Orthodox Easter Sunday / Pascha (Orthodox)
Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar.

More info:

Greek Orthodox Easter Customs

Russian Orthodox Easter Customs

In case you missed it – here are video highlights from the White House Easter Egg Roll earlier this week

BTW – Our White House Easter Egg Roll souvenir eggs arrived in the mail this week. Sweeeeeeet!

And there is still time to order yours – White House Easter Eggs @ The National Park Foundation

Smigus Dyngus / Dyngus Day / Wet Monday / Easter Monday
After Easter events include egg rolling competitions (ex. White House Easter Egg Roll) and, in many Catholic countries, dousing other people with holy water blessed the day before at Easter Sunday Mass.

In the United States, Dyngus Day celebrations are widespread and popular in Buffalo, New York and South Bend, Indiana. In Buffalo’s eastern suburbs, Dyngus Day is celebrated with a level of enthusiasm that rivals St. Patrick’s Day. Common tradition is to buy pussy willow (Salix discolor) to display in the home; this is tied to the “striking” custom from Poland, where goat willow, the European type of pussy willow, was traditionally used for whipping the legs of girls. In South Bend, the day is often used to launch the year’s political campaign season (particularly among Democrats)- often from within the West-Side Democratic Club, the Falcons Club or in local pubs, where buying drinks is favored over handshaking.

Starting in 2004, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana began celebrating Dyngus Day at the request of South Bend students. The event includes free Polish sausage for students as well as a free concert. This year they will celebrate a “Belated Dyngus Day” the following Monday since Easter Monday falls during a vacation week for students. Wet Monday is also celebrated at Jonathan Edwards College, one of the residential colleges at Yale University, when each year the freshman class storms the college with water weapons, where upperclassmen are ready to defend the college and ensure no one goes home dry.

For Easter Monday in Hungary, perfume or perfumed-water is used. The girls would reward the boys who sprinkle with coins or Easter eggs.*

*source: wikipedia – Easter Monday
photo credit: klbndc via flickr

Easter (Christian)
Easter is the springtime holiday marking the rebirth of Jesus and the renewal of the Christian faith.

It is a blessed time for the faithful to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of the Savior… and a magical time for children to enjoy chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks and jellybean-filled Easter eggs.

Join us for our Easter celebration – Easter on the Net

Photo credit: via flickr

Did You Know?
Facts, Figures & Folklore
About Easter
April 11 : Easter Even, Holy Saturday
01 day till Easter

Did you know that over one billion Easter eggs are hunted every year in America?

The most popular (or at least the most televised) Easter egg hunt is the one held at the White House. President Hayes hosted the first White House egg hunt in 1878, launching a tradition that has continued to this day.

President and First Lady Obama will sponsor their first Easter egg hunt on April 13, 2009. The event — themed as “Let’s Go Play” — is intended to encourage America’s youngsters to lead active, healthy lives.

Easter is the time of springtime festivals, a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. A time for Christians to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Christ. And a time of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs!

So join our Easter festivities as we present a new “Did You Know?” fact each day as we countdown to Easter on April 12th!

Signup for our Did You Know? Holiday Countdown emails. Click for more info.

Easter Even / Holy Saturday / The Great Sabbath (Christian)
The Saturday before Easter and last day of Holy Week.

In Roman Catholic Churches, the altar is either stripped completely bare or coloured in violet, while the administration of the sacraments is severely limited. Holy Communion is given only as Viaticum. All Masses are strictly prohibited. No Mass at all appears in the liturgy for this day, nor for the preceding day, Good Friday. Many of the churches of the Anglican Communion observe most of the same traditions, however their altars are usually stripped or coloured in black.*

* source: wikipedia – Holy Saturday

Did You Know?
Facts, Figures & Folklore
About Easter
April 10 : Good Friday
02 days till Easter

Did you know that in many Catholic churches, Good Friday services begin at precisely 3 o’clock?

This is the time that Jesus is believed to have died on the Cross.

Good Friday is a solemn day of prayer, repentance and, in some churches, fasting in commemoration of Jesus’ death. Catholics, Greek and Russian Orthodox, and many Protestants celebrate Good Friday.

Easter is the time of springtime festivals, a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. A time for Christians to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Christ. And a time of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs!

So join our Easter festivities as we present a new “Did You Know?” fact each day as we countdown to Easter on April 12th!

Signup for our Did You Know? Holiday Countdown emails. Click for more info.

Good Friday (Christian)
The Friday before Easter, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Among some sects of Christianity and in many countries today is a day of fasting.

In Dutch the day is called “Goede Vrijdag”, which can literally be translated as “Good Friday”. In Israel, Good Friday is known as “Big Friday.” In Germany it is “Karfreitag”, an Old German word meaning “Friday of lamentation”, although this meaning is not obvious to speakers of modern German. In Malta, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia (and in the Eastern Orthodox Church generally) the day is called Great Friday. In Armenia it is called “High Friday”. In Russia they call it “Passion Friday (Strastnaja Pjatnitsa)”. In Latin America, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal the day is called “Holy Friday”; in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Faroe Islands and Iceland it is “Long Friday”. In Portuguese language it is called “Sexta-Feira Santa” meaning “Holy Friday” while the day is named “Mahal na Araw” or Biyernes Santo”(Holy Friday) in the Philippines.*

Easter on the Net: Good Friday

* source: wikipedia – Good Friday

Did You Know?
Facts, Figures & Folklore
About Easter
April 09 : Holy Thursday
03 days till Easter

Did you know that in Russia, Easter eggs are dyed on Holy Thursday?

The traditional method involves boiling the eggs in a mixture of onion peels and silk scraps. Russian Easter eggs are thoughts to possess magic powers, including bringing prosperity and warding off evil spirits.

Easter is the time of springtime festivals, a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. A time for Christians to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Christ. And a time of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs!

So join our Easter festivities as we present a new “Did You Know?” fact each day as we countdown to Easter on April 12th!

Signup for our Did You Know? Holiday Countdown emails. Click for more info.

Did You Know?
Facts, Figures & Folklore
About Easter
April 08 : 04 days till Easter

Did you know that in Greece, children and adults alike play an egg cracking game called tsougrisma on Easter?

Players attempt to crack their eggs against their friend’s egg; the last person with an un-cracked egg is considered the lucky one. The Greeks traditionally dye their eggs red, symbolizing the blood and passion of Christ.

Easter is the time of springtime festivals, a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. A time for Christians to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Christ. And a time of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs!

So join our Easter festivities as we present a new “Did You Know?” fact each day as we countdown to Easter on April 12th!

Signup for our Did You Know? Holiday Countdown emails. Click for more info.