colored flowers for the rabbit to eat, that it may lay colored eggs

Easter is a funny Christian holiday. You never know where it's going to fall on the calendar. Could be March. Could be April. I've wondered about this for ever so long, so, today I Googled it and found answers. Yes. That is plural. There's not just one answer.

For those readers who may not know, Easter is when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, who rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion and ascended into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God. These events are recorded in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

However. What does that word mean?

res·ur·rect

rezəˈrekt/

verb

1. 
   
2. restore (a dead person) to life.

   "he was dead, but he was resurrected"

   synonyms:

   raise from the dead, restore to life, revive "we believe that Jesus was resurrected"

   • revive the practice, use, or memory of (something); bring new vigor to.

     "the deal collapsed and has yet to be resurrected"

     synonyms:

     revive, restore, regenerate, revitalize, breathe new life into, bring back to life, reinvigorate, resuscitate, rejuvenate, stimulate, reestablish,relaunch "he admits that the prospect of resurrecting his career is appealing"

Given the literal implications of resurrection, it makes sense that Easter should be celebrated at the beginning of Spring, when everything is new again.

So, it appears that some folks decided that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after (but, never on) the Paschal full moon. Theoretically, the Paschal full moon is the first full moon occurring on or after the spring equinox.

On the two equinoxes every year, Spring and Autumn, the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal – but not quite. (Which is a whole other conversation for another day.)

In 325 AD the Council of Nicaea (the first Christian advisors, of sorts) established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 (the first day of Spring) for the vernal equinox.

Easter is delayed by one week if the full moon is on Sunday, which decreases the chances of it falling on the same day as the Jewish Passover. Got that?

According to the New Testament, Jesus celebrated Passover before he was crucified, so, clearly Passover is linked to the Christian holiday of Easter.

BUT!!! Easter and Passover are based on two different calendars. Easter is based on the solar calendar, the calendar commonly used today. In Western churches, Easter is dated as the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring which means it will occur somewhere between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Orthodox churches have a different approach based on the lunar calendar.

Passover, on the other hand, is based on the Jewish calendar, a lunar calendar that has twelve 28-day months. (Oh, the moon!) The Book of Leviticus, chapter 23, verses 4-8, puts the emphasis on the first and seventh days of Passover, calling for "gathering of a sacred assembly and abstaining from regular work." I have attended a Jewish Seder and the message appears to me to be similar ... many of the aspects of communion seem to have been taken from the Passover tradition. Renewal. Restoration. Or, as the Baptists say, "Born Again."

When I was a girl, Easter meant a new dress and new patent leather shoes, which I think was my favorite part of all the Easter brouhaha. There was always this atmosphere of newness in my mother's family (she had six sisters as nutty as she was!) and my mother prided herself on being a fashion conscious and modern woman. We always looked good!

As a child, Easter also meant dying eggs beautiful shades of red and blue and green that would be hidden for us to find and chocolates filled our colorful Easter baskets. For kids, Easter was a party with lots of cousins and ham and potato salad and lots of pretty new clothes. I don't know how we comprehended what Easter really was, but, somehow the message got through.

The way I think about my religion is more spiritual these days. Like the New Year, I'm eager for renewal and a new opportunity to get it right, if such a thing is even possible, that is.

I suspect there was a Jesus, and, after reading those New Testament stories so many times, I imagine that he was a radical, preaching love and kindness, which seems to have been unheard of at that time. We have different methods in the twenty-first century for crucifying people, but in Jesus' time, love and kindness were not qualities associated with conquering new worlds, so they treated him really bad. They made an example of him. I guess that Sanhedrin council thought they should just nip it in the bud. Clearly, that didn't work very well!

I watch daily the religious wars in the Middle East and it breaks my heart. If it were my world, everyone would start fresh come Easter Sunday, whether Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Agnostic. A fresh start for everyone would be good for the planet! I wish that each of us is renewed, restored and find a chocolate rabbit waiting for us!
Happy Easter!

My favorites from Chanel's 2015 Runway & Couture shows ...

Straight from Wikipedia ... Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. She is the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Along with Paul Poiret, Chanel was credited with liberating women from the constraints of the "corseted silhouette" and popularizing the acceptance of a sportive, casual chic as the feminine standard in the post-World War I era. A prolific fashion creator, Chanel's influence extended beyond couture clothing. Her design aesthetic was realized in jewelry, handbags, and fragrance. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5, has become an iconic product.

I've watched every movie ever made about Coco Chanel and I have long admired the style of the clothes and accessories she designed. Today, Karl Lagerfeld is the designer for Chanel, and his recent stuff isn't bad.

For the longest time, I couldn't understand haute couture. I love fashion, but I didn't "get" the outrageousness of the fashion shows or the high prices of the clothes. In reality, who can afford $3,000 for a handbag or a pair of shoes? Seriously.

Then, Meryl Streep explained it to me, here.

Then I got it.

So, you're probably asking how I got here, today, writing about it on my blog .

The "IT" bag. VOGUE had a little online survey of which of ten handbags would be the "IT" bag for 2015. I picked the Chanel flap bag with all the funky embellishments. IF I was going to buy a Chanel bag for the season, THIS is the one I would purchase.

The advertising slogan for this bag is quite likable. "Carry some wisdom into spring: All you need in life is peace, love, understanding, and Chanel." But, with a price tag of $3,800, this chickadee won't be sporting Chanel's Flap Bag. She'll be looking for the style of the bag at a lower end, like Macy's or Nordstrom. The flap bag is not a new design. I have a nice leather flap bag from Eddie Bauer in my handbag collection that dates back to the 1990s. It is a classic design. What Chanel has done with it here is they've made it fresh again. And, I'm betting you'll see flap bags everywhere this year.

Just watch.

2015 Runway Collection
This modern take on the classic Chanel "look" includes that adorable Flap Bag! I liked that all of the models in this series of designs are wearing shimmering gold stockings and gold shoes with black wingtips. It accents the clothes and keeps the focus on the clothes.

Lagerfeld likes black. And, he uses it well throughout the Runway collection. I especially like the modern skirt suit and the skirt & pants/leggings. I would wear these clothes. I'd wear those shoes, too. No high heels was a welcome sight!

So modern, yet so classic.

Leggings and skirts. Is this a trend? 

Chanel 2015 Couture Collection

 Cute suit, but does she look angry to you? 

Is it the makeup or the model?

This looks more like it, don't you think? The Chanel suit in a soft pink and that little knitted hat? Love it! It works with those black boots, too.

The skirt will trickle down. Young women can bare their belly button, but, a little higher on the waist works for us more "mature" ladies.  It's the black belt that makes the skirt so likeable. It's a great visual element.

I just like the whole look. It's so Karl Lagerfeld.

I like that every model is wearing those black booties. No sky high heels. OMG! Comfortable shoes from haute couture? No way! What a concept!

The cut of the top is so classic Chanel. It appears again in this collection and I'm betting it will appear off the runway come spring/summer.

I like how the black belt is used with the floral skirt. It works here as well as it worked with the pink skirt from earlier in the collection. Doesn't detract from the colors. Adds a great design element.

This was a big surprise.
So Barbie-esque.
Pink.
Bow at the waist.
Sparkles elongating the figure.
And, then, that fluffy pink hat just really tops it off!

I can see a young lady at her prom, dressed in Chanel!

I just like everything about this dress.
I do not like that eye makeup.

This is too cutesy for past 25, but the pieces are adorable. I love ruffles and Peter Pan collars and the pale color and print strike a charming contrast to those black boots and that "I'm mad" eye makeup.

Again, the use of black as a design element. Well done.
And, there's that blouse again. We'll be seeing that come spring. I'm sure of it.

Karl Lagerfeld is the master of reinvention, having repeatedly transformed himself as well as his labels. He is currently the  creative director of Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous label. He has previously designed for Chloe and created a range for H&M. In 2014, Mattel released the Karl Lagerfeld Barbie which sold out immediately.  She is coveted among collectors.

I love fashion, which might explain why I am so enamoured of fashion dolls. They can wear all the things I cannot. I wore sky high heels, short skirts and long hair when I was a young woman. But, as life dictates, things change. And, all of that has changed for me. As Lagerfeld lost weight so he could wear the clothes of a certain designer he fancied, I've had to find new designers who create clothes that I want to wear.  Us boomers are still a market AND we have more money than the 18-to-34 demographic. Whether I'd spend it on the Chanel Flap Bag is a horse of a different color. I could change my mind, you know ...

spring is here?

Only five days left in March. It's such a long month, isn't it? 31 days. They say it's spring break this week, and the tourists prove it to be true. I heard it was snowing up north. Still. It was 55 degrees on my back porch this morning, and, I'm in south Florida. Go figure.

Around here, it's been busy. Still missing my dog though. It's been two weeks and one day, but if feels a lot longer.

cleaning closets and cabinets and sifting out some of the junk that's accumulated. Where DOES all this stuff come from? Can someone tell me that?

learning how to create documents using Photoshop instead of QuarkXPress.



designing a golf tournament brochure for my Soroptimist club;
it's the 20th year!

editing a database for the Pioneer Women of Fort Lauderdale to reflect their activity over the past five years; boy, was that tedious.

assembling the pieces for a scrapbook, which I'll share in another post.

making lists of my dolls in a feeble attempt to "thin out" my collection.

waiting for news of the Integrity Toys Convention in Orlando this year; they announced in February last year, so what's the holdup?

thinking about "Tea with Barbie" in July at Old Davie School.

taking lots of pictures at work related events ... and, it's not like taking "society" photos or portraits or landscapes either; it is an entirely different animal.

repotting plants to accommodate the new growth.

enjoying all the blooming in my garden!

waiting for spring ...