Month: April 2014

April 17, 2014April 17, 2014

Give a Twist to Tradition this Easter

Traditions are often followed blindly. Year after year, we celebrate Christmas with our near and dear ones; shop, buy gifts, gorge on Turkey and other Christmassy preparations, deck up the house and we buy gifts for Easter and flowers for Easter as well, the only addition is Easter eggs and Easter sweets, Easter chocolate gifts and hampers. However all these traditions have no value, if we follow them mechanically. There is a certain beauty in understanding traditions and practicing them in an unconventional way, provided the spirit of each tradition is maintained. There are plenty ways in which we can create an entire list of unique Easter gifts ideas.

Although Easter is a festival that Christian’s celebrate, several Easter traditions are not even mentioned in the Bible. The Easter bunny, the popular face of the festival, was apparently brought to America by German immigrants, who shared fables of an egg-laying rabbit. The custom of decorating eggs is had commenced in the 13th century, while the Easter parade is said to be a pagan ritual that has older roots. Consumption of Easter candy has got nothing to do with traditional Easter celebrations and is more a modern addition.

The Tradition of the Easter Bunny
The Easter bunny is a hare that delivers colored eggs to well-behaved children. Rings a bell? I’m sure it reminds you Santa Claus distributing gifts to all the kids who’ve been nice. The exact origins of the Easter bunny are unknown, but rabbits are said to be symbols of fertility and new life.

The custom was brought to America by German immigrants, whose kids used to prepare a nest for the bunny on the eve of Easter and keep carrots for him, in case he’s got all hungry because of all the hopping. Today the Easter eggs have been replaced with candies and chocolates.

A twist to the tradition:
The reward in return of a good deed, encourages kids to do well and be nice. A benevolent twist can be added to this tradition. Kids should be encouraged to share their earned goodies with a bunch of kids, who aren’t fortunate enough to have received Easter goodies. It will help in keeping up the spirit of Easter and will also keep the kids grounded, even after they’ve earned their goodies.

Easter Eggs

Traditionally an egg is said to be an ancient symbol of new life and is also associated with Spring. As per Christian thought, the egg symbolizes Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Eggs were traditionally decorated and preserved during the season of lent, as they were a forbidden food. These eggs were consumed on Easter. The White House Easter Egg Roll, is a race where children push decorated hard-boiled eggs across the White House lawn.

A twist to tradition:

The traditional Egg Roll can be given a benevolent twist as well. While on the outside this activity, might bring back tons of nostalgia and give joy to kids, it also part takes in wastage of food. Fake eggs can be used in this tradition, and eggs can be distributed to the dozens of hungry children across the globe. Having these Easter gifts delivered to them ensures the continuation of the tradition and also prevents food wastage.

These are just two ways in which we can make Easter a more fulfilling celebration. There are plenty of other ways to celebrate the festival. You can send Easter gifts online, if you are thinking of surprising someone, you can have an Easter flower delivery in the form of Easter flower baskets. These Easter basket gifts will not only make unique Easter gifts but will be fundamentally Christian Easter gifts. This year, celebrate an Easter that indulges in giving than taking.

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April 17, 2014May 13, 2014

10 Ways in Which Flowers Make Your Wedding a Memorable Affair

Marriage is a one-time fare (at least it used to be), so most people go out and out to make it a special experience for themselves and for the people who are going to be part of it. Marriage gives you the opportunity to cover everything with beautiful flowers without anyone complaining about it. With some creativity flowers can be used in endless and impressive ways for weddings. We have listed down _ 10 ways in which you can use flowers for your wedding.

The Aisle
This walk would probably be one of the most historic aisle walks of your life (unless of course, you’re on your way to accept an Oscar). So why not turn your aisle into a bed of flowers. Decorate your aisle with whole flowers or flower petals and have the walk of your life!

The Chuppah
Although the Chuppah is primarily a part of the Jewsish tradition, today they’re a work of art and key element in wedding décor. There are several ways in which you can decorate your Chuppah. You can alternate between attaching a garland to the edge of the canopy to attaching bouquets to the poles. You can also drape swags of garland between the poles. Wrapping garlands around the poles will also make the Chuppah look welcoming. The key is not to decorate it all, as you don’t want the focus to shift from the soon-to-be-married couple.

The Bride’s Hair
There’s something so elegantly romantic about a bride with flowers in her hair! There are floral accessories and styles to that can suit all kinds of brides and wedding styles. Depending on her gown, a bride can alternate between having a rustic to modern, glam to a vintage look.

The Bride’s Veil

You may say we’re slightly biased towards having adorned a woman with flowers on her wedding day than a man. But we have to accept the fact that women look doubly beautiful when adorned with flowers. Every girl wishes to look and feel like a princess on her wedding day. A veil that’s adorned with flowers will definitely make her look and feel like one!

The Bride’s Bouquet

While many brides prefer to use artificial flowers in their bouquet as it lasts long and also works as a memoir of their wedding day, we would still suggest brides to use fresh flowers in their bouquet. Fresh flowers have a charm of their own, a charm that’s unmatched with artificial flowers. They also smell nice, feel fresh and soft. One can use an exclusive bouquet of white roses or alternate between using pink roses and or even peonies.

Bouttonnieres

Bouttonnieres are a classic staple at any wedding. They’re beautiful, tasteful and a keepsake in memory of the big day (in case they are made of artificial flowers). While again, bouttonnieres are made of imitation flowers, real flowers can be used for this event as well. In case you want to store it as a memoir of the wedding, you can always store it for years together as a dried flower. One can use bouttonnieres made of roses, lilies or even daffodils.

The Wedding Cake

One can’t deny that real flowers bring elegance to wedding cakes. Flowers are used to decorate cakes in several weddings, simply because they offer a romantic look to the occasion. The color of the flowers on the cake and that of the decoration can be co-ordinated to bring an enhanced look to the entire affair. Commonly used flowers are roses and peonies. But one can also use lilies, orchids and hydrangeas.

The Tables
The wedding table is the place is where people spend most of their time, apart from the dance floor. So make sure your wedding table stands out with a beautiful flower centerpiece. A simple floral arrangement can add so much to a table. You can choose flowers depending on the color theme of your wedding.

The Photo Backdrop

A place that gets the most number of clicks at the wedding is the photo backdrop. Make sure your photo backdrop stands out! You can have at least 2-3 photo backdrops decorated with flowers. You can alternate between having a backdrop that’s loaded with roses, or a simple backdrop that has drape swags of garlands of the flowers of your choice connecting the ends of the backdrop.

A Flower Chandelier

If your wedding celebrations are in the outdoors and during the day, you can go with a flower chandelier instead of a glass chandelier. These chandeliers look gorgeous and suit a romantic occasion like marriages perfectly! In case you’re celebrating indoors and at night, you can deck the glass chandelier with flowers.

We hope our suggestions help in making your wedding day, a memorable and impressive affair. If you have better suggestions on how to give a floral touch to weddings, then please add them in the comment box below.

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April 11, 2014April 17, 2014

10 Exotic Easter Delicacies From The World Over

From Greece to Germany, and from pudding to eggs, Easter is the season to indulge in some great food. We’ve shortlisted 10 Easter delicacies from across the globe that you must try. Allow us to take you on a virtual tour of them.

Spanish Easter Torrijas

Torrijas is Spain’s answer to French toast. They’re even prepared in a similar fashion. Pieces of stale bread are soaked in sweetened milk, that’s flavored with cinnamon or vanilla essence, topped with beaten egg. This preparation is fried in oil and sprinkled with a mixture of sugar and powdered cinnamon. ‘Yummy’ is an understatement! Go to Spain now and eat them! Or else have them delivered to you via international gift delivery!

Czech Easter Bread

The traditional Easter celebrations in Czech might leave you a little red faced. Boys cut young, soft branches from willow trees and bend them into a whip. Then they take a basket and go around the neighborhood, visiting every house with female residents. They chase the girls with the whip, until the girls give them a decorated egg. This custom is no longer followed, but a lot of running, screaming and chasing still takes place. Embarrassing? Let’s just shift your focus to something more interesting for now. The Czech Easter bread that’s prepared during Easter festivities is a rich bread, adorned with raisins and almonds. No need to smear butter on it as it’s delicious by itself. It’s the kind of snack that you can have with your family at a dining table adorned with beautiful flowers.

British Hot Cross Buns

These buns are so popular that they have a popular nursery rhyme dedicated to them. No Easter celebration in the UK is complete without a hot cross bun. This English delicacy is a sweet spiced bun that’s marked with a cross that has been eaten for hundreds of years.

Now that we’ve talked about so many bread-related dishes, let’s just move our focus to something un-bread-like. Like fish preparations!

Scandinavian Herring

The Herring fish is caught during Easter time and is a popular Easter dish. Whether to have it pickled, raw or cured is not the question. The question is to decide upon the number of times you savor this delicacy. As per traditionally, this dish is served on a bun or alongside sour cream, rye bread or potatoes.

Russian Paskha

“Paskha” means “Easter” in Russian. This dish is made of cream cheese and cottage cheese (foods traditionally forbidden during Lent). It’s encrusted with dried fruits, molded into a triangular shape and stamped with the letters “XB,” which stand for “Christ has risen” in Cyrillic script. It’s a breakfast dish that’s usually eaten with thick-crusted breads. However it can be consumed plain as well.

Greek Koulouria Cookies

‘Koloura’ in Greek means round and twisted. These traditional round butter cookies get their name from their round twisted shape. These cookies are also shaped like small braids in the shape of the letter “S.” Koulourakia taste best when they’re dunked in coffee or milk.

Portuguese Roasted Easter Potatoes

Straight from the oven, this is one mouth-watering dish that comes from the Portuguese kitchen. It’s the kind of dish that you have when you’re celebrating Easter with your extended family; on a long table that serves at least 15 people. This dish becomes doubly indulgent when served with roasted lamb and a salad of leave and tomatoes. Here’s the secret to making the perfect Roasted Potatoes, boil the potatoes first for no longer than 10/12 minutes and then, right before putting them in the oven, punch them lightly with your fist. This way, the potatoes will flatten a little and you’ll get more surfaces for even browning and crisping in the oven.

Mexican Capirotada Bread Pudding

All the way from Mexico, this special kind of spiced Mexican bread pudding that’s filled with raisins, cinnamon, cloves and cheese. Interestingly each ingredient is said to carry a reminder of the suffering of Christ on the cross. The cloves represent the nails, the cinnamon sticks represent the wooden cross, and bread stands for the body of Christ himself. However eating this delicacy is quite the opposite of suffering.

British Panko Fried Scotch Eggs

This dish needs no introduction so let’s just jump to its simple yet, tongue-teasing taste. A boiled egg is trapped in minced pork meat, breaded and then deep fried. Yum! This one’s so delicious looking, that at the very sight of it, you might want to sink your teeth into it. (Even if it makes your mouth burn)

Brazil’s Paçoca de Amendoim

Not to be confused with the salty meat dish of the same name—this Brazilian Easter treat is made of crushed peanuts, sugar and cassava flour. The easy-to-dole-out candy has long been served during holiday procession walks. It’s Brazil’s popular peanut candy that’s served during the Easter season. It’s best paired with a hot cup of coffee.

Now that we have you salivating, it’s about time you go visit these places during Easter and try these mouth-watering dishes. If not grab a native of the above mentioned nations in your locality and bribe them to cook these delicacies for you. Wishing you all a happy and blessed Easter in advance! Think we’ve missed out on a couple of delicious Easter specialties? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below.

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