EASTER- A TIME TO CELEBRATE NEW BEGINNINGS & THE RENEWAL OF SPIRIT

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Easter is the time to celebrate new beginnings, the renewal of spirit and for the Easter bunny and Easter eggs to make an appearance.  The festival of Easter is celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after crucifixion and is one of the holiest Christian festivals. The Easter Day also traditionally heralds the advent of the spring season after the gloomy months of winter. As such Easter festival is associated with joyous merriment and gaiety.

Origin of Easter

Like many other Christian festivals, Easter has also emerged from ancient pagan roots. It is an amalgamation of a myriad of Pagan, Hebrew and Christian traditions. Easter incorporates pagan symbols of fertility in the shape of the Easter bunny and Easter eggs. The name of the festival, Easter, itself may be an offshoot of Eostre, the pagan Goddess of spring.

Easter celebrations across the world

Dyed eggs were shared and eaten at spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Persia and China. Gradually these traditions made their way westward and were expressed in various forms – from dyed goose eggs to beautifully decorated paper mâché eggs in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the late 19th and early 20th century the ultimate Easter eggs – the Fabergé eggs made their royal appearance.

Easter Eggs

Easter celebration has always been synonymous with merry-making and enjoyment. Because of this aspect, the recent years have witnessed increasing commercialization of the Christian Easter festival. Today during Easter holidays, sale of greeting cards and confectionery such as chocolate Easter eggs, marshmallow bunnies, Peeps, and jelly beans prove to be big hits.

The Origin of Chocolate Easter Eggs

Chocolate Easter eggs come from Europe. Today’s tradition of giving chocolate Easter eggs as gifts can be traced back to 19th century France and Germany. The first eggs were small and solid and made of bitter dark chocolate. As technology improved and cocoa became more widely available, so did chocolate Easter eggs. The tradition spread other parts of the world, often with each country making their own unique mark.

Easter Chocolate Eggs
The first mass-produced chocolate egg appeared in England in 1873 when Cadbury debuted their first Easter egg. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that milk chocolate Easter eggs became available. Today’s Easter eggs are available in dizzying variety – from those found on supermarket shelves to the top quality uber-thick chocolate works of art, beautifully decorated and filled with chocolate surprises from specialty chocolatiers.

Sending Easter wishes

People the world over celebrate the true spirit of Easter Sunday by sending enticing Easter gifts, enchanting ensembles and delectable chocolates to near and dear ones. There are plenty of options to choose from as gifts are specially crafted keeping in mind this spirited holiday. So this Easter Sunday, don’t miss out on sending your loved ones Easter gifts, Easter flowers, Easter Hampers or delectable Easter chocolate eggs.

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Easter Sunday will be celebrated on 31st March, 2013 and next year it will be celebrated on Sunday, 20th April 2014.

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ST. PATRICK’S DAY- A DAY TO WISH YOUR LOVED ONES GOOD LUCK & CHEER

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated not just by the Irish but by people the world over to commemorate the patron saint of Ireland. It’s the perfect time to spread cheer and wish your loved ones the best of everything. Sending St. Patrick’s Day gifts and St. Patrick’s Day flowers to near and dear ones both in Ireland and around the world reinforces the links and roots which have survived through many generations.

Traditions and symbols

Around the world, the color green is associated with St. Patrick’s Day. However, originally the color for this day was blue. Over a period of time, green became the preferred choice and people began wearing green ribbons, the Blarney stone, shamrocks and designs based on the shamrock as symbols. The shamrock came to be important to the Irish because St. Patrick is said to have used this three-leaved clover plant to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. But finding a four-leaved shamrock is considered lucky especially on this day. St. Patrick’s Day can’t be complete without the mention of the mythical leprechaun. It is famously believed that catching one on this day could lead you to a pot of gold!

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Celebrations across the World

St. Patrick’s Day became the official public holiday of Ireland in 1903. But it wasn’t till the mid-1990s that the Irish government began a campaign to showcase this festival. Many towns, cities, and villages in Ireland hold parades and festivals. Along with Dublin one of the biggest celebrations takes place in the town of Downpatrick where Saint Patrick is believed to have been buried. The festivities are a week long and marked by floats, concerts, sports events and pub hopping. In many cities across the globe green clothing is traditionally worn, and American cities like Chicago and Savannah dye their waterways green. In fact people participating in the New Orleans parades are known for throwing onions, carrots, cabbages, potatoes and other ingredients that make up the traditional Irish stew.

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Sending St. Patrick’s Day Wishes

St. Patrick’s Day is about spreading good cheer and good luck and whether you’re staying in Ireland, North America, Australia or any part of the world, you can easily send across gifts and warm wishes through online gifting.

St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated on 17th March, 2013.

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HAPPY MOTHERING SUNDAY

In the UK, Mother’s Day is traditionally referred to as Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday has been celebrated for many centuries and is part of the Christian tradition. This day always falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

UK Mother's Day

Ideally one doesn’t need reasons for celebrating Mother’s Day and appreciating one’s mother and showering her with gifts. However, there is quite a history behind the origin of ‘UK Mother’s Day’ and as this day draws near, the time seems perfect to know that how this day came to be known as ‘Mothering Sunday’.

Like the rest of Europe, England and Ireland observed the mid-Lent holiday and honored and decorated their “Mother Church,” the church where they were baptized. The church eventually extended the observation to honor all mothers. The English called this Mothering Sunday and, in the 1700’s they observed it by taking a break from the fasting and penitence of Lent and having a family feast.

Winchester Cathedral, UK
            Winchester Cathedral as ‘Mother Church’, UK

Children would make a rare journey home from their apprenticeships and jobs to spend the day with their mother and family. Mothering Sunday fell out of practice in the early 1900’s. After WWII, however, the islanders once again picked up the tradition, inspired largely by the United States. Today UK Mother’s Day continues in much the same way as the old tradition, with cards and dinners in honor of Mothers.

In addition, cakes and flowers — especially violets — are given to Moms on Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom. It is customary to serve Simnel Cake, a glazed fruitcake inspired by a folk tale about a married couple, Simon and Nell. This pair could not decide whether to bake or broil a cake, so in the end they ended up doing both. Thus Simnel Cake was born.

From gift ideas and picturesque places to visit with your mom to the perfect flowers for the occasion, there are many ways in which you can show your mom your affection, gratitude and love and make Mother’s Day special. Celebrate your special bond with your mom this Mother’s Sunday with delectable hampers, enticing cakes or stunning ensembles that have been crafted specially with love and a whole lot of warmth. This year in 2013, UK Mother’s Day will be celebrated on 10th March whereas in 2014 it will be celebrated on 30th March.

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DAFFODIL-THE MAGNIFICENT MARCH BIRTH FLOWER

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

–          William Wordsworth

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Origins

The daffodil which is commonly referred to as narcissus with large trumpets is the March birth flower. For thousands of years, daffodils have been a potent symbol in both Eastern and Western cultures. Although it’s most recognizable meaning is rooted in Greek mythology, it also has very specific and varied meanings for different cultures, both past and present. Today, this flower is used all over the world in ceremonies, on holidays and at festivals, and as a fundraising symbol for various charities.

 

Charities

Many of the cancer charity organizations sell daffodils on Daffodil Day, which is typically in March. Along the lines of the Christian representation of death and rebirth, many Cancer charities have used the narcissus as a symbol of rebirth and hope. The American, Canadian, New Zealand and Irish Cancer Societies, as well as Muriel Curie Cancer Care have taken on the narcissus, or daffodil, as their organization’s symbol.

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Chinese New Year

The daffodil flower arrived in China around 1000 A.D. during the Song Dynasty. For the Chinese, the flower became a symbol of good fortune and wealth as it blooms during the Chinese New Year. It is common in China to “carve” daffodil bulbs so that as they bloom, they grow into different shapes and sizes resembling peacocks and crabs.

 

Gifting Daffodils

Daffodils signify respect, regard and unrequited love. The daffodil is one of the first flowers of spring; therefore it is a symbol of rebirth. If you are looking to gift your loved ones something rejuvenating and spirited then send them a bouquet of daffodils on the many holidays that fall throughout the month of March such as St. David’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, UK Mother’s Day and Easter. The daffodil is the emblem of Wales and is worn on St David’s Day. Beautifully bundled together daffodils make for lovely gifts no matter what the occasion.

 

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