Fun Easter Facts And Crafts

Easter isn't all about colorful eggs and chocolate bunnies. Christians today honor Good Friday as the day that Jesus Christ died and Easter Sunday as the day that he was resurrected. Still, rabbits and eggs have been part of the celebration for some time. The Easter Bunny originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess Eastre was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America, but it wasn't part of popular culture until the late 1800s. Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old even when Easter was first celebrated by Christians. The egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Today, children hunt for colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets.

• Easter is the second most important candy-eating occasion of the year for Americans.
• Each Easter season, Americans buy more than 600 million Marshmallow Peeps, shaped like chicks, bunnies, and eggs, and eat 60 million chocolate Easter bunnies.
• More than 118 million cards will be exchanged this year, making it the fourth largest card-sending event in the United States.
• Every year, the White House hosts an Easter Egg Roll. The spring event, started in 1878, is one of the oldest White House traditions.

Make an Easy Easter Basket

• 1 strawberry basket
• Pipe cleaners for handle
• Colored paper or ribbon strips
• Scissors
• Fake "grass" or shredded paper

1. Weave strips of paper or ribbon in and out of the holes in the basket.

2. Make the handle out of the pipe cleaners.

3. Fill with some Easter grass or shredded paper.

4. Add some small goodies, like Easter eggs or candy.