Spring Has Sprung: Easter Vocabulary: April 20

Purchasing a new holiday outfit may seem like a 20th century commercial invention, but even early Christians followed the practice of wearing new clothes for Easter. In America, stores quickly caught on to the idea that putting out Easter outfits and sales during the season would help them sell fancy bonnets or suits. Good Housekeeping

No Easter is complete without candy. Exchanging chocolates and other sweets during the holiday gained popularity in Europe during the mid-19th century, as companies developed methods for mass producing sweets and unveiled confections in fancy holiday shapes and packages, like Cadbury eggs. Good Housekeeping

The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the appellation used for Jesus in Scripture (“behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world,” John 1:29) and the lamb’s role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel. Britannica

The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The church prohibited the eating of eggs during Holy Week, but chickens continued to lay eggs during that week, and the notion of specially identifying those as "Holy Week" eggs brought about their decoration. Britannica

In early Jewish history, lambs were sacrificed as offerings to God and served regularly as part of the Passover feast. Good Housekeeping

The Easter rabbit is said to lay the eggs as well as decorate and hide them. Britannica

While most European languages refer to the Christian holiday with names that come from the Jewish holiday of Passover, such as Pâques in French or Påsk in Swedish, German and English languages retain this older, non-biblical word: Easter. Smithsonian Magazine

Those sugary-sweet marshmallow candies were created in the 1950s by Sam Born, founder of the Just Born candy company. He set up shop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, making these treats especially appropriate for Easter. Good Housekeeping

City-goers often promenaded New York's Fifth Avenue to show off their new attire after church, eventually leading to the creation of the famous Easter Parade. Good Housekeeping

Because it's Easter, most of these goodies are decked out in beautiful pastel hues, including the unicorn bark and striped mini cheesecakes. Country Living

If your family plans to celebrate, challenge them with a timed scavenger hunt, where they search the indoors and outdoors for colorful eggs. Good Housekeeping

In the Orthodox tradition eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Britannica