Shrovetide
The three days of fun and festivities leading up to Ash Wednesday and Lent.

Individually known as Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras).

photo credit: Andreas Solberg via flickr

Smigus Dyngus / Dyngus Day / Wet Monday / Easter Monday
After Easter events include egg rolling competitions (ex. White House Easter Egg Roll) and, in many Catholic countries, dousing other people with holy water blessed the day before at Easter Sunday Mass.

In the United States, Dyngus Day celebrations are widespread and popular in Buffalo, New York and South Bend, Indiana. In Buffalo’s eastern suburbs, Dyngus Day is celebrated with a level of enthusiasm that rivals St. Patrick’s Day. Common tradition is to buy pussy willow (Salix discolor) to display in the home; this is tied to the “striking” custom from Poland, where goat willow, the European type of pussy willow, was traditionally used for whipping the legs of girls. In South Bend, the day is often used to launch the year’s political campaign season (particularly among Democrats)- often from within the West-Side Democratic Club, the Falcons Club or in local pubs, where buying drinks is favored over handshaking.

Starting in 2004, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana began celebrating Dyngus Day at the request of South Bend students. The event includes free Polish sausage for students as well as a free concert. This year they will celebrate a “Belated Dyngus Day” the following Monday since Easter Monday falls during a vacation week for students. Wet Monday is also celebrated at Jonathan Edwards College, one of the residential colleges at Yale University, when each year the freshman class storms the college with water weapons, where upperclassmen are ready to defend the college and ensure no one goes home dry.

For Easter Monday in Hungary, perfume or perfumed-water is used. The girls would reward the boys who sprinkle with coins or Easter eggs.*

*source: wikipedia - Easter Monday

Easter (Christian, Orthodox)
Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose death was observed on Good Friday. One of the most important days of the Christian calendar.

Easter is also the time for chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs!

Join us for our Easter celebration - Easter on the Net

“Easter on the Net”

Holidays on the Net invites you to our holiday celebration - Easter on the Net.

Visitors will find a “Hoppy” Celebration of Easter with bright and colorful holiday graphics and animation, along with pages of information about the history, customs, music and food of the holiday.

For the kids there are holiday pictures to print and color. Send your family and friends holiday greetings with our FREE e-greeting cards. This year Easter is celebrated Sunday April 08th. (Greek/Orthodox Easter will also be celebrated Sunday, April 08th)

Easter on the Net

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Easter Even / Holy Saturday / The Great Sabbath (Christian, Orthodox)
The Saturday before Easter and last day of Holy Week.

In Roman Catholic Churches, the altar is either stripped completely bare or coloured in violet, while the administration of the sacraments is severely limited. Holy Communion is given only as Viaticum. All Masses are strictly prohibited. No Mass at all appears in the liturgy for this day, nor for the preceding day, Good Friday. Many of the churches of the Anglican Communion observe most of the same traditions, however their altars are usually stripped or coloured in black.*

* source: wikipedia - Holy Saturday