Celebrate one of the oldest holidays in the world and Hop into Easter traditions

Chocolate bunnies, fuzzy chicks and colored eggs often overshadow the real reason we observe Easter. Do our kids really know the true meaning of Easter?
Start an Easter tradition that teaches them Easter 101.  Many people think that Christmas is the most important day in the Catholic liturgical calendar, but from the earliest days of the Church, Easter has been considered the central Christian feast. As Saint Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” Without Easter – without the Resurrection of Christ – there would be no Christian Faith. Christ’s Resurrection is the proof of His Divinity.
Discuss how the date of Easter  is calculated
Many Christians think that the date of Easter depends on the date of Passover, and so they get confused in those years when Easter (calculated according to the Gregorian calendar) falls before Passover (calculated according to the Hebrew calendar, which does not correspond to the Gregorian one). While there is an historical connection – the first Holy Thursday was the day of the Passover feast – the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), one of the seven ecumenical councils acknowledged by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians, established a formula for calculating the date of Easter independent of the Jewish calculation of Passover. The Council set the date of Easter as the Sunday following the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (Spring) equinox.
Talk about Easter Bunny beginnings
The Easter Bunny has been around since the 1500s in the writings of the Germans. The first edible Easter bunny was made out of pastry and sugar in the early 1800s, and the bunny was said to lay colorful eggs in the nests that children made out of bonnets.
Germans who traveled to the Pennsylvania Dutch country brought the German Easter Bunny traditions with them to America in the 1700s.
Plant an Easter Garden
Let one of your Easter traditions brighten up your yard. Easter is a happy reminder that it’s time to say goodbye to Winter. Celebrate the arrival of Spring by planting a garden with your kids for Easter.
Marigolds, petunias and other annuals turn that patch of dirt into an instant flower garden for kids. Follow a regional gardening guide to enjoy everything Spring can offer your family’s garden.
 Record your family dyeing eggs
Of course, dyeing eggs is a cherished memory of Easter for kids. Capture those memories for the whole family.
Set up a video camera in the corner of the room to record your family dyeing Easter eggs from start to finish. Just let the camera roll as you and the kids color eggs with natural dyes, decorate them with herbs or add flair to them with tie-dyed effects.
Be sure to turn on the video camera every year. It won’t be long until you can edit a home movie on your computer that shows Easter after Easter of your family dyeing eggs in the kitchen.
Hunt those Easter Eggs as a family
We may not be able to attend the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, but you can have plenty of fun in your own backyard. Or find an Easter egg hunt near you. While the egg hunt is probably an Easter tradition you enjoyed as a child too, spread the fun out for more than one day for your kids. Hide Easter eggs around the house, in your yard or on the playground. Let them hunt plastic eggs several days after Easter is over. The thrill of the hunt doesn’t fade for kids.
Cherish your Easter traditions with your children because as we all know time flies by so quickly. This year, as you revisit your Easter traditions from the past, make learning something new about Easter an exciting event for the present and you can add that new tradition to your list for next year.
Have a happy and a very blessed Easter!

Comments and impressions are welcomed
and requested at david@donalsonvillenews.com