popular. In fact, this tradition of gifting friends and relatives with Easter cards is a back dated practice. But year-by-year, gift galleries are witnessing a boom in the sale of Easter cards and other gifts. People are spending loads of money on these cute gift items. Next to Christmas, Valentine Day and Mothers day, the fourth largest greeting card selling holiday is Easter.
In this hi technology contemporary world, people have begun to send Easter e cards. The best part about these online cards is that, there are multiple websites that provide with the facility of sending free e cards. There are beautiful animated bunny cards and Easter egg cards. Not only can we find animated cards, but also the musical ones. Also there are no hassles of their delivery. There are religious Easter cards with a social message that guide us to lead a truthful life. On the other hand, there are cute colourful bunny cards especially meant to be exchanged among children. One can shop for these cards, but hand made Easter cards have their own significance because they have a personal touch attached. Hopefully, this custom of wishing each other Happy Easter through Easter greeting cards will never fade.

Holidays & Celebrations: Easter Symbols


Easter Eggs

When the time approaches for Easter celebration, the first thing that strikes our mind are Easter eggs. In the catalogue of Easter symbols, Easter eggs occupy the top most position. Eggs symbolize fertility. For many decades, there has been a trend of exchanging Easter eggs among friends and relatives. Easter egg decoration is the favourite fun activity of kids during Easter week. In fact every Easter, Easter egg-colouring competitions are held.
It is at Easter that ladies prepare yummy recipes and in this special menu, chocolate Easter eggs are always a must. During the Easter festivity, Easter eggs make a place for themselves everywhere, then be it Easter table decorations or Easter delicious recipes. These days Easter eggshell ornaments are very in. People embellish their houses with handmade painted Easter eggs.
In the ancient times, these Easter eggs were very brightly coloured, giving a warm welcome to the spring season. The colour of Easter eggs also has its own significance. For example a red Easter egg symbolizes the blood that Jesus Christ shed for the goodness of mankind. The green colour represents holiness. There is a social message attached to different coloured Easter eggs, which if followed, can take the life of man to the path of success.

Easter Bunny

When the spring season heads its way towards us, the first thought that strikes our mind is undoubtedly the Easter festivity. And when the talk is about Easter, it is definitely incomplete without the mention of Easter bunny and Easter eggs. Most of us are ignorant about the origin of the Easter bunny. Easter bunny is a symbol associated with fertility and the reason behind is that, it has a very quick speed of reproduction.
There are many legends associated with the history of Easter bunny. Some legends suggest that this grand festival Easter got its name from the Anglo- Saxon goddess called Eostre, who was always seen along with her pet bunny rabbit. It's astonishing to know that, it was the very bunny of this goddess that had laid the first coloured eggs. Easter bunny has become famous for starting the tradition of Easter egg hiding. Thus, the kids' favourite game of Easter egg hunt can be attributed to Easter bunnies.
Today, Easter bunny occupies the most dominant position amongst all symbols of Easter. In the contemporary times, Easter bunnies are found sailing smoothly virtually everywhere. The gift galleries are stocked with cute bunny rabbit stuff toys. Not only are they adorning homes, but have become the source of flourishing business for confectionary shops too. Chocolate bunny rabbit cookies and cakes sell like real hot cakes during the Easter spring season. This symbol of Pagan times, Easter bunny, symbolizes new life.

Easter Candles

To celebrate the resurrection of Lord Jesus, Easter candles are lighted in churches. These decorative candles for Easter symbolize Jesus' return to life. They are associated with new life. Among the Easter candles, the most famous one is the Paschal candle. These paschal candles comprise engravings of the cross and the Greek letters alpha and omega that signify that the Lord is omnipresent.
The beeswax, out of which the Easter candle is prepared, represents the purity of Jesus Christ, its wick signifies humanity and the flame is indicative of the Jesus' divine nature. These decorative Easter candles not only adorn the house but also have a social message attached to them. This explains the reason why beautifully decorated Easter candles are selling like real hot cakes in the market.
The trend of embellishing the house with homemade Easter candles is very in. They are inexpensive and enable you to tantalize your senses and come up with some creative ideas. Making candles at home is great fun. Easter bunny candles are among the kids' favorite crafts. So light the candles and let the light of Jesus come into your house.

Easter Cross

The Easter cross has a lot of significance for the Christian community. A cross symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, reminding us of the blood that Jesus shed in lieu of the sins committed by mankind. It is a sacred symbol that signifies faith. An empty Easter symbol cross, on the other hand, is indicative of the resurrection of Lord Jesus that represents the triumph of goodness over the evil spirit and life over death. Thus as a symbol of Easter, the cross is indicative of both crucifixion and resurrection. If, on one hand, it signifies sacrifice, then on the other hand, it is a symbol of new life.
Different kinds of crosses are famous among various Christian groups. For example among Catholics and Protestants, the Latin cross is in usage and Eastern Orthodox churches have adopted the Greek cross. Crosses of different lengths can be spotted but six to seven feet long looks real impressive. It is used for prayer purpose during the Lent season. But on Good Friday, the cross, usually a wooden one, is covered with black, a colour for mourning for the death of Jesus. Black on the cross is meant to remember the sacrifices of Jesus but before Easter Sunday, the draping in black is removed and the cross is decorated with flowers to honour Jesus' return to life. Thus, the Easter cross has a lot of significance for Christians.

Cool Ideas for Easter Home Decor

Easter is a major festival of Christians. It is observed to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since this festival has a lot of significance, it undoubtedly calls for some special celebration. Now when the talk is about Easter celebration, the first thing that strikes our mind is decoration. Easter decoration is a very comprehensive term that encompasses activities to embellish the entire house.

Here are some ideas regarding decorations for Easter that will truly adorn your sweet home and make it look more beautiful:

* Prepare invitations for the party. Give a personal touch to the invitation card. Do not forget to write a personalized message on it.
* Place a banner saying," the bunny loves you" on the main entrance. It will look really cute.
* Easter bunnies add on to the look of the bedroom. So place lots of colourful stuffed bunnies in different corners.
* Easter table decoration is incomplete without a beautifully decorated Easter basket. Stock it with some jellybeans and chocolate bunny rabbits and place it in the centre of the table.
* Shop for Easter-coloured bed sheets and table covers maintaining the Easter theme. You can buy things in prints of bunnies, Easter eggs, hot cross buns or else some beautiful motif lilies.
In the drawing room, place a flower vase and fill it up with fresh lilies. Tulips can be a great alternative.
* Paint Easter eggs, using different Easter colour tissues and place them in a bowl.
* Use your creative imagination and add on some beautification effects to the food. Cook some nice yummy dishes for your guests like chocolate bunny cookies.

Food & Cooking: Easter Delicacies



Easter Cake

When the season heads its way towards spring, the first thing that strikes our mind is undoubtedly yummy chocolate Easter cake. It is during this time, when newspapers and magazines are all flooded with the receipes of Easter cakes. Easter's bunny cake recipe is one such dish that sails smoothly in almost every home.
In fact, confectionary shops earn a very good business, during the Easter festivity, through the sale of delicious creamy Easter cakes. As a part of the Easter feast, people in Eastern Europe relish the taste of the skirt-shaped Easter cake called babka, which means little old woman. In Italy, Easter cakes usually acquire the shape of a bunny rabbit, the most prominent symbol associated with Easter. In other countries Easter cakes can be spotted in the shape of lamb.

Here are some of the famous Easter cake recipes:

Easter bunny cake
Easter lamb cake
Jellybean confetti cake
Marshmallow peeps cupcakes
Floral raspberry cake
Coconut almond cake
Daffodil Easter cake
Easter bonnet cake

Easter Cookies

Easter, being one of the most prominent festivals of Christians, is celebrated on a large scale, in which houses are adorned with splendid easy to make Easter crafts like Easter eggshell ornaments and Easter bunny rabbit stuff toys. Special dishes are prepared to honour the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And when the talk is about Easter feast, how can we forget our Easter cookie recipes?
During the Easter festivity, all the cookery shows are dedicated to Easter recipes especially recipe for Easter cookies. In the catalogue of cookies for Easter festivity, the top position is occupied by Easter's bunny cookie recipes for kids. It is not just about having sweets, but the prime moto is to have a gathering of family, friends and relatives on one day, when everybody can sit together and share their happy moments with each other.
Preparing these Easter cookies is not only pocket friendly, but also gives immense pleasure because of the personal touch attached to it. It is during the Easter springtime when magazines are all filled with cookie recipes by famous chefs. The reservoir of yummy cookie recipes is really large comprising different kinds of cookies like gingerbread Easter bunny cookies, meringue kisses for Easter, Easter dream bar cookies and Apricot Squares for Easter.

Easter Hot Cross Buns

Easter hot cross buns recipe is not just a yummy dish that is served on the Easter festivity, but the cross-pastry icing that is done on the bun, reminds us of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Eating hot cross buns is a tradition that is passed over from one generation to another. From the Pagan times, it has been a custom to eat these Easter symbols: hot cross buns at breakfast time on Good Friday. And since then, this tradition has become a major part of Easter celebration.
One can relish the different flavours of hot cross buns that are added on in different proportions to make a perfect combo of sweet, spicy and fruity taste. These hot cross buns are baked at home in the oven and served hot. That is why they are called hot cross buns. These buns sell like hot cakes during Easter springtime, implying good business for the bakery shops.
People have a belief that hot cross buns protect us from evil spirits and have the magical power of curing. This explains the reason why in ancient times, people used to hang these buns on the kitchen ceilings. This Easter, enjoy the delicious recipe of hot cross buns and don't forget to serve it hot.

Food & Cooking: Easter Dinner

Easter festival calls for the preparation of special Easter dinner recipes. But Easter dinner is not just about yummy dishes for Easter, but it's about the entire atmosphere, that sets the mood for people to celebrate an Easter dinner party. In fact, it comprises everything from music to decorations to food and drinks etc.

Here are some dinner ideas for Easter:

* Give your house a new look, giving a warm welcome to the Easter spring season. Tinsel your house with articles that reflect the beauty of nature.
* Set the table beautifully. Table decorations form major part of house embellishments. Give your centre table a colourful look. In the heart of the table, place an Easter basket and stock it with gorgeous fresh lilies. Shop for some exquisite eggshell ornaments and keep them at different corners to adorn your sweet home.
* Dance on the tune of some nice famous Easter songs.
* Easter lamb recipe finds a special place for itself on the Easter festivity.
* For appetizers, there can be nothing better than hot cross buns. This recipe is exclusively prepared during the Easter week. In the catalogue of Easter appetizers, there are multiple options like Pineapple Salsa, Spiral-Sliced Ham, Cornbread Muffins, and Dilled Potato Salad etc.
Special dishes for the Easter dinner include Assorted Rolls with Butter, Cheesecake with Sliced Strawberries, Smoked Ham with Cranberry Chutney and Dilled Peas and Potatoes Vinaigrette, etc.
When it is the time for Easter dinner party, Easter chocolate bunny cookies cannot be forgotten.

Easter Dinner Recipes

When the spring season heads its way, celebration time begins. The celebration is not just dedicated to the refreshing springtime, but also to the Easter festival, that is enjoyed by people to honour Jesus' return to life. There are many symbols associated with the Easter time like Easter eggs, bunny rabbits, lamb, etc.
Easter, being one of the most important holidays of Christians, invites for special party. Many days before Easter arrives, women start surfing the net and magazines to check out the dinner recipes for Easter.

Here is a list of some mouthwatering Easter dinner recipes:

Honey garlic meatballs
Baked smoked ham
Spring salad
Stuffed Easter lamb
Rosemary Garlic Buttered Potatoes
Simple Baby Asparagus
Minted Baby Carrots
Blueberry Muffins
Apple Glazed Sausage and Bacon
Honeydew Salad Wedges