Easter & The Spring Season

Easter is nearly upon us and it has been a long, cold and snowy winter! We are sure everyone is especially eager to welcome Easter and the unfolding of Spring. What a beautiful season to embrace as the first flowers of Spring emerge and the countryside is full of lively spring lambs. Along with those cherished brisk sunny days offering a glimmer of hope of the new season to come, Easter brings a break from the winter months and welcomes these celebrations.

Here, at The Candle Tree, in Gloucester we have been stocking up on Easter goodies, and have a fabulous window display to get our customers in the mood for the Spring season! Take a look online at our shop or come along to our shop for all your seasonal Easter treats!

Here are some interesting facts about Easter to whet your appetite and brighten your spirits for the coming holiday!

• The name 'Easter' owes its origin to Eostre or Eastre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of light and the dawn who was honoured at pagan festivals celebrating the arrival of spring.

• Easter is known to be the Sunday that marks the end of the Holy Week, an event that commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It marks the end of the fasting ritual known as. Lent takes place every year in the 40 days leading up to Easter.

• Easter is celebrated at different times by Eastern and Western Christians. This is because the dates for Easter in Eastern Christianity are based on the Julian Calendar.

• Eggs have been seen as an ancient symbol of fertility, while springtime is considered to bring new life and rebirth.

• Secular celebrations around the Easter period involve egg hunts, decorating eggs, of course; easter egg eating along with a celebration meal.

• Pysanky is a traditional egg craft in Ukraine and Poland. The method is similar to batik - patterns are drawn on the egg with wax, which then protects the covered areas from the dye that is applied. By repeating this process with different colours of dye, a multi-coloured pattern is built up. Finally, the wax is removed to reveal the colours that were covered up at each stage. Egg dyes were once made out of natural items such as onion peels, tree bark, flower petals, and juices.

• As well as eggs, chicks and lambs, rabbits are associated with the easter period. The first story of a rabbit (later named the 'Easter Bunny') hiding eggs in a garden was published in 1680 within German literature.

•  There are many theories of how rabbits became associated with Easter. One such theory is that rabbits were associated with the Teutonic deity 'Eostra'; the goddess of spring and fertility, for their especially high reproduction rate.

• 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 ‘Osterhaser’ or ‘Oschter Haws’. Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its coloured eggs. 

• The tallest chocolate Easter egg was made in Italy in 2011. Standing 10.39 metres tall and weighing 7,200 kg, it was taller than a giraffe and heavier than an elephant. 

For beautiful Easter treats, candles and gift alternatives to chocolate then look no further than The Candle Tree. Take a look for yourself at our wide range of online and in-store products, we'd love to see you! Wishing you all a lovely Easter and a joyful Spring!