Easter

Easter

Dying Easter eggs, eating chocolate bunnies, stuffing baskets full of fake grass and candy, and hosting the annual Easter Egg Hunt, it can all only mean one thing; Peter Cotton Tail is soon to be hopping down the bunny trail! Before you begin assembling those Easter baskets and overdosing on Marshmallow Peeps and jelly beans, learn more about the rich history of Easter and all of our special Easter traditions!

History of Easter

• Celebrated three days after the crucifixion of Jesus, Easter is the oldest Christian holiday and the most important day of the Christian Church year. Easter Sunday, the Feast of the Resurrection, typically falls on the first Sunday after an ecclesiastical full moon. Although its date varies, Easter is celebrated between March 22nd and April 25th. You can have a reminder sent to your e-mail by using the americangreetings.com online reminder service. Your e-mail reminder will arrive a few days before Easter and suggest Easter ecards to send to family and friends. An Easter ecard is a nice surprise and ensures that no one mistakes which Sunday to dress their best and arrive to church early.

The Easter Bunny

• The Easter Bunny is loved by children of all ages around the world (and some adults, too!). The anticipation of the Easter Bunny coming with baskets full of colored eggs, Easter candy, chocolate Easter bunnies, Marshmallow Peeps and jelly beans can give kids a sugar rush just picturing it! The Easter Bunny, brought to the United States by German immigrants in the 18th century, ranks right up there with Santa Claus as the most popular holiday figure for children. Today, some children leave carrots and letters to thank the Easter Bunny for his sweet deliveries.

Easter Games

• Coordinating with the tradition of the Easter Bunny, the Easter egg hunt is the most popular Easter game. The game is played by hiding eggs either outside or inside the house and then having children scurry around with their Easter baskets to find them. Whoever finds the most eggs wins a prize. Traditionally, hard boiled eggs were used during the hunt. Now-a-days people hide plastic Easter eggs filled with jelly beans, mini chocolates, or even money. Another favorite Easter game is the Easter egg roll. Played with a raw egg, children roll their egg down a hill without breaking it - the one who rolls their egg the farthest wins. The most famous Easter Egg Roll is the White House Easter Egg Roll, which is held on the Monday following Easter Sunday. For some fun online Easter games for kids and other Easter crafts, check out Kaboose.com.

The Chocolate Easter Bunny

• Whether you eat the ears or the feet first, there's no wrong way to eat a chocolate Easter bunny! Chocolate Easter bunnies are extremely popular; according to the National Confectioners Association over 90 million chocolate bunnies are produced each year for the holiday – that's a lot of bunnies! A staple in kids' and adults' Easter baskets alike, chocolate Easter bunnies come in a variety of flavors, such as white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. You can find them in all shapes and sizes, too, and some are even filled with other rich delights like caramel, marshmallow or chocolate creme!

Easter Eggs

• Hollow eggs, solid eggs, dyed eggs, plastic eggs and even inflatable eggs, Easter eggs come in a variety of styles, colors and sizes. The largest chocolate Easter egg on record was made by the Cadbury Red Tulip staff in Victoria, Australia. This Easter egg weighed 4.76 tons and stood just over 25 feet high. Imagine that in your Easter basket! One of the most popular things to do with an Easter egg is to decorate it. Dying Easter eggs has come a long way from simple solid colors. Today, children can make tie-dye Easter eggs, speckled Easter eggs, glitter Easter eggs, glow-in-the-dark Easter eggs and tattoo Easter eggs with the help of Easter egg dye kits from PAAS. Some children also like to color Easter eggs with crayons or markers and/or decorate them with stickers and other embellishments.