Easter Traditions Around the World

  Easter, the holiday surrounding Christ's death and resurrection, is celebrated in Christian communities across the world. However, not everyone celebrates in exactly the same way. Different countries have evolved very different Easter traditions, from decorating eggs to flying kites and reading mystery books. In many countries, Easter has also become more secular, creating the traditions of Easter breaks during the school year and chocolate rabbits for children. Here are five Easter traditions from around the world.

Kite Flying

In Bermuda, people traditionally fly kites for Easter. This practise is said to have begun when a British teacher had trouble explaining Christ's Ascension to a church class so he made a cross-shaped kite to help illustrate the event to his students. Now people make colourful paper kites with long tails for Good Friday every year. Most of these kites are hexagonal, with wheel-like spokes, instead of cross-shaped, while some are octagonal in shape. Several Bermuda kites hold the world record for length and height of flight.

Egg Breaking

Many countries dye and decorate eggs for Easter, but in Latvia, the tradition also involves breaking them. As part of a holiday game, each person takes a coloured boiled egg, then chooses a partner. The two players tap the large ends of their eggs together, followed by the narrow ends. They then tap one narrow end against one wide end, before repeating the process. If a player's egg breaks, that player must leave the game. The last person left without a broken egg is declared the winner.

Easter-Crime

In Norway, it is common to turn to mystery books and TV detective shows during the Easter period. This tradition, known as "Passkekrim", or "Easter-Crime," started because many new crime books are published between Holy Thursday and Easter Monday - a period of public holiday. Also, it is common for Norwegians to go on holiday during this period, often taking new books along with them.

The first Easter-crime promotion occurred in 1923, when Harald Grieg released a crime book advertisement that read like a regular news article.

Witch Costumes

In western Sweden, children dress up as witches to visit neighbours in a tradition similar to American trick or treat. The children are known as "Paskkarringar," (Easter hags) and carry brooms and Easter cards during their visits. They may receive a small amount of money or candy from their neighbours and often carry a coffee pot with them to hold any goodies. This tradition started because Mediaeval people thought that on Easter eve, witches stole brooms and flew over church bell towers on their way to visit Satan.

Easter Bonfires

Large fires are common in parts of the Netherlands and northern Germany. They are known as "Paasvur" in Dutch and "Osterfeuer" in German. They are lit at sunset on Easter Day. This tradition actually comes from the pre-Christian Saxons and was adopted by Christians during the Mediaeval period. The fires are meant to bring the community together and symbolise the triumph of life over death. They may be used to light a Paschal candle for Easter celebrations.

Like many other important holidays, Easter isn't a static celebration. It evolves to meet the needs of the people to whom it is important. Future Easter celebrations could involve mobile phones, contacting loved ones via the Internet or a range of other new traditions. People enjoy this important holiday in different ways all over the world, but there is of course no wrong way to celebrate.

Easter, the holiday surrounding Christ's death and resurrection, is celebrated in Christian communities across the world. However, not everyone celebrates in exactly the same way. Different countries have evolved very different Easter traditions, from decorating eggs to flying kites and reading mystery books. In many countries, Easter has also become more secular, creating the traditions of Easter breaks during the school year and chocolate rabbits for children. Here are five Easter traditions from around the world.

Kite Flying

In Bermuda, people traditionally fly kites for Easter. This practise is said to have begun when a British teacher had trouble explaining Christ's Ascension to a church class so he made a cross-shaped kite to help illustrate the event to his students. Now people make colourful paper kites with long tails for Good Friday every year. Most of these kites are hexagonal, with wheel-like spokes, instead of cross-shaped, while some are octagonal in shape. Several Bermuda kites hold the world record for length and height of flight.

Egg Breaking

Many countries dye and decorate eggs for Easter, but in Latvia, the tradition also involves breaking them. As part of a holiday game, each person takes a coloured boiled egg, then chooses a partner. The two players tap the large ends of their eggs together, followed by the narrow ends. They then tap one narrow end against one wide end, before repeating the process. If a player's egg breaks, that player must leave the game. The last person left without a broken egg is declared the winner.

Easter-Crime

In Norway, it is common to turn to mystery books and TV detective shows during the Easter period. This tradition, known as "Passkekrim", or "Easter-Crime," started because many new crime books are published between Holy Thursday and Easter Monday - a period of public holiday. Also, it is common for Norwegians to go on holiday during this period, often taking new books along with them.

The first Easter-crime promotion occurred in 1923, when Harald Grieg released a crime book advertisement that read like a regular news article.

Witch Costumes

In western Sweden, children dress up as witches to visit neighbours in a tradition similar to American trick or treat. The children are known as "Paskkarringar," (Easter hags) and carry brooms and Easter cards during their visits. They may receive a small amount of money or candy from their neighbours and often carry a coffee pot with them to hold any goodies. This tradition started because Mediaeval people thought that on Easter eve, witches stole brooms and flew over church bell towers on their way to visit Satan.

Easter Bonfires

Large fires are common in parts of the Netherlands and northern Germany. They are known as "Paasvur" in Dutch and "Osterfeuer" in German. They are lit at sunset on Easter Day. This tradition actually comes from the pre-Christian Saxons and was adopted by Christians during the Mediaeval period. The fires are meant to bring the community together and symbolise the triumph of life over death. They may be used to light a Paschal candle for Easter celebrations.

Like many other important holidays, Easter isn't a static celebration. It evolves to meet the needs of the people to whom it is important https://www.habertusba.com/. Future Easter celebrations could involve mobile phones, contacting loved ones via the Internet or a range of other new traditions. People enjoy this important holiday in different ways all over the world, but there is of course no wrong way to celebrate.

Are You Living a Life Worth Living?

In his book, The Principles and power of vision, Dr. Myles Monroe said the following.

At age thirteen, I wrote down my vision for my life. I carried it with me all through junior and high school. Much of what I am doing right now was on paper when I was a young teenager. Page 18

What do you want to be in life? God designed each one of us on purpose. Nobody is an accident or ordinary. Nobody can fill your place in this world. The purpose that God created you for it, it is unique.

Vision is a way of seeing your purpose in life. It is viewing your life ahead. However, most people fail to have a vision. They buried their visions under ordinary lifestyles.

As a young person, seeing much of your life ahead, to have a vision is fundamental. Vision determines who you will be. Living with vision is worth living. Know your tomorrow. Imagine yourself after five or ten years or at the end of your life. What kind of person will you be by then? Work up on your vision day and night. Every incident life gives you turn it towards your goal. Live for one purpose in life; because that is what God intended for you.

Vision is not exchangeable. You are not here to eat, drink, get married, and have children only. Do not get satisfied with ordinary life styles. You are far more than that. You can do much greater job. Living ordinary is living below level. Even though, it takes more courage and costs more to live according to vision, it is living according to standards.

Thus, having said those, the next question is, where does one gets a vision? The origin of vision is God. God gives vision. He also gives the instrument to fulfill it. Ask God to know the purpose you are created for. He will give you not only a vision, but also all the resources, material and personal skills that you need. It may be painful sometimes to walk on the road God has planned to reach your destiny. But, it is the right and the only way.

At last, I want to say one important thing. Live in vision. It is worth living

Your cornerstone for your life is the absolute most important, basic, essential, and indispensable stable element for your successful future. Therefore, focus your attention on values that have been historically approved by religions and cultures such as: loyalty, humility, integrity, courage, generosity, compassion, and perseverance.

Conscious knowledge of your own character, motives, desires, and feelings is absolutely necessary as you gather the ingredients to construct the cornerstone of your life.

When you know yourself well, you can better utilize your strengths and weaknesses to avoid distractions by people, things, and places that are incompatible with the real you.

Clearly understand your important basic beliefs and values so you can focus and use your energy to achieve your goals. Understand that fame, power, and wealth are not goals that will properly nourish your most important values.

In the construction of a building the cornerstone supports the whole building. If taken out, the building will fall apart. This cornerstone is important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus establishing the position of the entire structure.

The same principles apply to the cornerstone of life. Your life is a structure. It is constructed from several complex parts and the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of your life always produces individual complexities.

Your attitude and determination to successfully deal with life's difficult situations and solving each problem as it occurs will prove to be the solution to successfully building your cornerstone of life.

If you understand where you want to be, you can guide your actions daily to get you closer to your target.

Develop your fundamental 'plan' so that it will be hard to change in character, defeat, or disperse. Let this plan be your center of operations for concentrating your thoughts and actions as you develop your cornerstone of life. Allow this 'plan' to be your assumption and presumption.

After all is said and done I strongly feel that the utter element necessary in your plan and construction of your cornerstone for life is "Happiness".

Happiness is a mood or a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Happiness is a choice YOU have to make. It is a state of being only you can create. Finding true happiness is a very personal journey. It is found in the travel not the place you visit or stay or stop.

Happiness is a feeling of inner peace and satisfaction. Avoid worries, fears and obsessing thoughts. Stop and meditate every day. It's easier to choose happiness when the mind becomes peaceful.

Avoid taking everyday things in life for granted. Return a smile with kind words. Appreciate God's beauty all around you. Be thankful that you aren't hungry, and be a true friend to your friends.

Slow your life style down and enjoy the real quality of life each day. Avoid the drive to just achieve a number or amount of something.

Understand and believe that you can more easily overcome anxiety, fear, and sadness when you accept them as being a natural part of everyone's daily life. This can lead to happiness.

You can more easily enjoy contentment and pleasure at work and at home when the things you do are enjoyable. Be engaged in your work, job, career, mission, and the meaning of what you're doing from the moment you wake up each day.

Your initiative at work can increase happiness. In other words; enjoying your job and work is more important than working at a job you don't enjoy just to put more money in the bank. Satisfaction, not wealth can make you happy. You may loose your health and not enjoy the money.

The beauty is that happiness can be learned, however, you need to begin learning early in life. For example: as we get older we need friends and not dollars. To have friends we need happy thoughts and happy activities.

Studies have shown that you cannot change your genes or your nature. About 50% of your traits are genetically determined (heredity) characteristics or distinguishing qualities.

For example: you can control, but not change, your weight. If you are an outgoing, overly expressive person predominantly concerned with external things or objective considerations, you cannot change this extrovert trait. If you have a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen and you have a lack of hope or confidence in the future you cannot change this pessimism trait.

The other 50% of your traits are from training and habits. This positive area is where you must concentrate strenuous physical or mental effort to change your behaviors and thought patterns to maximize happiness within every mental and physical cell of your body.

Concentrate on the positive and avoid the negative! You must fill your mind with happy thoughts that cause you to want to live and be active with others. Involvement in charity organizations will increase your overall well-being. Help neighbors, volunteer, donate goods and services, pass on your skills, show forgiveness, and listen to a friend.

Consider a risky or daring journey or undertaking. You can't expect to achieve anything if you never take any risks. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Exercise today and everyday to enjoy the benefits from the long-term effects. Exercise reduces depression, offers a sense of accomplishment, makes you just feel good, boosts self-esteem, and offers you a chance to meet people.

Maximize your happy thoughts, actions, and present conditions or events. Pursue every possibility for happiness https://topnewsreview.com/. Surround yourself with family and friends and enjoy their friendship. Spend more time with friends. People that have a lot of friends and spend a lot of time with friends are happier. Always treasure your family and make new friends.

Train yourself to think happy thoughts. Be grateful and loving and express these traits. Try to always smile and express optimism. Say "thank you" and mean it. remember that trying to "keep up with the Joneses" is bad for your self-esteem and happiness.

Research shows that married people are generally happier than single people. People who are happier with life are usually happier in their marriages too.