Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, is Christianity’s mot important holiday. It is called the moveable feast, because it doesn’t fall on a set date every year, as the other holiday’s do. Instead, Christian Churches celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox. Therefore, Easter is observed between March 22nd and April 25th every year.
The exact origins of this religious feast day name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter derived from Eostre, a Tuetonic goddess of spring and fertility. While, other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, which is an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing worn by the people who were being baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became the word Easter in English. In Spanish, the word Easter is known as Pascua and in French as Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin words Pascha or Pasch meaning Passover. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection happened after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. That is when Pascha eventually came to Easter.
Easter is an entire season of the Christian church year, as opposed to a single day observance. Lent, which is the 40-day period leading up to Easter Sunday, is a time of reflection and penance. Those 40-days represent the days Jesus spent alone in the wilderness before starting his ministry, at a time in which Christians believe he survived various temptations by the devil. The day before lent starts is known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday and is the last hurrah of food and fun before the fasting begins. The week that proceeds Easter is known as Holy Week and includes Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. The Friday before Easter is know as Good Friday and honors the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Saturday before Easter is Holy Saturday and focuses on the transition between the crucifixion and resurrection. The 50-days following Easter Sunday are called Eastertide and include a celebration of Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
In addition to Easter’s religious significance, there is also a commercial side that is filled with mounds of jelly beans and marshmallow chicks, which appear in stores year after year during Easter time. Also, every year over 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made. Over the centuries various folk customs and pagan traditions like Easter eggs, bunnies, baskets and candy have become a standard part of the Easter holiday.
Spring is arriving upon us and with that comes flowers blooming, fresh cut grass and the chore of spring cleaning. Spring cleaning is a tradition that allows you to freshen up your home. Spring cleaning helps you focus on the parts of your home that have been neglected all winter long. Listed below you will find some tips to help you get the job done with special attention given to seasonal chores for the springy time of year.
The Kitchen
Dust down the ceiling and corners of the walls
Dust and clean the ceiling fan
Take down curtains and/or blinds to wash them
Apply oven cleaner and clean the oven
Clean out old food from the refrigerator and freeze, then clean inside
Wipe down kitchen appliances
Clean out kitchen cabinets and drawers
Run the dishwasher empty
Wash out trash can
Wipe down wall, doors and baseboards
Wipe switch plate covers and door knobs
The Dining Room
Dust down the ceiling and corners of the walls
Dust and clean the ceiling fan
Take down curtains and/or blinds to wash them
Wash down dining table and chairs
Wipe walls, doors and baseboards
Wipe switch plate covers and door knobs
Clean carpet
The Living Areas
Dust down ceiling and corners of the walls
Dust and clean the ceiling fan
Take down curtains and/or blinds to wash them
Dust and clean out the furniture
Dust down lamps and lampshades
Wipe walls, doors and baseboards
Wipe switch plate covers and door knobs
Clean carpet
The Bedroom
Dust down the ceiling and corners of the walls
Dust and clean the ceiling fan
Take down curtains and/or blinds to wash them
Wash all bedding
Flip your mattress
Dust down lamps and lampshades
Wipe walls, doors and baseboards
Wipe switch plate covers and door knobs
Clean carpet
The Bathroom
Dust down the ceiling and corners of the walls
Dust vents
Take down curtains and/or blinds to wash them (shower curtain included)
Wash inside and outside of the medicine cabinet and linen cabinet
Wipe down walls, doors and baseboards
Wipe switch plate covers and door knobs
Shake out and/or wash rugs
Wash out trash can
These are just some of the tips for spring cleaning that you could do in your home. If you need help in your spring cleaning endeavors, you could always hire a local cleaning company to come in and help you. The smallest amount of help could make a world of difference. Happy Spring and good luck with your spring cleaning adventures.
When some people think of St. Patrick’s Day, they think of drinking beer and wearing green. There is so much more to St. Patrick’s Day than that. Every year on March 17th, the Irish and the Irish- at- heart across the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. What had began as a religious feast day for the patron Saint of Ireland, has become an international festival celebrating the Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.
Saint Patrick was a 5th century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. The day commemorates the death of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations usually involve public parades and festivals. Also, on St Patrick’s Day, it is customary to wear green clothing or accessories and/or shamrocks. It is said that saint Patrick used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity to the Pagan Irish. The color green has been associated with Ireland dating back to at least the 1640’s, when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation. Green ribbons and shamrocks have been worn on St. Patrick’s Day dating back to the 1680’s.
On St. Patrick’s Day, Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day. The most traditional Irish dish on St. Patrick’s Day is Jigg’s Dinner, which is corned beef and cabbage simmered with potatoes and carrots. Another traditional thing the Irish eat on St. Patrick’s Day is soda bread, which is a dense crumbly quick bread that uses baking soda for leavening, that is enriched with buttermilk and sweetened with honey and whiskey-soaked cranberries. Green beer is a must on St. Patrick’s Day for some, but other just might something green that is non-alcoholic.
St. Patrick’s Day is so much more than a celebration of drinking, it has all kinds of culture that goes with it. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
It’s that time of year again to Spring ahead one hour. Even though our brain knows the time on the clock has changed, our bodies internal clock does not. When the clocks move ahead in the Spring, you are robbed one hour of sleep. Here are some helpful tips to help you deal with that change.
Gradually transition into the time change – go to bed 15 minutes early, starting several days before the time change
Give yourself a sleep break after the time change – if you feel sleepy, take a 30 minute nap in the afternoon
Know how much sleep you need – find your ideal number of sleep by, sleeping without an alarm on the weekend and see when you wake
Keep regular sleep hours – go to bed and wake up the same time each day
Get some exercise during the day – try for 30 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week
Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed – alcohol and caffeine can interfere with sleeping
Relax before bed – create a bedtime ritual that is relaxing
If you think you are having a hard time with the time change, your children are too. The loss of sleep is even tougher on children. There are things you can do to also help your children with the time change as well.
Take baby steps – before the time change, take several nights and put the children to bed 15 minutes early, in 15 minutes intervals and wake them up earlier
Control the lights – dimming the lights and turning off electronics 30 minutes before bed
Stick with a routine – before bed routines helps keep your children on a schedule
Get enough sleep – make sure that every night your children are getting the amount of sleep he/she needs
With Daylight Savings, brings longer days and shorter nights. By following some of these tips, it might be a little easier on yourself and children when it comes to the time change and loss of sleep.
