Lake of the Ozarks Vacation Rentals: Easter Traditions Around the World

Friday, April 14, 2017

Where Did All These Easter Traditions Come From?

For many people, Easter is a religious holiday celebrating the holy day Jesus arose from the dead after Crucifixion. More recently, it has become highly commercialized and more of a celebration. Now, you may be wondering how some of today's festivities and traditions came to be associated with the celebration of Easter. Your favorite Lake of the Ozarks vacation rental company has gathered information on some pretty intriguing theories to share with you about the Easter Bunny, colored eggs, and the ever-popular Easter basket. Here's what we've come up with:

Hippity Hoppity - Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Ever wonder where the Easter Bunny originated from? We did too, so we did some looking around. The history dates back long before the origination of Easter. Easter is derived from the Pagan Goddess, Eostre - Goddess of Spring and fertility. According to folklore, Eostre found a bird dying from the cold and turned it into a rabbit so that its fur would keep it warm - but the rabbit sill laid eggs like a bird. The bird-turned-rabbit would leave painted and decorated eggs for Eostre as a "thank you" for saving its life. Thus, the reason for having the "Easter Bunny" who leaves eggs as gifts!

The Easter Bunny Paints His Eggs All Purple, Pink and Blue

One of the major festivities during this special holiday is the tradition of dyeing and decorating eggs. But why do we dye eggs? Besides the Pagan theory that we're continuing the gifts of repaying Eostre, more traditional theories state that the purpose for dyeing Easter eggs is related to Mary Magdalene, who was the first person to see Jesus after Resurrection. The story says that at the time she was holding a plain white egg when she proclaimed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the presence of an Emperor. She said to him that the likelihood of Jesus' rising was as likely as the egg she held in her hands turning red, and as she spoke the egg turned red. Therefore, in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we decorate and dye eggs to symbolize His rising.

Bringing Every Girl & Boy Baskets Full of Easter Joy

So where does the Easter basket full of candy tradition come from? This tradition dates back to the 19th century and originates from France and Germany. Stories say that children were instructed to make nests from hats or baskets so the Easter Bunny could leave them special eggs. Another theory for the added candies, more specifically chocolates, is that since many Christians choose to give up sweets during Lent, they are eager to once again enjoy the chocolate.

Now you've got a little fun and intriguing background about how some of our well-known Easter traditions became what we know them as today. No matter how you choose to celebrate this weekend, Your Lake Vacation wishes you the very best Easter holiday filled with fun and laughter with your family and friends. Happy Easter from our family to yours!

For more information please call us toll free at 1-877-284-0267!!

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Thursday, March 24, 2016

Easter Traditions Around the World

In America, colored eggs and the Easter bunny are popular traditions for most. While these traditions can take place in several other countries as well, Easter is celebrated differently all around the world. Let's take a look at a few Easter traditions in other countries around the world:

England

At Easter, the English like to enjoy a Hot Cross Bun, a sweet bun with raisins and a cross at the top. Similar to America, decorating Easter eggs is a common tradition in England. The Easter bunny is also very much a part of the holiday. Some people make Easter bonnets or baskets, which have things like daffodils or mini eggs in them. In addition to Easter egg hunts, people exchanges gifts of anything from money and chocolate to clothes, or they sometimes go on vacation together instead.

France

In France, Easter is called Paques. You won't hear any church bells ringing on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. This is a token of mourning for the crucified Christ. Early on Easter morning, the children rush into the garden to watch the bells return. During this time, their elders take the opportunity to hide chocolate eggs. Boxwood branches are sometimes used instead of palm leaves, to put over doors to bring good luck to the people in the house.

Germany

In Germany, the Easter holiday is known as Ostern. Children get about 3 weeks of vacation, while none of the adults work on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday. Many people eat fish on Good Friday. On Easter Saturday, there is often a big bonfire in the evening. These Easter fires symbolize the end of winter and burn away any bad feelings. On Easter Sunday, families have nice breakfasts together, and like in America, parents hide Easter baskets with sweets, eggs and small presents. Hand-painted eggs are exchanged with friends, and in many regions girls present their suitors with a red egg.

Italy

In Italy, Easter is called La Pasqua. On Easter Sunday, the Pope presides over a very large mass service in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City. The service is a place of pilgrimage to Catholics and is broadcast on radio and TV all over the world. In the Palm Sunday services, olive branches are often used in place of palm leaves. Easter Monday is called Pasquetta (Little Easter) and that is when they pull out all the stops. Grilled lamb chops are a must-have for dinner, with Easter bread, which looks like a fat braid, for dessert.

Spain

Easter is a very important holiday in Spain. They too celebrate a Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, most people go to mass in the morning. Children bring palm leaves, sometimes decorated with sweets or tinsel, to be blessed by the priest. On Ash Wednesday, people have a cross made of ash put on their foreheads as a way of saying sorry to God. On Maundy Thursday, there is a special "Dance of Death" celebration, where a scary dance is performed in Verges, Gerona at night by men dressed as skeletons. Many cities celebrate with processions through the streets at night. Floats decorated in gold, silver, fine cloths, and fresh flowers are often carried through the streets.

Mexico

In Mexico, Easter is celebrated over a period of two weeks. The first week is Semana Santa, or Holy Week, which runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. On Palm Sunday, people buy woven palms to bring to church service, and after those palms are hung on the doors of Mexican houses to ward off evil. Throughout the week Passion Plays are held in many towns and villages. Since many people in Mexico are Catholic, the majority of the country will participate in a special Easter Sunday Mass. In some areas, that service is followed by a fun fair of sorts, featuring food vendors, toys and sometimes even mechanical rides. The second week runs from Easter Sunday to the following Saturday. These two weeks are a popular time for vacationing as children are out of school for two full weeks.

Greece

In Greek Orthodox Churches, a tomb is often put in the center of the Church for the Good Friday service. On the Saturday before Easter, an evening service is held, where priests give out candles to each attendee that are then lit at midnight. Fireworks are also often used to signal that Easter has begun. After Easter Sunday Mass in Greece, it's customary to eat a stew of lamb's stomach called patsas or tripe soup. The dish is seasoned with red wine vinegar and garlic or thickened with avgolemono, an egg-lemon sauce. For dessert, a sweet Easter treat filled with Greek yogurt called Tsoureki is enjoyed.

Vacationing seems to be a theme in many countries - if you're still looking for something to do this weekend, come stay in one of our lovely condos or private homes at the Lake of the Ozarks! There are plenty of fun Easter activities happening right here at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. To book your last minute reservations for this weekend or to get a jump start on your Lake of the Ozarks summer vacation planning, give us a call at 877-284-0267 today!

For more information please call us toll free at 1-877-284-0267!!