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Although in most of the modern secular community, Christmas is celebrated with greater enthusiasm than Easter, to the devout ecclesiastical community, Easter is by far the more important of the two holidays. Long before the advent of Christianity however, this time of year was of great significance, |
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bringing with it the rebirth of the earth after it’s long winter’s sleep. Many our Easter traditions grew out of far older Pagan spring or Eastre, customs, in fact, many etymologists believe that Eastre is the origin of the word Easter. No matter what your cultural heritage, Easter and the coming of spring is a grand time to celebrate. It is indeed a time of rebirth and rejuvenation, a time of joy, of good food, of flowers, of high spirits and light hearts. CELEBRATE! |
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Egg Rolling is a long standing British and European tradition that has mostly disappeared, now being practiced in only a few villages. The tradition was brought to the United States by immigrants, and is still a treasured tradition at the White House. An interesting part of the festivities at the White House is reading to the children who participate. |
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The first family, White House staff and even members of congress read to children during the day long festivities. More on Egg_Rolling.
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Easter Dangers For Your Pets:
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Easter lilies: are very dangerous for cats and dogs and may even be toxic to humans. They can cause liver failure and may be fatal to your pet if ingested.
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Chocolate: can be toxic and even fatal for dogs, particularly small dogs. They love it, but don’t give it to them. |
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Easter grass/plastic Easter Eggs: plastic grass can cause an intestinal obstruction – plastic eggs can break and perforate an intestine. Make sure they are all picked up and accounted for after the hunt. |
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You have probably noticed that not everyone celebrated Easter at the same time. Those of the Eastern Orthodox faith usually celebrate Easter at least a weeklater than those in the Western world. To learn more use the following links. |
Greek Easter + Greek Easter + Russian Easter |
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Plastic Easter Basket Grass - A BAD Idea
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Plastic Easter basket grass is a very bad idea. First, it is quite dangerous to your pets. Dogs and cats, particularly young ones, are quite apt to eat some of it. It can cause serious problems by knotting, constricting and even perforating their intestines. It can of course do the same things to wild animals. If you hold your Easter egg hunt outside, some strands |
of the grass are bound to be left behind. Birds and other small creature may use them for nest material where it can cause major problems by becoming tangled in their wings and legs. And, of course, plastic materials do not break down in the land fill.
There are several far better choice for your Easter grass.
Crinkle-cut paper: Most readily available is a paper material; thin strips of crinkled paper. It is available for gift packaging at most craft and fabric stores, and last year I even saw it at Wal-Mart. There are other types of paper grass available as well. |
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Raffia: Raffia is also available at craft stores, usually comes in bundles of long strands of organic fiber. It may be obtained in a variety of colors. If you can only find it in natural, you can dye it with food coloring or easter egg dye. Allow a day or two to dry. |
Sphagnum Moss: This moss obtainable at nurseries and craft stores. It is usually a sort of grayish-brown color but may easily be dyed with food coloring. |
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Tissue and Crape Paper: You can achieve an attractive effect in Easter baskets by simply crumpling up tissue or crape paper. |
There is even Green_Edible_Easter Grass however, you may feel your kids already have enough candy.
All these products are biodegradable, readily available and relatively inexpensive. All are more esthetically pleasing than plastic grass. All are more environmentally preferable to plastic grass. |
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