Daylight savings time has started. And the spring
equinox occurred back in March. What happened to Easter?
In the United States, our holidays seem to fall in
two ways. First, we have those that fall on the same numeric day every year –
January 1, February 14, July 4, and December 25, among others. Then we have
those holidays that fall on the same day of the month – Mother’s Day is the
second Sunday in May and Father’s day is on the third Sunday of June;
Indigenous People’s Day and Labor day on the first Monday of their respective
months; Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. Even USA elections are
set on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.
But Easter can vary every year as much as a month,
coming as early as March 22 or as late as April 25 because it is set according
to the moon. Specifically, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday
following the full Moon that occurs on or just after the spring equinox.
And if that isn’t enough to confuse you, take a look
at Easter treats. Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate. Christmas is fondly
highlighted not only with candy canes but with favorite baked goods. But here
comes the Easter Bunny with hard boiled eggs, jelly bean eggs, speckled “bird”
eggs, chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, peanut butter eggs, Cadbury™ eggs and
hard shell cream eggs. EGGS, EGGS, EGGS! And bunnies don’t even lay eggs, so
where did that come from?According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with
German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition
of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could
lay its colored eggs. Baskets began to be used later in place of nests. The egg, an ancient symbol
of new life, has often been associated with pagan festivals celebrating spring.
However
you celebrate Easter, I hope it is joyous and full of sunshine and happiness.
And in case you don’t care for all the candy that comes along with the holiday
(as if), fill your Easter basket with some good books. They’re fulfilling
but have no calories!
I started a new series titled Fifteen Shades. The series consists of holiday tales inspired by colours. The first book The Red Quilt was released in December 2021. The Red Quilt takes place at Christmas and features fifteen shades of red.
I started the second book. It is supposed to take place during Canadian thanksgiving and feature fifteen shades of blue. Now, in the last few weeks, I’ve been rethinking the setting, so I’ve been looking at other holidays celebrated in my home country.
Valentine’s Day (St. Valentine’s Day):
Valentine’s Day celebrates romantic love, friendship, and admiration. It is celebrated on 14 February in over 28 countries. In the Philippines, 14 February is the most common wedding anniversary day.
St. Patrick’s Day (The Feast of St. Patrick):
St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland. It is celebrated in more than 50 countries.
Easter:
Easter is both a pagan and a religious holiday. It is referred to a as a moveable feast. Its date varies according to the calendar originally used (Gregorian vs Julian) and the day of the last full moon (either astronomical or Julian). In Western countries, it can fall on any Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, but in some Eastern parts of the world, it can fall on any Sunday between 4 April and May 8. Around 95 countries celebrate Easter, but traditions vary by countries.
Canada Day:
Canada Day is celebrated on 1 July.
Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving celebrates the harvest and blessings of the past year. There are roughly 17 countries that celebrate their own version of Thanksgiving. The date and traditions varies by countries. In Canada, it is celebrated on the second Monday of October, and in the United States, it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
Halloween:
Halloween is a combination of pagan and religious rituals, and is believed to be one of the oldest celebrations in the world. It is celebrated toward the end of October/beginning of November (mostly on 31 October and 2 November) in around 40 countries.
Remembrance Day:
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed on 11 November throughout the British Commonwealth since the end of WW1. It is also known as Armistice Day or Poppy Day. The day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries.
Every year since 1919, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we observe a moment of silence to mark the sacrifice of the many who have fallen in the service of their country, and to acknowledge the courage of those who still serve.
Christmas:
Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. More than two billion people in over 160 countries celebrated Christmas. It is the most celebrated holiday in the world, but the day (see map) and the traditions associated with this holiday vary by countries.
New Year:
The New Year celebration is a global event with different types of celebration. The Pacific Islands of Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati were the first to welcome 1 January 2022 while Baker and Howland Islands were the last.
I love Easter. To me, it's the beginning of new life. It also brings back many memories. Memories of days long past.
Easter was a busy time in our houseduring the ’50s. It began Holy Wednesday, with the baking of our special Easter bread, Paska*, or Babka, as it’s sometimes called. My sisters and I helped gather the ingredients and set them on the table. Mom stood on a chair and took out the special round pans from the cabinet above the refrigerator. She used those pans only for Easter bread. I’m not sure why, but this bread had to be round.
First, we measured the milk and set it on the stove to scald. Next Mom measured the yeast. I loved the smell of it.One year, enticed by the aroma, I stuck my finger in it and tasted it. I couldn’t’ get rid of the bitterness out of my mouth and my brothers, sisters, and mom laughed at me for being foolish enough to try it. Of course, no one tried to stop me either. I wondered how something that smelled so good could taste so bad.
Oncethe ingredients were mixed together Mom begankneading the dough. I thought it looked like fun until I got older and she let me try it. Kneading bread dough is hard work and we had to knead it until it blistered. When she kneaded it enough,it was set to rise. We often sneaked in the kitchen and pinched off a piece and ate it. Something about the taste of raw dough kept us coming back, no matter how much my mom yelled at us.
After an hour or so, Mom turned the dough out onto a special board my uncle made for her from an old maple table. She reserved a small piece of dough and cut the remainder into even portions for the loaves. Sheput the loaves in the pan and took the reserved dough, rolled it between her hands like a snake and cut off pieces to form a cross on each loaf, and after letting it rise again, she put them in the oven. The savory smell of fresh-baked bread filled the house for hours. The bread was then stored in plastic bags for Easter Sunday and no trying to sneak a piece.
Holy Thursday was beet-making day. My mother used fresh beets and horseradish for this deliciousrelish*. After she cooked the beets, she grated them on the small side of a grater and suffered many a skinned knuckle. In later years, she purchased six cans of whole beets and a jar of horseradish from the grocery store. I’m not sure what gave her the idea, maybe she got tired of skinned knuckles, butone year she brought out her old meat grinder and attached it to the table, added the beets, grinding them into a finely shredded consistency. I loved watching the beets come through the grinder. After the beets were ground, mom boiled vinegar, added sugar to it, and mixed it with the beets. When it cooledshe added horseradish, tasting it until it was just right. The vinegar blended with the pungent horseradish and filled the house with its stinging smell. If we got too close it made our eyes water.
On Good Friday Mom baked a ham and boiled kielbasa. The kielbasa had been in the refrigerator for several days and very time we opened the refrigerator door, the rich garlicky aroma tantalized our taste buds. Sometimes we opened it just to get a whiff.As the aroma of the ham and kielbasa wafted through the house our mouths watered, but since it was Good Friday,samples of the delicious smelling meats were forbidden. We could hardly wait until Easter.
Friday night, Mom made sirok*, Easter cheese. We called it yellow thing. My older sister and I cracked several dozen eggs into a large pot and beat them with the electric mixer. Mom filled another larger pot with water and set it on the stove to boil. After we added milk, sugar, and nutmeg to the eggs, we beat the mixture a little more. Mom then took themixture to the stove and set that pot inside the large one, creating a double boiler. We took turns mixingit since it needed constant stirring. As the mixture began to curdle, it formed a solid almost scrambled egg texture. The liquid separated and turned a bluish-green. Once it curdled, Mom poured it into a colander lined with cheesecloth. While it drained, she tightened the cheesecloth into a ball and tied it. She hung it over the sink from a hook and let it drain overnight. In the morning, she removed it from the cheesecloth. The sweet-spicy smell of the nutmeg lingered for hours.
Saturday afternoon, Mom sent one of us to the attic to get the blessing basket. She lined the basket with a towel, set a loaf of bread, a large piece of ham, kielbasa, sirok, several hard-cooked eggs, and a small container of beets into the basket and covereditwith a fancy white doily that she crocheted especially for it. The blessing of baskets was a custom from the old country and even though we lived inOhio, many churches carried out this tradition. Some still do and my sister and her family take a basket to be blessed every year. It's a family tradition for them and even the kids, although grouwn still go with them, but that's another story.
My father, sisters, and I took the basket tochurch. This was a special service and before the blessing, we removed the doily. The Priest went up and down the aisle sprinkling Holy Water over the congregation and baskets of food.
Easter Sunday after church, Mom took out the blessed food and everyone had a small piece of it for breakfast. After smelling all these delicious aromas for the past four days, we savored the taste.Easter was not only a time to rejoice in the new beginning through Christ but a time to share the love of family and good food.
*Paska or Babka is sweet bread usually with yellow raisins.
*Sirok – a yellow round ball made from equal amounts of milk and eggs (1 dozen eggs to 1 quart of milk) add sugar and nutmeg to taste.
Beet Relish
6 cans whole beets grated
½ cup white vinegar, boiled
2/3 cup sugar
Horseradish to taste
In a large bowl, grate the beets. Boil the vinegar. Add the sugar to it and let it cool slightly, then pour it over the beets. Add horseradish to taste. I start with 2 tablespoons, but depending on hot you want it more can be added.
Forced to stay in a nursing home while undergoing therapy, seventy-two year old, Mike Powell refuses to get out of bed, won't cooperate with the nurses, and won’t take his medicine. At least not until he meets Elsa. The tiny, spunky little Elsa sparks new life into him.
Seventy-year-old, Elsa is left in the home while her son takes a family vacation. She joins forces with Mike, setting the home on its heels, and later discovers deception and fraud. Can they find happiness together?
Who says life begins at 40? Life is wonderful at any age, as long you're willing to live it. Elsa Logan and Mike Powell prove it. And I want to be just like them when I grow up! One of Roseanne Dowell's best, and my personal favorite! Elsa Logan bears a striking resemblance to a romance writer I know who shall be nameless but whose initials are R. D. ~ Romantic Suspense Author, Gail Roughton
