There is always enough time any time of year to stop and tell our loved ones we appreciate them and bestow upon them fresh and renewd blessings... This time at Easter the world over, we usher in new beginnings while some gain the strength to rise from the ashes like the fabled phoenix. However you celebrate your resurrection or rebirth, we hope you have a wonder season.
During Holy Week, Christians recall the events leading up to Jesus’ death by crucifixion and, according to their faith, his Resurrection. The week includes five days of special significance. The first is Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’ humble entry (on a donkey) into Jerusalem to observe Passover. According to the Gospel account, he was greeted by crowds of people who spread their cloaks and laid palm leaves in his path and proclaimed him the Son of David (Matthew 21:5). In many Christian churches Palm Sunday is celebrated with a blessing and procession of palms. Maundy Thursday marks Jesus’ institution at the Last Supper of the Eucharist, thereafter a central element of Christian worship. In Roman Catholicism, Maundy Thursday is accompanied by the pope’s washing of the feet of 12 humble or poor persons, in imitation of Jesus’ washing of the feet of his 12 disciples at the Last Supper. Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross; it is traditionally a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting. Holy Saturday, also called Easter Vigil, is the traditional end of Lent. Easter Sunday is the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection, according to the Gospels, on the third day after his crucifixion. The modern observance of Easter, like that of Christmas, has become associated with various folk traditions that have little connection with the religious celebration; they include the Easter lamb, the Easter rabbit, and the painting of Easter eggs.
Ostara
Well, it turns out Easter actually began as a pagan festival celebrating spring in the Northern Hemisphere, long before the advent of Christianity.
"Since pre-historic times, people have celebrated the equinoxes and the solstices as sacred times," University of Sydney Professor Carole Cusack said.
"The spring equinox is a day where the amount of dark and the amount of daylight is exactly identical, so you can tell that you're emerging from winter because the daylight and the dark have come back into balance.
"People mapped their whole life according to the patterns of nature."
ORTHODOX EASTER
[b][i][u][color=#4040FF]Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which often differs from the Gregorian calendar that is used by many western countries. Therefore the Orthodox Easter period often occurs later than the Easter period that falls around the time of the March equinox.
The last few days and in the lead up to Easter ... Rumour has it that the Penquins of Madagasgar had a chance to get a little of their on own back by not only putting themselves on the map but it would also seem the Penguins of Madagasgar have something to confess ..... (Our PG-pr and MIAB team film crewS were on the spot when it was discovered what had happened to all the chocolate eggs in Avonmora.....!!
Happy Easter Everyone- from PG, PG-pr-team and MIAB
