Clare Florist Blog

If you missed it back in March, or if you just prefer to celebrate it in May, by the International date, here's another chance to tell your mum how much you love her.

The British Mothering Sunday is held in March but it's the second Sunday in May that's celebrated as Mother's Day in most other English speaking countries (like the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa), as well as diverse nations around the world, from the Caribbean islands of Anguilla and Aruba to Zimbabwe. There are a number of other mother's days around the world (you can find the dates here) but it's this one —this year on May 11th— that is considered the International Mother's Day. The establishment of this day came through the efforts of three American women in who, in the latter half of the 1800s, promoted the recognition and celebration of women and mothers. The first of these was Ann Jarvis, a young housewife who sought to improve sanitation in 1858, and throughout the Civil War, through “Mother's Work Days”. These involved women joining forces to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides in the war, and after the Civil War Ann extended her efforts to work for reconciliation between people who had supported either side of the war.

Ann Jarvis's efforts inspired social activist Julia Ward Howe who called for a “Mother's Day for Peace” to unite women against war and to honour motherhood and womanhood. In 1870 she wrote the 'Mother's Day Proclamation', calling for disarmament and peace. Although not a main focus of modern Mother's Day traditions a Mother's Day for Peace was held in parts of the US for 30 years following Howe's original efforts and certain organisations, such as the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and the Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament, continue to organise protests on Mother's Day, like the 'The Million Mom March' which called for sensible gun laws.

The woman who succeeded in establishing a popular Mother's Day was Ann Jarvis's daughter, Anna Jarvis, who, upon her mother's death in 1905, swore that she would dedicate her life to further her mother's dream and to found a day on which mothers, both living and dead, would be honoured. It's said that her mission was fuelled by the fact that she and her mother had quarrelled shortly before her mother died. Two years later, Anna arranged a special service at her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia, in which she handed out 500 white carnations, one for each of the mothers in the congregation. Thus, the first Mother's Day was celebrated on 12 May 1907, and it spread from there. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, honouring in particular those mother's who had lost son's during the war. The occasion continued to grow in popularity, so much so that Anna Jarvis turned to opposing it as she felt it had become overly commercial! 

In France, Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of May and one tradition involves the presentation of a special cake which resembles a bouquet of flowers to mothers at the Mother's Day dinner. In Spain it's held in December as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, honouring both our own mothers and Mary, the mother of Christ. For more on the ancient origins of Mother's Day, have a look at my earlier blog here and to learn more about the tradition in the UK and the connection between Mother's Day and flowers click here.

I'll leave you with a few inspiring quotes:

"Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at de sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground." -- Zora Neale Hurston

"A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary." -- Dorothy Canfield Fisher

"To nourish children and raise them against odds is any time, any place, more valuable than to fix bolts in cars or design nuclear weapons." -- Marilyn French   

Today is the day of St George, the patron saint of England, and, as it happens, the birthday of England's world renowned playwright, Shakespeare! (The great bard was born back in 1564 and he reputedly died on the same day in 1616).

Despite his famous dragon-slaying heroism, St George is not as widely celebrated as the other patron saints of the United Kingdom (St Andrew, St Patrick and St David) and recently there have been calls to revive the festival and even suggestions that St George should be replaced by a saint more closely related to England, such as St Alban. Little is known about the real St George. He was born in Turkey in the 3rd century CE into a Christian family and later moved to Palestine. He became a Roman soldier and protested against the Roman's persecution of Christians, for which he was imprisoned , tortured and beheaded. It's said that during the time of the Crusades he appeared in a vision to the Normans, granting them victory, and this is where he connection with England began. St George represents the ideals of bravery, honour and chivalry and, as well as England, became the patron saint of soldiers, knights, farmers, riders and more recently of scouts, as well as of several other nations, including Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece.

St George's day customs include the flying of the flag of St George, a red cross on a white background, the singing of the hymn Jerusalem and the wearing of a red rose, the national flower of England. The rose, the queen of flowers, has long been associated with England and the red rose has been England's emblem since the Wars of the Roses in which the royal houses of York (represented by a white rose) and Lancaster (represented by a red rose) battled it out for the throne from 1455 to 1485. Henry VII of the the victorious house of Lancaster became king and combined the white and red roses to make the Tudor rose (red with a white centre) when he married Elizabeth of York. Shakespeare himself went on to write about the Wars of the Roses in his history plays Henry VI and Richard II.

The red rose has since become a powerful and enduring symbol of romantic love, as wrote Scotland's famous poet, Robert Burns "O, my luve is like a red, red rose, That's newly sprung in June."

Love - Red Roses  Promised Roses Twelve Red Roses

Walking to friend's flat yesterday I was stopped in my tracks by breathtaking beauty of a cherry tree in full bloom, leaning out over the pavement from someone's garden, sumptuous soft-pink blossom covering the branches like a thick snowfall. No wonder the Japanese have held cherry blossom viewings and festivities for over a millennium. In the 8th century, during the Heian Period in Japan, cherry trees were grown in the grounds of the royal family in Kyoto and cultivated to optimise their beauty. During the flowering season the elite classes —noble families, poets, singers and other aristocrats— would gather and celebrate under the trees.

The practice of hanami, flower viewing, continues to this day, following the blossoming up the country from January in Okinawa to late April Hokkaidō, with the blossom usually appearing in Kyoto and Tokyo in late March. The Japanese Meteorological Agency report on the sakura zensen, the cherry-blossom front, so that the public can plan their eagerly awaited viewings.

March 29th – April 13th also marks the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival of Washington DC. This commemorates the gift of 3,020 cherry trees given to the US by Japan in 1912 as a symbol the growing friendship between the two nations. This gift was renewed in 1965 with a further 3,800 trees which can be seen in their spring glory in West Potomac Park. Many other US cities now also have large collections of flowering Japanese cherry trees, including Los Angleles, Philadelphia and Macon in Georgia.

In China, cherry blossom is a symbol of feminine beauty and love, but in Japan the brief, though beautiful, blossoming of the cherry is seen to exemplify the transient and ephemeral nature of life. This principle, known as mono no aware, is a key idea in Japanese art, pointing to an appreciation of the extreme beauty of the present, that is forever changing, forever dying. The great beauty and quick fading of the cherry blossom is therefore an important emblem in much Japanese art, music and poetry.

Enjoy it while it's here!

Happy Easter!

You may notice that it's earlier than usual this year, that's because Easter follows the Jewish lunar calendar and not our solar Gregorian calendar. In our calendar, it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21st (the Spring, or Vernal, Equinox). That means it can fall anytime from March 22nd to April 25th.

Although it has come to be known chiefly as a Christian festival, commemorating the resurrection of Christ, the name Easter in fact stems back to Anglo-Saxon pagan mythology, and Eostre (also known as Ostara), the goddess of fertility and motherhood, friend to children, symbol of the spring (the ancient word for which was eastre) and resurrection. The Vernal Equinox (on March 20th or 21st) is the time of year when the growing days and the shrinking nights find exact balance before the days overtake, and it marks the official beginning of spring.

This is the time at which Eostre was celebrated and these roots can still be seen in Easter celebrations today. The Easter Bunny was originally a hare, Eostre's favoured animal and her attendant spirit, a traditional symbol of fertility, also associated with the moon and the dawn. The connection between hares and the spring probably comes down to the fact that, though rare now, in the spring the usually shy and elusive hares can be seen 'dancing' and 'boxing' as they chase and fight one another in their mating rituals. It was thought that it was the males that fought in this way, competing for mates, but it's been found that it's usually the female hares fighting off unwanted suitors (or perhaps  testing them?)!

Eggs are fairly self-evident as a symbol of birth and new life but there is also a legend in which Eostre, for the sake of amusing the children she so loved, turned her pet bird into a hare. It then laid brightly coloured eggs which the goddess bestowed on the children as gifts. Thus arose the peculiar tradition, still followed today, of painting Easter eggs and of adults, under the guise of the Easter Bunny, hiding eggs for children to find on Easter day.

As for all the chocolate, well, that may be partially because lent is finally over, but really any excuse will do! 

Jewish Year 5768: sunset March 20, 2008 - nightfall March 21, 2008.

The important Jewish festival of Purim takes place on on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar, according to the Jewish calendar; it usually falls in March and this year coincides with Good Friday. Sometimes called the Jewish Mardi Gras because of its joyous, carnival-like festivities, Purim commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination by the bravery of a young woman, Esther. Plays and parodies are performed in remembrance of this salvation and there are readings from the Book of Esther, which is known as the Megillah (scroll).

Purim begins at sundown and readings are given that evening and the following morning. They are not a dry affair but involve dressing up and pantomime-like audience participation. Families crowd into the synagogue for the readings, wearing their best Sabbath clothes or dressing up in colourful Purim-themed costumes and masks. Children, in particular, enjoy dressing up as characters from the story of Esther, such as King Xerxes, Vashti, Queen Esther, Mordecai and Haman. Haman is the villain of the story, a despicable character, and whenever his name is mentioned in the readings the listeners boo, hiss, stamp their feet, clash symbols and rattle graggers — purpose-made noisemakers, traditionally constructed from wood. This is to blot out the villain's name and originally involved the audience shouting "Cursed be Haman" or "May the name of the wicked rot!". 

Esther was a beautiful and wise young Jewish woman, raised by her good cousin Mordecai. She became part of the King Ahasuerus's harem and then, because he loved her best, his queen. He did not know, however, that she was a Jew. Haman was one of the king's advisors, an egotistical man who became enraged with Mordecai because he would not bow down to him when he passed. Knowing that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people and persuaded the king to hand their fate over to him. “Their laws are different from those of every other people's,” he said, “and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them."

Learning of his vile plot, Esther braved speaking to the king unheeded. The law stated that anyone who entered the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death and Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself to meet whatever fate she was granted. Her husband welcomed her into his audience and she told him of Haman's plot to kill the Jews and revealed that she would herself be counted among those to be exterminated. The king could not take back what had been decreed but he ordered Haman to be hanged and let it be known to the Jews that they were to be attacked and that they should defend themselves, and so they were saved. See here for the full biblical account of the story, which can be found in the Old Testament of a Christian Bible, between the books of Nehemiah and Job, or between Ecclesiastes and Daniel in The Writings in a Jewish Bible.

In addition to the readings, Purim celebrations involve exchanges of gifts between friends, the giving of charity to the poor and, of course, feasting. A traditional treat at this time is hamentaschen cookies (Haman's pockets), which are said to resemble Haman's triangular hat and are filled with fruit. Click here to see how to make your own.

“In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day... on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries... And they gained relief on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and gladness...[Mordecai instructed them] to observe them as days of feasting and gladness, and sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor.”  Esther 9:1-22

Mawlid al-Nabi ('the birth of the prophet') celebrates the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. It takes place on the 12th day of the third month in the Islamic calendar, Rabi al-Awwal, which falls, this year, on March 20th in the Gregorian calendar.

The story and teachings of Muhammad are set out in the Islamic holy text, the Qur'an. Muhammad lived from about 570 CE to 632 CE and in that time established the Islamic religion and thereby replaced tribal loyalty and rivalry with equality among all Muslims. He experienced visions of the angel Gabriel who first called him into service as a prophet and then told him to “magnify thy lord”, upon which Muhammad began to preach publicly in the now holy city of Mecca, where he had lived for many years. Though many people were receptive to his message, others sought to ridicule and threaten him and Muhammad was compelled to flee in 622 CE.

Mawlid al-Nabi was first celebrated in around the 13th century and included sermons, recitation of prayers, gift giving and feasting. Today the festival is observed in many countries, though some conservative Muslim sects consider it idolatrous and so do not celebrate it. In some places there are large carnival-like street processions and mosques and homes are decorated. As well as feasting and gift-giving, charity and food is given to the poor, as on other Muslim holidays. Stories from the life of Muhammed are narrated and poetry is recited, particularly by children. The famous poem of praise, Qaṣīda al-Burda Sharif, by the 13th century Sufi poet Busiri, is often recited by scholars and poets. Here are a few verses:

39. wa kulluhum min rasulillahi multamisun / gharfan min al-bahri wa rashfan min al-diyami

All of them come and take from Allah's Messenger a handful of his ocean or a sip of his continuous rains.

40. wa waqifuna ladayhi `inda haddihim / min nuqtati al-`ilmi aw min shaklat al-hikami

They stand before him – each at his limit – possessing but one dot of his science and a glimpse of his wisdom.

41. fa huwa al-ladhi tamma ma`nahu wa suratuhu / thumma istafahu habiban bari'u al-nasami

He is the one whose innermost and outward form were made perfect, after which the Creator of souls took him for His Beloved Friend.

----

48. a`ya al-wara fahmu ma`nahu fa laysa yura / li al-qurbi wa al-bu`di minhu ghayra munfahimi

Creation is, in truth, powerless to understand his secret. You will not see any near him or far, except it makes them bewildered,

49. ka al-shamsi tazharu li al-`aynayni min bu`din / saghiratan wa tukillu al-tarfa min amami

As the sun appears small to the eyes from a distance, and yet exhausts their sight upon a second look.

50. wa kayfa yudriku fi al-dunya haqiqatahu / qawmun niyamun tasallaw `anhu bi al-hulumi

And how could one perceive his reality in this world, who belongs to a sleeping race distracted from him with dreams?

Happy Mawlid al-Nabi!

Noticed a proliferation of bright, emerald green clothing in the shops lately? Tall hats sporting a three-leafed clover? That's because March 17th is the day of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, the Emerald Isle.

St Patrick was born around 380CE in Wales, then part of the Roman Empire, and was originally named Maewyn Succat, but became Patrick (Pádraig) later in his life, possibly at his baptism. When he was sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Ireland. Over the next six years he worked as a shepherd and was visited by religious visions. In one of these he was told of a ship and he consequently escaped Ireland and returned to his family. He went on to study in the church and became a bishop. Then he decided to return Ireland as a missionary. He used the shamrock (three leafed clover) to symbolise and explain the holy trinity of the father, son and holy spirit —three aspects of a single God— and it became an emblem of Ireland.

There are many legends telling of the miraculous deeds carried out by St Patrick but the best known is the tale of his driving all the snakes of Ireland into the sea, where they drowned. It's not now widely believed that there were any snakes in post-glacial Ireland but the snakes in the tale may be a metaphor for Paganism as the snake was used as a powerful symbol in Druid cultures.

As well as being a day of religious observance, St Patrick's Day is celebrated in Irish communities around the world with the wearing of green garments, parades, and the consumption of traditional Irish fare like soda bread and guinness. Here's a link to some St Patrick's Day craft and recipe ideas.  And if you're looking for some flowers to commemorate the occasion why not look at our beautiful lime green bouquet, featuring shamrock chrysanthemums.

"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman."
— Virginia Woolf

Nearly a century ago, on March 8th 1908, 15 000 women marched through the streets of New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and the right to vote. The following year Americans celebrated the first National Women's Day, and the year after that, at a Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen, it was proposed and agreed that an International Women's Day should be established, to support women's suffrage and honour the women's rights movement. Women from seventeen different countries supported the idea and in 1911 International Women's Day was celebrated in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Men and women together attended rallies calling for an end to discrimination; for women's rights to work, vote, be trained and hold public office to be honoured. In subsequent years the tradition spread to other European countries and to Russia and it has since become an official holiday in nations as far flung as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The occasion is marked with performances, film showings, music, parades and many other events. Find out what's happening near you here. On a more personal level, women are recognised and celebrated on this day by the men and children to whom they are mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, colleagues and friends, through the giving of flowers and small gifts. If only those who dedicated themselves to improving the lives of women could see how far we have come in the past century. I wonder how things will change in the next hundred years...

"Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman."
— Margaret Fuller

St David, or Dewi Sant as he is called in the land of his patronage, Wales, is the only patron saint of the four British nations who hails from the nation he represents. He is remembered particularly on the day of his death, March 1st. On this day many Welsh people sport one or other of the national emblems: the national flower, the daffodil, or the symbol of St David, the leek. Usually men and boys wear leaks, while the fairer sex opts for the bright yellow daffodils. In Welsh the daffodil is actually called 'Peter's leek', Cenhinen Bedr. The Welsh flag is flown on this day and there is an annual parade in the capital, Cardiff, celebrating the heritage of Wales.

Why leeks? One story goes that the Welsh were struggling in battle against Saxon invaders and part of the problem was that, in the heat of battle, they couldn't tell which men were on which side for both parties wore similar dress. Dewi Sant was nearby and seeing what was happening shouted to the Welsh men, "You must mark yourselves so that you can better tell who is Saxon and who is Welsh." He plucked a flowering leek plant from the ground and said "Here, wear these so you will know that any soldier who does not have a leek is your enemy." This turned the battle around and with the aid of the leek the Welsh were victorious! It's also said that in his life as a monk Dewi Sant lived off only bread, water, herbs and leeks.

Dewi Sant was the son of Non, daughter of Cynyr of Caio, and Sant, of the royal house of Ceredigion, and was born in the fifth century. He studied Christian history and literature and founded a Celtic monastic community at Glyn Rhosyn, 'The Vale of Roses', which is on the western coast of Pembrokeshire, where the Cathedral of St David's now stands. Dewi Sant went on to gain fame as a teacher and ascetic. It's said that when he went to give a speech to a great crowd at Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion, those at the outer edges could not hear him, so he placed a handkerchief on the ground and the earth rose to form a small hill under his feet, enabling all to hear. While he was giving his address, a golden-beaked dove landed on his shoulder, further demonstrating his sanctity.

Shortly before his death, in around 589 AD, Dewi Sant spoke to his fellow monks, saying: “Brothers be ye constant. The yoke which with single mind ye have taken, bear ye to the end; and whatsoever ye have seen with me and heard, keep and fulfil. Lords, brothers and sisters, be cheerful, keep the faith, and do those little things which ye have seen me do and heard me say.”

"If I had a flower for each time I thought of my mother, I could walk in my garden forever." (Unknown author)

Mother's Day as we know it today evolved from a number of different strands of tradition, which explains why the dates differ throughout the world. For a list of international Mother's Day dates, see here.

In Britain in the 17th century it was common for children of just eight or nine to leave the home to take up training as an apprentice or to take work as servants. They would be kept busy and wouldn't see much of their families but on the forth Sunday of Lent they would be allowed a holiday to return to home for Refreshment Sunday. This became known as 'going a-mothering' and on their way home the young apprentices and servants would pick spring wildflowers as a greeting gift for their mothers. They would often also bring a gift for the family from the merchants or nobles who employed them. A traditional gift was simnel cake, which is now often made for Easter as well as mother's day.

Simnel is a rich cake with fruit and mazipan and provided a treat for Mothering Sunday which was also known as Refreshment Sunday or Laetre (rejoicing) Sunday. Roughly midway through Lent, this is a day when people are invited to take a break from their Lenten discipline and enjoy themselves with feasting and resting in anticipation of Easter. After Mothering Sunday the children would return to their work, busied with Easter preparations, and might not visit their families again until Christmas time. Here's a recipe to make your own tasty Mother's day simnel cake.

Did you know, another name for this holiday is 'Rose Sunday'. This is because priests may wear rose, rather than purple, coloured vestments on this day, as a mark of rejoicing and relaxation. In addition to this, it's traditional for the pope  to carry a golden rose on this day as a symbol of joy. In the modern US tradition, established by Anna Jarvis in the early 1900s, the carnation is the flower of mother's day but the rose remains every popular.

Take a look at our great Mother's day spring garden basket.

Thankfully Valentine's is over - we have been really busy this year sending all those lucky people nice bouquets, teddy's and chocolates all over the UK.
Funny thing is though we are all still waiting on ours!
What is it about being a florist that guys don't like to send us flowers? Cause we are all still waiting on ours!!
We had a great time reading all those interesting card messages and even noticed a few proposals - how lovely.
Looking forward to a bit of a breather this week whilst we get ready for Mother's Day and Easter that are just round the corner.
It's good to see the lighter nights are starting to come and hopefully some better weather.
Kerryanne

Modern-day Valentine's traditions include the sending of cards (often anonymous) bearing messages of love and the giving of romantic gifts, especially flowers and chocolates (all of which we can help you with here at Clare Florist).  In Wales, another traditional gift is a wooden love spoon, carved with motifs of hearts, keys and keyholes to symbolically bear the message “You unlock my heart”.

In old superstitions it was said the type of bird a woman saw Valentine's day would tell her about the man she would come to marry. If she saw a robin he would be a sailor; if she saw a sparrow she would wed a farmer; if it was a blackbird her husband would be a clergyman; a goldfinch would tell of a rich man; a blue bird of a happy man; a dove would foretell a loving man, and woodpecker would mean that she would never marry.

Different flowers also carry symbolic meanings and messages (the study of these even has it's own name: floriography). Choosing to include particular blooms in you Valentine's bouquet gives you another, more subtle way to send those Valentine's messages. Here are a few interpretations to get you started:

Anemone: a dying love
Carnation: fascination, devotion
                – pink: a woman's love, "I'll never forget you"
                – red: admiration, "my heart aches for you"
Daisy: innocence, loyalty
Lily: purity, pride, prosperity
Orchid: love, beauty, refinement
Rose: "I love you"
         – red: true love
         – white: dreams, innocence, secrecy
         – pink : grace, happiness
          – yellow: friendship
          – orange: desire
Tulip: perfect lover, fame, passion
        – red: declaration of love, "believe me"
        – yellow: hopeless love, or "there's sunshine in your smile"

For more flower meanings see here.

This year the Chinese New Year, which is also a celebration of the beginning of Spring, falls on the 7th of February. The Chinese follow a lunar calendar and the New Year always starts on a new moon; the festivities last for 15 days, ending on the full moon with the Lantern Festival And in the Chinese calendar it's not the year 2008 but 4705, also known as Wu Zhi, and in Chinese astrology it's the year of the Earth Rat.

Chinese New Year is a time for thanksgiving and family reunion. Traditionally it would honour the marriage of Heaven and Earth, and remembering and giving offerings to the ancestors remains important in today's practices. It is also a time for celebrating the new Spring and wishing each other happiness and luck in the year ahead. Flowers are an important part of the New Year's decorations. Blossoming plants symbolise rebirth and growth and the reawakening of nature. Flowers also symbolise wealth –without flowers there would be no fruit– and confer wishes for happiness in the year ahead. Plum blossom, pussy willow, azeleas, peonies, chrysanthemums, sunflowers and lilies are particularly popular and are associated with qualities like prosperity, luck and longevity. Red is an important colour and is commonly worn throughout the New Year period, it is believed to scare away bad fortune and spirits and to evoke courage, success, fortune and happiness.

Other New Year traditions include giving the house a good spring clean to start the year off with good Feng Shui and wearing new clothes to symbolise a new beginning. Click here for more on how to celebrate Chinese New Year yourself.

After enjoying an indulgent Pancake Day, it's time for the self-restraint of Lent to begin. Back in the fourth century, baptisms typically took place on Easter Sunday, so the six weeks of Lent would be a time of purification in preparation for this, as well as the important Easter-time commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ. These six weeks also came to be associated with the forty days Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert, and his repeated resistance to the temptations of the Devil.

Traditionally, Christians would take up three practices during Lent: prayer, fasting (giving up of meat, fat, eggs and dairy products) and almsgiving. These acts would encompass justice towards God, oneself and one's fellow men (and women). Some people still hold these three practices through giving up something they enjoy, doing something that will bring them closer to God and contributing towards charitable work. For people of all belief systems it can be a useful time to practice self-restraint, exercise your will power and experiment with your lifestyle. What will you give up for Lent?  Chocolate is a common choice in the lead up to the Easter bonanza, but here are some other ideas, taken from my own experience:

• Refined sugar (ie no sugar/glucose syrup etc, but fruit are okay) — You'll be surprised at how many products have added sugar. See how it would be if you were diabetic. Good for you skin, energy levels and waistline too!
• TV/video games — Free your mind, see how much extra time you have and what creative things you can find to do with it!
• Facebook/YouTube/MySpace... whatever website eats up most of your time — find out if it really gives you enough to be worth spending (wasting?) all that time on.
• Meat — try being veggie for six weeks. You might be surprised at how many tasty non-meaty meals are out there.
• Smoking — a good time for that renewed intention to quit. Maybe you can find a healthier addiction to replace it with (I recommend running, swimming, gardening, knitting/crochet, or writing Haiku or acronym poems).
• Alcohol &/or coffee/tea — we all know they're not good for us but have you ever found out what it's really like to abstain? Can you have fun going out without the aid of an intoxicating beverage? Can you wake yourself up and make it through the day without a caffeine hit?

And in addition to all the benefits of giving up unhealthy habits, you'll gain the experience of living without and resisting temptation for six weeks — or at least attempting to!

Let us know if you have any interesting suggestions for what to give up and how you get on.

Good luck :)

I don't know about where you are, but the weather here has been bitter lately, and though the days are getting longer I find myself wondering when I can hope to see the gentler temperament of spring. Well, not long till we can find out, for February 2nd is the day of Candlemass, which has also become known (in the US at least) as Groundhog Day. The tradition around this is said to stem from an old Scottish rhyme, which goes:

    As the light grows longer
    The cold grows stronger
    If Candlemas be fair and bright
    Winter will have another flight
    If Candlemas be cloud and snow
    Winter will be gone and not come again

In cities around the US, this is the day that the local groundhog becomes fortune teller of the weather. When the groundhog comes out of his burrow on February 2nd, after his cosy winter's hibernation, it's said that he looks for his shadow. If he sees it then there's six more weeks of winter to come (so he heads back to bed), but if he doesn't then spring is just around the corner and he starts out to begin his year. This tradition harks back to the 1800's when it was brought to America by German immigrants who believed that the emergence of hibernating animals like badgers and hedgehogs foretold the coming of spring. The best known groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil (of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania) who rose to international fame after co-starring alongside Bill Murray in the 1993 film Groundhog Day.

Shadow or no, astronomically, spring doesn't begin until the equinox (the halfway point between the longest and shortest days of the year) around March 21st, but luckily that doesn't have to stop us enjoying some cheerful spring blossom like the tulips, irises and hyacinth in our spring range.

February 2nd  is also the date of the pagan spring festival Imbolc and the French pancake day, la Chandeleur, also known as Fête de la Lumière (festival of light) — see the previous post, on Pancake Day, for more on this.

This year Shrove Tuesday falls on February 5th. It marks the culmination of Carnival and is the last day before Lent. It has also become known as Pancake Day and many people now look forward to the tasty treat it heralds (I certainly do!).

Why pancakes? Well, for the 40 days following Shrove Tuesday (not including Sundays) it's traditional in Christian practice to eat only the plainest foods in remembrance of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. Rich ingredients like the eggs, milk and sugar used in making pancakes would be used up before the time of fasting. Other traditional foods for this time of year are donuts and sweet fried dumplings called cenci. In the French tradition Shrove Tuesday is known as Mardi Gras ('Fat Tuesday'). The French have an earlier pancake day on the 2nd of February, called Chandeleur, which celebrates the returning of the light. It's thought that the crêpes (French-style pancakes, which are larger and thinner than those of the British tradition) made on this day symbolise the sun, which they resemble in shape and colour.

The word 'Lent' also suggests celebration of the Spring: it's an old English word meaning 'lengthen' (as Spring approaches the days begin to get lengthen noticeably). 'Shrove', however is the past tense of the verb 'shrive', and means to have obtained absolution for your sins through confessing and paying penance. In some Christian traditions worshipers are expected to take confession just before the onset of Lent.

Here's a link to a French-style pancake recipe for you to celebrate with: basic pancakes with sugar and lemon.Yum, yum.

Enjoy!

The New Year often heralds break ups but it's not long now till romantic Valentine's Day and the opportunity to express your love to that special someone. But don't be disheartened if you feel Cupid's turned a blind eye and you've no one to spend the occasion with — you're not alone! The 25th of January is the day of St Dwynwen, the Welsh Saint of love (and so the Welsh equivalent of Valentine's day). The story of St Dwynwen is not all roses and in her sainthood she's said to aid those who experience the sadness love can sometimes bring.

It's said that in her youth, the beautiful Dwynwen fell madly in love with a man named Maelon. He liked her too, but it soon became apparent that they had an irreconcilable difference in their feelings towards one another: he wanted them to sleep together but she wanted to preserve her virtue and wait until after they were married. When she told him this, Maelon was enraged and forced himself upon her. Devastated, Dwynwen fled to the forest to weep alone and beseech God for solace. There she encountered an angel who gave her a vial of magic potion which dispersed her love for Maelon and froze him into a statue of ice. She was also granted three wishes. With the first she wished never to marry, with the second she asked to become the patron saint of lovers that she might aid others through the trials of love, and with the last, still loving despite her pain, she had Maelon unfrozen. After this, Dwynwen became a nun. She built a church on the island of Anglesey, the Church of Dwynwen, Llanddwynwen in Welsh, and, true to her wish, she never married.

This version is thought to be closer to the truth, but there is also one in which her father forbids her from marrying Maelon and this is the cause of her sorrowful escape to the woods. You can find an account of this version here.

The prayer of St Dwynwen goes thus:
Saint Dwyn,
We beseech thee,
Comfort lovers whose vision is unclear. 
Send mending to those with love lost. 
Protect our companions.
In your name, we seek to do the same. 
In your name, we choose love first.

My own suggestion for getting round Valentine loneliness is to induce karma by following the golden rule and doing unto someone else as you would wish to have done unto you. I like to send someone a valentine gift, even if I cannot count on receiving as much myself. Do this in a spirit of selfless love and you'll feel better immediately, plus your generosity will come back to you sooner or later!

Did you know that it's a leap year ladies?
This means we can ask that special man to marry us!
We have a fantastic range of bouquets this year with something for everyone. You can also add on vases and yummy Thornton's chocolates - think we will be needing some after all the detox diets in January.
Just in case my secret admirer is reading this I love our dozen red roses that come in a sexy black vase.

http://www.clareflorist.co.uk/prodView.asp?idproduct=406
Kerryanne

Yep, you may still feel in want of some cheering festive lights but it's time to take down the decorations. In the early days of winter solstice celebrations people believed that tree-spirits lived in the decorative greenery (holly, ivy, pine, yew and mistletoe) which they brought into their homes during the festive period. This was thought to give a safe haven to the spirits during the harsh days of midwinter, but if they weren't released back outside by Twelfth Night the plants wouldn't be able to start re-growing and there would be no spring! What's more, if stuck indoors after their midwinter hibernation, the spirits would start to cause havoc in the house.

If the maths is puzzling you, that's because back in the days of the tree-spirits, sundown was taken as the start of the next day, making what we now call the evening of January 5th the twelfth night after Christmas and from dawn till dusk on January 6th the twelfth day.

English traditions for celebrating Twelfth Night include playing tricks on each other and making Twelfth Night cake: a rich fruitcake in which would be hidden a bean. Whoever got the bean would be King of Queen of the Bean for the day and would get to order their fellows about as they pleased! A traditional practical joke was to conceal live birds in an empty pie crust; the birds would then fly out, surprising the unsuspecting cutter of the pie and onlooking guests —hence the 'Sing a Song of Sixpence' nursery rhyme.

Traditional food for the Twelfth Night feast, apart from the bean cake, would include cheeses, oyster stuffing, ginger snaps, spiced ale and other hot and spicy foods.

In Christian tradition Twelfth Day is celebrated as the day of Epiphany and recalls the visit of the three Wise Men to the newborn Jesus. In Spain this is known as the day of the Three Kings and is traditionally the day on which children receive presents. A perfect time for any of those belated Christmas gifts!

Throughout the world, the dawn of each new year is welcomed with celebrations and is seen as a time to reflect on the year past and to consider the possibilities of the year ahead. New year doesn't fall on the same date for all cultures, however. In the US, Canada, Australia and much of Europe, as well as the UK, it takes place on January 1st. This is following the Gregorian calendar and coincides with ancient winter solstice celebrations. In China, however, a lunar calendar is followed and the new year falls on the new moon between January 22nd and February 19th. In other countries it is celebrated in the spring, when life is seen to renew itself, while others choose the autumn, the time of the harvest.

One of the most renowned January 1st new year's celebrations is that of the Scots. In Scotland the eve of the new year, December 31st, is known as Hogmanay and the night is celebrated with fireworks and festivities. From midnight onwards the tradition of 'first-footing' begins. This means a race to be the first person over the threshold of a friend or neighbour, usually bearing a symbolic gift to bring good luck to the householder, traditionally, salt, coal, shortbread, whisky or fruitcake. A similar tradition of gift giving on the first day of the new year exists in Wales, where it's called Calennig. Another Scottish tradition, which has migrated to many countries now, is the singing of Auld Lang Syne at midnight. This was a traditional poem rewritten by the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns and later set to music. In literal translation to modern English, the title is “old long since” but it means something like 'long ago' or 'times gone by'. The beginning goes like this:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Here's a link to the music if you want to practice!
Happy New Year from Clare Florist — looking forward to all the good things to come in 2008!

Did you know that boxing day is also the start of Kwanza? Established in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University, Kwanza is a relatively recent tradition. It celebrates both the African heritage and the current place of African-Americans around the world and runs from December 26th to January 1st. Kwanza is a Swahili word meaning “first fruits” or “fruits of the harvest”.

The festival involves the ritual lighting of seven candles (the Mishumaa Saba) representing the seven principles of Kwanza which are collectively called Nguzo Saba. These principles are Unity (Umoja), Self-determination (Kujichagulia), Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima), Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa), Pupose (Nia), Creativity (Kuumba), and Faith (Imani). (Sound good to me!) The candles are in three colours: black, representing the skin of the African people; red symbolising the blood they've shed, and green representing hope for the future and remembrance of the motherland. Three green candles are placed on the left of a special candleholder (a Kinara), three red ones on the right and a black candle in the centre. Each day of the celebration one of the candles is lit. Houses are decorated with colourful traditional cloths and other decorations and there is drumming, music and dance, as well as reflection on the seven principles. And finally, not to be missed, feasting, including lots of fresh fruit!

Hurrah ! Santa is almost here.
We've helped the elves as much as we could by making sure all your flower parcels have been dispatched on time.
So now all we have to do is go home and sit back by the Christmas tree waiting for him to come.
As you know Rudolph heads up his team of reindeer, but do you know the rest of them?
Here you go Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner & Blitzen.
Children remember to leave out some food for those weary reindeer. They're used to finding food beneath the snow but they also like dried porridge oats mixed with a wee bit of sugar, they need the sugar to pull the sleigh laden with presents.
You can sprinkle it in the garden and lead a path to your door, when you wake in the morning they will have eaten most of it!
So go to bed nice and early and close your eyes tight, make a wish and you can be sure the reindeer will come that night.
Have a very Merry Christmas from Kerryanne and all the team at Clare Florist.

The Winter Solstice (like the Summer Solstice and Spring and Autumn Equinoxes) is an astronomical event. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year, after which (slow though it seems!) the days begin to grow longer: a turning point in the annual orbit of Earth round the Sun. It didn't take a modern scientist to realise this, though, and the occasion has been celebrated in pagan traditions for centuries past. This year it falls on December 22nd (sometimes it's December 21st). Officially, it marks the beginning of Winter but it is also known as Midwinter, which is more what it feels like to me —the nights may be growing shorter but it's only getting colder!

Many festivities are held around this time today, some of which I've written about in earlier entries. There's Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, St Lucia's Day, Kwanzaa, Yalda... Most of these involve symbols of rebirth and light. The best known name for the ancient celebration is Yule, or Yuletide. The Norsemen of Northern Europe would light bonfires, tell stories and drink sweet ale at this time of year. An enormous Yule Log would be lit and feasts would be held for as long as it burned: from three to twelve days. In the Celtic tradition it was believed that the Sun stood still for twelve days at midwinter, so the the Yule log would be lit to bring light during this time, to ward off evil spirits and attract good luck for the New Year. Druids would give mistletoe, a symbol of life through the deadness of winter, as a blessing. In the Wiccan tradition, too, ceremonies are held to welcome the rebirth of the Great God: the newborn solstice Sun.

In ancient Rome the midwinter/new year festival was called Saturnalia and it was a time for ordinary rules to be turned upside down. Men would dress as women and masters as servants. They would also, as we do still today, decorate their homes with evergreens, light candles, exchange gifts and hold processions. Who would have known our traditions had such a long history (though the cross-dressing seems to have fallen by the wayside)!

Of course, all this only applies to the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year, but our friends down South celebrate their midwinter Yulefest too —only it falls in late June! The Australian tradition includes the lighting of a bonfire, as well as some of the traditions that have migrated from Europe.

To those this end of the globe, happy Winter Solstice! (And a happy Midsummer's to the other half!)

It's been a busy week here at Clare Florist with lots of beautiful bouquets being sent out in time for Christmas. Though it is Christmas which makes itself most apparent in the shops and on television here in the UK, I wondered what other festivals might be being celebrated at this time of year and I was surprised at how many other winter celebrations there are when I started looking into it! More to come later, but here are a couple that have already been:

Hanukkah, which began this year at sundown on December 4th, is an important Jewish celebration, also known as the Festival of Lights. It commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BC, following its desecration by the Syrians. The festival lasts eight days and for each day a candle is lit on the the Menorah, a special eight branched candelabra. This recalls the miracle of the small vial of oil which lasted a full eight days until a new supply could be found when the temple was being rededicated. Translated from the Hebrew, Hanukkah means 'dedication' or 'consecration' and it is transcribed into various spellings in the roman alphabet, including Hannukah, Hanukah and Chanukah.

Bodhi Day takes place on December 8th and celebrates the day of the Buddha's Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. Did you know the Bodhi Tree is actually a type of fig, also known as Pipul? On this day Buddhists dedicate extra time to meditating and reflecting on the Four Noble Truths set out by the Buddha, which concern the nature of suffering and the possibility of transcending it.

To those of you who celebrated Hanukkah or Bodhi Day this year, I hope your celebrations brought some light and warmth into the winter days. We'd love to hear more about how you marked these occasions!

Today (December 13th) is my saint's day and though it's not widely celebrated here in my homeland, I discovered that in Scandinavian countries it marks the beginning of the Christmas celebrations and acts as an occasion to bring light into the darkness. In the old Julian calendar December 13th fell on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice and, aptly, the name Lucia (or Lucy, in its English version) comes from the Latin word for 'light'.

The legend of St Lucia goes that in 304 AD she was a wealthy young Christian woman living on the isle of Sicily. Unfortunately this was during the last great persecution of Christians, led by the Emperor Diocletian. After she prayed to St Agatha, her ailing mother was miraculously cured and Lucia persuaded her to distribute her wealth among the poor. Lucia also gave up her dowry and her proposed marriage to a pagan man, committed to a life of chastity. Enraged, her suitor denounced her to the Roman authorities who had her tortured. They tore out her eyes and set her to be burned alive but the flames would not harm her. Finally a soldier pierced her with a sword (or, in some versions of the tale, beheaded her) but before she died her eyesight was restored. Thus she became the patron saint of the blind, as well as of Sicily. Later, a famine is said to have ended after the Sicilians prayed to her, ships loaded with grain arriving in the harbour.

In parts of Italy her day is celebrated much as St Nicolas's day and Christmas are elsewhere in Europe. Children leave food out for her and her flying donkey, who helps her to carry gifts that she leaves for them in the night. They're not allowed to see her delivering these gifts; if caught she will throw ashes into their eyes temporarily blinding them! And naughty children will get coal instead of presents. In remembrance of the ended famine, a boiled wheat dish they called Cuccia is eaten.

It is in Sweden, however, that her day is most recognised. Traditionally, the oldest daughter of the family dresses in a white gown and wears a wreath of lit candles on her head. On the morning of St Lucia's Day she brings coffee and Lussekatt (Lucy cats, special Lucia day saffron buns), to wake her family. There are also Lucia Day processions in which young girls and boys dressed in white gowns and bearing candles sing traditional Lucia day carols, lead by the elected Lucia who wears a candle-wreath and a red sash (symbolising the saint's martyred blood). They visit schools, hospitals, offices and churches, distributing gingerbread biscuits and Lussekatt.

Fancy celebrating St Lucy's Day yourself? Make your own Cuccia or Lussekatt, and here are some more suggestions.

Enjoy - Lucy

Decorating your door with a wreath during the festive season can add a
warm welcome to your home or office on the cold and dark winter days,
but have you ever wondered what's behind the tradition?

Wreaths are made with flowers and leaves and sometimes fruit and
ribbons, woven into a ring to be hung on a door or wall or placed as an
ornamental centrepiece on a table. The tradition hails back to the time
of the Greeks and Romans when they were associated with the god Apollo,
god of the sun, life and health, and they became a symbol for victory
(think of Caesar's famous laurel wreath crown). The circular form
symbolises eternity and immortality. In the cold winter months, the use
of evergreen plants like pine, holly and yew acts as a further symbol
for the strength of life, which conquers even through the hardships of
inhospitable winters. Festive wreaths are sometimes embellished with
candles, a reminder of the sun that will return, and red berries and
pine cones which may traditionally signify the autumn harvest.

With such a rich tradition and symbolism behind it, hanging a festive
door wreath not only brightens up the dull winter days but has come to
act as a reminder of the spring to come and is thought to herald
contentment and good luck into the new year.

Christmas is here again! Is it just me or has it sneaked up without noticing? 
We all know you love traditional Christmas reds but this year we have included a few bouquets that have your other favourite colour options in the design.
We have so many Christmas designs you need to take a look but here are some of my favourites...
Traditional amarylis bouquet, an all time favourite with everyone for it's vase life, they just seem to last forever and ever!
For the young trendy girls we have our sassy "Christmas Baubles" sweet pink flowers with bright pink and purple Christmas tree baubles.
Or for those of you who love something truly extravagant (like me) you can choose our truly bespoke Festive Opulence bouquet where our experienced florist's will select a combination of crisp roses, calla lilies with long lasting unique cymbidium orchids.

I'm sure there is something here for everyone this Christmas and flowers are such a great gift for those people who you just don't know what to buy this year. You really cant go wrong with fresh flowers so go on take a look at our new designs.

Here of course  is a link to our Christmas Flower Selection

P.S Dear Santa

I've included an image of my favourite bouquet - just in case you're reading!

Kerryanne
 

This week some of us shall be lucky enough to go and visit our flowers' beautiful home town, Amsterdam - it's time for the annual Horti Fair exhibition, the biggest trade fair in the field showing the latest and wackiest in the world of flowers! Each year different members of our design team get to go and check out the up and coming new astonishing varieties of flowers that are bred, not to mention an exciting preview of what's in and what's out in next year's trends for floral and interior design.

One of the most fascinating part of this fair though, is the Innovation Award. With different categories including new plants, technology and services, the shortlisted candidates are pretty awe-inspiring indeed. My favourite of the bunch must be the FlowerBagVase (Very useful!) and the first ever black flower - Anthurium Black Queen (Jaw-droppingly stunning). The rest of the shortlist can be found on their website too - see what you think?

While in Amsterdam we'll also be visiting our growers too and talk about some great ideas for the upcoming special occasions of next year - too early? Not if we are wanting some rest time in between the busy times! No doubt the trip will leave our design team with plenty of ideas for trendy bouquets to keep us ahead of fashion next year, so stay tuned for our latest bouquets on offer!

The history of Father's Day is nowhere near as well established as Mother's Day (which goes back 1000's of years), Father's Day goes back only as far as 1909. The thing it does have in common is it was the creation of a strong-hearted American woman. It can be on a different date each year – much like Mother's Day, and also has the similarity of always being on a Sunday. Father's Day always falls on the third Sunday of June.

Father's Day problems

It's true, buying a present or celebrating Mother's Day is much easier than for Father's Day. Unless your Father has a particular interest/hobby such as fishing or reading, or whatever most people find that it is very difficult to buy for your father. A lot of  people I have found in this situation go for elaborate gadgets which obviously get more and more technical and expensive each year. But is it the present that is really important? I mean my Dad's main interest is watching the TV, and as he already has one of those (in each room) that is not an option. I have also found that I am certainly not by any means alone in this situation.

Father's Day  - Memories versus Gadgets

Although too late for this year (although if you have yet to give your Dad a present, or if the weather can be blamed!), here are possible ideas for next year (from real Dad's):

(Taken from www.bitsnstuff.co.uk)

Anyway, that's me for now. Again, I am only sorry this did not come earlier – but I hope it has given least some of you something to think about.

By For Now!  Prepared by Viki, posted by Bob.

Some trivia facts about Father's Day:

• Majority of countries around the world celebrate Father's Day on the 3rd Sunday of June.

• The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. This was inspired by the establishment of Mother's Day in 1908.

• Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd was believed to have originated the June Father's Day, which she had set up in order to commemorate her father who reared his six children as a single parent.

• Father's Day is the fifth most popular card-sending holiday, with an estimated $100 million in card sales!

• Father's Day has evolved into something much more than just for honouring fathers - it has become the day for showing our appreciation for grandfathers, uncles, godfathers, father-in-laws, son-in-laws etc also! 

It would be so easy to opt for default choice Father's Day presents such as ties and gadgets, but if it's time for a change how about sending a delicately designed botanical arrangement? While perhaps not all men appreciate receiving a bouquet of flowers as gift, this arrangement seems like a perfect choice for an unconventional Father's Day present, combining masculinity with sentiments. (Also comes with complimentary bar of Thornton's chocolate with fudge pieces for dads with a sweet tooth!)

See our Fathers Day Basket

Ordering this is a great option particularly for those who live some distance away from their parents or even just as a surprise delivery for those who will be spending the day with them!

Prepared by Tracy, posted by Dave.

Just to make you aware our collection of flowers specially chosen to be suitable for sending to your Mother in the UK, as part of Mother's Day Internationally on the 13th May 2007, are available here.

In previous posts within this blog there was some excellent work carried out by Viki on what flowers women wanted as well as those that men would like to buy for their Mother for Mother's day.

I would like to slightly build on that here by presenting a short analyisis of what types of flowers we actually delivered around the UK in the period leading upto and including Mother's Day 2007.

The graph shows the percentages of each of the main types of flowers Clare Florist delivered throughout the Uk for Mother's day in 2007.  The top performers were : -

This list is I believe strongly skewed towards the seasonal flowers (tulips) which are constituents within the special offers we have been promoting. Despite this it is clear that the traditional favourites like roses, carnations and lillies are still coming to the fore.

It will be interesting to see how this changes over the coming months.

I did not want to mention it before – as it may be not be a subject many of us want to think about the day/s following Easter. Especially when you consider:

• We were expected to consume 80 million eggs in Scotland alone over Easter (The Sunday Herald)
• This equates to 3.5 eggs per person according to the recent Somerfield Supermarket Survey (now notorious on these pages!)
• The Times, April 4 expected that Brits were to spend a whopping £520 million on Easter Eggs this year!

Following Easter – it was reported that the Easter weekend was worth £7.8billion to UK retailers (4% more than last year). A manager of the "Glasgow Fort" shopping centre said that other than Christmas, it was their busiest time.

Looking around the shops myself in Edinburgh (which was described as “booming”) there were a lot of bargains to be found – even on the Saturday prior to Easter shops had started to reduce their merchandise. Perhaps, as we are beginning to celebrate Easter by giving more than just an eggs (with kids increasingly expecting toys in addition – akin almost to Christmas – who wants a stingy Easter Bunny?!) – maybe savvy shoppers are keeping gifts aside until next year. Many of the eggs sold this year have a best before date after next Easter. It is not only eggs however. A great example I found was the Early Learning Centre on the Saturday prior to Easter had many items reduced from £6 to £1.50 including craft sets that could be used all round and easter egg hunt sets that can be use for years and years to come.

(Quotes and figures from The Metro, 10 April 2007)

Returning to the subject to chocolate (not that I'm obsessed or anything!) - but have you ever thought about how and where your easter eggs are made? Easter is now seen as a traditionally Christian festival – but how Christian (or ethical if you are not a believer) is what you buy?

Slave Trade - There has been much in the papers recently regarding Easter Eggs and “the slave trade” which begs the question “is it possible to have an “ethical” Easter at all?” This appears to have been something that has been going on for some time (undoubtedly the slave trade has been an ongoing issue – but specifically relating to the Easter Egg trade I am refining it to at present). Campaigners are now warning that “thousands of children are working slave labour on West African cocoa farms to help produce Easter chocolate for the UK”. BBC News 6 April 2007

Is your mother outside the UK? - then why not find out what date Mother's Day is celebrated in that country and then send flowers by visiting this page.

In the aftermath of Easter – I now bring you some offerings from recent newspaper articles. There is so much out there – I may well bring you some more later on in the week. It would be interesting to know how much chocolate one consumes on average over Easter – and see how that compares to my consumption over the past 2 days! I can hardly move! And if I see another Cream Egg….!

Songs of Praise “Easter” Service

ITV (as with the BBC) have admitted that th