Easter Table Setting Ideas
Whether Easter is a secular or religious holiday for your family, a beautiful table setting will enhance the celebration of your springtime feast. Does this Spark an idea?
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History of Easter
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Historically, Easter is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The Jewish Christians celebrated Christ's resurrection the day after Passover, which occurred on different days every year. Non-Jewish Christians, however, wanted to celebrate the resurrection on the first day of the week, Sunday. Thus, the actual date of the celebration became debatable. In 1928, the Church of England obtained permission from the Parliament to commemorate Easter on the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April.
Many of our current Easter traditions, however, have nothing to do with the religious holiday, although themes of Christianity can be found.
The Easter Bunny was thought to have been brought to the United States in the 18th century by German settlers. Bunnies are symbols of fertility and new life.
Colored eggs are also symbolic of new life and represent Christ's emergence from the tomb. Decorating eggs has been a practice since ancient times. The Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and Persians all honored the egg as the symbol of the universe.
Religious Easter Table Settings
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Let your table shout "Hallelujah!" To celebrate the risen King, use bold colors of red, symbolic of the blood that was shed, and purple, the color of royalty. Start with a bright red tablecloth or table runner. Use bright purple accents like flowers, fabric, or napkins. Add the timeless Christian symbol of Christ, the cross, as decorations. Make napkin holders out of strong pulpy paper, which can be found at hobby stores, to represent the wooden cross, or place three crosses down the middle of the table to represent Christ and the two thieves who were crucified alongside him.
For a softer theme, stick with a white tablecloth and pastel flowers and candy. Many stores also carry Christian theme Easter Eggs which contain the resurrection story inside. Place one at each place setting atop a nest of Easter grass. Easter Lilies make a beautiful and fragrant centerpiece.
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Non-Religious Easter Table Settings
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Bunnies and eggs are the theme of the non-religious table setting. Start with a pastel tablecloth or runner. You can make a centerpiece out of an Easter basket filled with goodies like chocolates and other Easter candy. You can also fill the basket with colored eggs, or even plastic eggs with prizes or games inside. During dinner, each person gets to pick and egg and must complete the task or read the poem or riddle found inside. This can be fun for kids and adults.
Easter is a time for celebration, whether it is religious or simply the celebration of glorious springtime. In addition to bringing out the good china and crystal, adorn your table with unusual items, like jewelry, music boxes, or antiques for a visual feast to complement your culinary treats.
Edible Decorations
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Don't forget to make some of your decorations edible. Try chocolate eggs filled with cookie ornaments, cross-shaped bread sticks, or edible Easter baskets. You can find many edible Easter decorations on the Internet at sites like www.familyfun.com.
Warnings
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Don't leave your edible decorations out too long. This is especially true of hard-boiled eggs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises that cooked eggs be left unrefrigerated for no more than 2 hours.
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