Easter Celebration

Easter celebrations the creative way.

Come this 23rd of March, people all over the world will be celebrating Easter Sunday. This day celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion around AD 33. Yet, many non-religious cultural elements have become part of this holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike. So on this really long weekend, why not try your hand at decorating some Easter eggs with the family and friends. It would definitely make this Easter even more special!

Dyeing Easter Eggs--the Natural way!
This Easter, why not color your eggs using nature's very own dyes? It's possible to come up with a great number of colors using natural ingredients that can easily be found in almost any kitchen. So it’s like recycling in a really creative way.

Suggestions for colours

Pale Red: Fresh beets or cranberries, frozen raspberries

Orange: Yellow onion skins

Light yellow: Orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, celery seed or ground cumin

Yellow: Ground turmeric

Pale green: Spinach leaves

Green-gold: Yellow Delicious apple peels

Blue: Canned blueberries or red cabbage leaves

Beige to brown: Strong brewed coffee

To dye the perfect Easter eggs the natural way, here's what to do:

1. Put eggs in a single layer in a pan. Pour water in pan until the eggs are covered.

2. Add about a teaspoon of vinegar.

3. Add the natural dye appropriate to the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dyeing at a time, the more dye you will need to use.)

4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the substance you used to color the eggs. Put eggs in a bowl. If you want your eggs to be a darker shade, cover them with the dye and let them stand overnight in the refrigerator.

If natural dyeing is not your style, why not try some of the unusual Easter traditions of other countries that can be found below.

Easter Celebrations Around the World
Easter is a religious holiday for Christians all over the world. But Easter also has some more secular traditions that are unique to countries around the globe. Here are some unique ways that different nations celebrate Easter:

• In Bulgaria, rather than having an Easter egg hunt, the activity with eggs takes on a different twist - they have an egg fight instead! The member of the family who ends up with an unbroken egg is believed to be the most successful person for the year.

• In England, an event called "Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking" takes place. The story behind this event tells of a woman who was saved from the path of a charging bull by a hare hundreds of years ago on Easter Monday. Today, a hare pie made with specific ingredients is baked and is marched through a procession. This procession includes three "bottles" that are actually small barrels. Two of the bottles are used in a bottle kicking match that takes place between locals on that same day.

• Greece holds a public procession on Easter Sunday that involves tapping together red eggs, dyed for the color of Christ's blood. One person will announce, "Christ is risen.", while another person responds, "Truly He is risen."

So go ahead and be adventurous. Come up with your own tradition even, and this time next year, Easter will hold an even more special meaning for you and your family and friends.