Celebrations of Easter
The celebration of Easter is a series of special days leading up to and relating to the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lent
Lent is a period of fasting, or doing without certain things. Not counting Sundays, Lent is the forty days before Easter. Many Christians fast to honor the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness.
In many countries, the days before Lent are filled with celebrations. This period is often called Carnival. Carnival is celebrated in almost all of the countries in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, as well as in, Norway, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and Greece.
One of the more famous carnival celebrations is Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Louisiana. Mardi Gras in New Orleans begins six days before Lent and ends with a final cavalcade of people, colorful floats, bands, and marching bands.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Christian churches celebrate a special service in which the priest presses a small cross of ashes on the forehead of each worshipper.
On Ash Wednesday many people make pretzels. Pretzel comes from a Latin word meaning "little arms." The shape represents worshippers arms folded in prayer.
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. On this day, early Christians carried palm branches to welcome of Jesus to Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday. The use of the palm leaf reminds them of this occasion.
Since medieval times, palm leaves have been made into cross shapes and given to worshippers on Palm Sunday. On the Ash Wednesday of the next year, these same palms are returned and burned for use by priests in the service.
Good Friday
Good Friday is the day Jesus was crucified. This is the most solemn day of the year for Christians. The Bible says that during the crucifixion of Jesus the sky darkened from noon until three o'clock in the day. Traditionally, Christians held services during these three hours on Good Friday to remember the suffering of Christ.
|
About the Easter Lily
by Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
We can thank Louis Houghton, a World War I soldier, for the popularity of the Bermuda lily--better known as the Easter lily--in this country. In 1919 he brought a suitcase full of hybrid lily bulbs to the southern coast of Oregon and gave them to family and friends to plant.
The climate there was ideal for growing this lily, a native of the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and by 1945, 1,200 west coast growers were producing bulbs for the commercial market. Up until that time, first Bermuda, and then Japan, dominated the U.S. export market.
Today, ten growers, most located along the California-Oregon border, in an area known as the "Easter Lily Capital of the World," produce 95 percent of all bulbs grown in the world for the potted Easter lily market. They produced almost 11.5 million bulbs last year, shipping them to commercial greenhouses in the U.S. and Canada.
Despite a sales window of only two weeks, Easter lilies are the fourth largest crop in wholesale value in the U.S. potted plant market, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Poinsettias, mums, and azaleas, rank first, second, and third. States producing the highest number of potted Easter lilies are Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
So what goes into the production of an Easter lily?
Well, first you need the right climate: year-round mild temperatures; deep, rich alluvial soil; and abundant rainfall. Then you need plenty of patience as bulbs must be cultivated in fields for three to four years before they can be shipped to commercial greenhouse growers who force the plants under controlled conditions to flower in time for Easter.
While the bulbs are growing in the fields, they require constant care and attention to assure superior quality and cleanliness. Each bulb is handled up to 40 times before it is ready to be shipped.
A commercial-sized bulb usually starts as a small, baby bulblet attached to the underground stem of the mother plant. When the mother plant is harvested, the bulblet is removed and planted in another field. A year later it is dug up again, replanted, and nurtured until it reaches maturity.
In late September and early October, growers harvest the bulbs, which are then cleaned, graded, sorted, packed, and cooled before shipping. When they arrive at the greenhouses, growers there must determine when to plant and start forcing in order for the lilies to bloom in time for Easter.
The cultivar most commonly grown for U.S. markets is the "Nellie White." It is named for a lily grower's wife and has large, white, fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers.
When buying a lily, look for a plant with flowers in various stages of bloom from buds to open or partially opened flowers. Foliage should be dense, rich green in color, and extend all the way down to the soil line (a good indication of a healthy root system).
Look for a well-proportioned plant, one that is about two times as high as the pot. You also should check the flowers, foliage, and buds for signs of insects and disease.
At home, keep your lily away from drafts and drying heat sources such as appliances or heating ducts. Bright, indirect light is best with daytime temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees F.
Water the plant only when the soil feels dry to the touch, but don't over water. To prolong the life of the blossoms, remove the yellow anthers (pollen-bearing pods) found in the center of each flower. But remember, since the Easter lily is a "forced flower," it won't bloom again after the flowers die.
|
The Passover Lamb
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:29
The observance of the Passover meal began in Egypt when God liberated His people, Israel, from the bondage of slavery. Moses had warned Pharaoh that God would send a series of plagues upon Egypt unless the people were freed. Pharaoh refused repeatedly. The final warning was that death would come to every firstborn male in the land if Pharaoh did not release the Hebrew people. Again Pharaoh refused. God instructed His people to sacrifice a year old lamb, without blemish, and apply the blood of the lamb to the doorposts of their homes (Exodus 12). The Death Angel would thus "pass over" their homes and they would be protected. Any home that did not have the blood covering would lose their first born.
The Passover has been celebrated ever since that time as a remembrance of God's deliverance of His people from bondage. The Passover Lamb, however, was revealed and fulfilled when Yeshua (Jesus) laid down His life as a sinless, spotless sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. This is the means by which all can receive eternal life.
Yeshua (Jesus) was crucified on a cross as foretold in scripture (Psalm 22). He suffered the shame and the cruelty of this death as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He rose from the grave victorious on the third day and took His place at the right hand of The Father as our High Priest, where He continuously intercedes for us.
When we die, we will meet Yeshua (Jesus) face to face and give an account of our lives. If we have not acknowledged Him as our Lord, His blood will not cover our sin, and we will be cast into the lake of fire. If we have confessed that He is Messiah, and have given our lives to Him, we will remain with Him for eternity.
Yeshua (Jesus) is our Passover Lamb.
|
Translations
Sulle orme di Cristo - In the Footsteps of Christ
Via Dolorosa - The Way Of Suffering
Via Crucis - The Way Of The Cross
Coram Deo - Before the face of God
|
Etc...
The underground rooms of the Greek Orthodox Church are said to have been the prison where Jesus was held, tried and whipped. An inscription on the door of a Greek-Orthodox building near the convent identifies it as the Prison of Christ.
Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free I rose,
Went forth and followed thee.
-hymn by Charles Wesley-
|
Dates of Easter for the Century
23rd April 2000
15th April 2001
31st March 2002
20th April 2003
11th April 2004
27th March 2005
16th April 2006
8th April 2007
23rd March 2008
12th April 2009
4th April 2010
24th April 2011
8th April 2012
31st March 2013
20th April 2014
5th April 2015
27th March 2016
16th April 2017
1st April 2018
21st April 2019
12th April 2020
4th April 2021
17th April 2022
9th April 2023
31st March 2024
|
20th April 2025
5th April 2026
28th March 2027
16th April 2028
1st April 2029
21st April 2030
13th April 2031
28th March 2032
17th April 2033
9th April 2034
25th March 2035
13th April 2036
5th April 2037
25th April 2038
10th April 2039
1st April 2040
21st April 2041
6th April 2042
29th March 2043
17th April 2044
9th April 2045
25th March 2046
14th April 2047
5th April 2048
18th April 2049
|
10th April 2050
2nd April 2051
21st April 2052
6th April 2053
29th March 2054
18th April 2055
2nd April 2056
22nd April 2057
14th April 2058
30th March 2059
18th April 2060
10th April 2061
26th March 2062
15th April 2063
6th April 2064
29th March 2065
11th April 2066
3rd April 2067
22nd April 2068
14th April 2069
30th March 2070
19th April 2071
10th April 2072
26th March 2073
15th April 2074
|
7th April 2075
19th April 2076
11th April 2077
3rd April 2078
23rd April 2079
7th April 2080
30th March 2081
19th April 2082
4th April 2083
26th March 2084
15th April 2085
31st March 2086
20th April 2087
11th April 2088
3rd April 2089
16th April 2090
8th April 2091
30th March 2092
12th April 2093
4th April 2094
24th April 2095
15th April 2096
31st March 2097
20th April 2098
12th April 2099
|
2756
|
|