Happy Easter!

The Easter season is both an important religious celebration and a time of family fun. Whether your celebration is centered around the altar or around the Easter basket, here are some facts about the holiday you may have missed.

The Easter bonnet came about as a way for ladies to show off their finest clothes. It was tradition for believers to deny themselves fine garments during the Lenten period.
When the first Easter baskets came on the scene they were often designed to replicate bird nests.
The history of the egg as a symbol of renewal goes back farther than Easter itself. The ancient Egyptians held the egg as a token of renewal and rebirth. There is a longstanding tradition of churchgoers wearing at least one new item of clothing to Easter services. Doing so is considered good luck.
Like the egg, the rabbit is a symbol of new life and rebirth, and it is probably this association that gave rise to the famous Easter Bunny. Rabbits have long been associated with fertility and birth. The actual Easter Bunny legend is rooted in German tradition. The legend holds that a poor woman living in Germany decorated colorful eggs for her children to find. As soon as the hidden eggs were found by the children, a large bunny was seen hopping away. This ancient legend is thought to be the root of the Easter Bunny we know and love today.