Easter Trivia and Easter Egg Trivia

7/ In the Northern Hemisphere Easter occurs in the spring, and coincides with pagan rebirth and fertility festivals. Eggs have been a symbol of new life and resurrection since ancient times. Rabbits and hares have long been associated with the fertility of spring because they themselves are so fertile. When early Christians moved into pagan areas, they realised it would be impossible to wipe out the old, ingrained beliefs. Instead, they absorbed and adopted them, and Easter became a mixture of both pagan and Christian customs.

8/ Easter is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21st. Therefore it can occur on any Sunday from March 22nd through to April 25th. Eastern Orthodox Churches take other factors into consideration, so they may celebrate Easter later.

9/ Ham come to be the traditional favourite for Easter dinner because in pre-refrigeration days, hogs were slaughtered in the fall and cured for six to seven months. Just in time for Easter dinner...

10/ In the Greek Orthodox culture, Easter eggs are traditionally painted red.

11/ The largest Easter egg ever made was constructed in Vegreville, AB. It weighed 5,000 pounds, and was 25.7 feet long.

12/ The Easter lily (or Bermuda lily) was first brought to the United States in 1919 by a World War I soldier named Louis Houghton, who brought the bulbs to Oregon and gave them to friends and family.

13/ Creating Easter baskets arose from the Catholic custom of bringing Easter dinner food to mass to be blessed. This custom may also be related to ancient agrarian customs of bringing first crops to the temple.

14/ Eggs have long been a symbol of rebirth in many cultures. The exchange of eggs is a custom that long predates Easter.

15/ Today, ten growers, most located along the California-Oregon border, in an area known as the "Easter Lily Capital of the World," produce 95 percent of all bulbs grown in the world for the potted Easter lily market. They produce over 11 million bulbs annually for shipping to commercial greenhouses.

16/ Despite a sales window of only two weeks, Easter lilies are the fourth largest crop in wholesale value in the U.S. potted plant market, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Poinsettias, mums, and azaleas, rank first, second, and third. States producing the highest number of potted Easter lilies are Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

17/ In China there is a celebration called Ching Ming which takes place at the same time as the Western tradition of Easter. Chinese families visit the graves of their ancestors and take along meals and sweets.

18/ Americans spend 2 billion dollars on Easter goodies, and eat 7.1 billion pounds of Easter goodies each year! With 60 million chocolate bunnies being sold each Easter.

19/ Laying eggs takes 24-26 hours according to research from the University of Illinois-Urbana. Even the best brood hens cannot lay more than one egg a day.

20/ Different cultures have developed their own ways of decorating Easter eggs. Crimson eggs, to honour the blood of Christ, are exchanged in Greece. In parts of Germany and Austria green eggs are used on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday).

Happy Easter!

Copyright - Stuart Brown