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Next year Easter will fall on April 20,
2014. Plan ahead for one of the most
cherished days of the year. Planning for the
Easter celebration is fun for everyone, old
and young, religious and secular alike.
Unlike festivals such as Christmas, Easter
has been celebrated without interruption
since New Testament times. The dates of all
movable feasts are also calculated around
the date of Easter.
According to the
Encyclopedia Britannica:
Western Christians celebrate Easter on the
first Sunday after the full moon (the
paschal moon) that occurs on or next after
the vernal equinox on March 21. If the
paschal moon, which is calculated from a
system of golden numbers and epacts and does
not necessarily coincide with the
astronomical full moon, occurs on a Sunday,
Easter is the following Sunday.
These calculations say that Easter can fall
between March 22 and April 25. This was
decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 as part
of the Gregorian calendar.
During New Testament times, the Christian
church celebrated Easter at the same time as
the Jews observed Passover. (The first of
Passover's eight days is Nissan 15 on the
Jewish calendar. Passover observes the
flight and freedom of the Israelites from
slavery in Egypt.) By the middle of the
second century, Easter was celebrated on the
Sunday after Passover. The Council of Nicaea
decided in 325 A.D. that all churches should
celebrate it together on a Sunday.
In some countries, Good Friday and the
Monday after Easter are national holidays.
In the United States, these two days are not
federal holidays and observance varies from
state to state.
 For
many, the beautiful trumpet-shaped white
flowers symbolize purity, virtue, innocence,
hope and life—the spiritual essence of
Easter.
 Wine:
whatever you may have given up for the last
40 days, it’s time to reintroduce yourself.
The Easter meal should be a happy occasion,
and what better way to enjoy good company
than with a little vino at the table?
Create
your gift basket and say what
you really mean.
Candy: No need to buy tons of chocolate.
Just make sure it is excellent. Design your
own!!!
Gourmet
Chocolate Gift Basket!!
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