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Passover Easter Seder

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I love Easter. For years, however, I couldn't call it that in good conscience. When I was about 17 years old, I began to ask questions about my faith and about traditions surounding it. Why did we meet on Sunday? Why do Evangelicals, Anglicans, and Catholics do communion differently? Where did the Christmas tree and other holiday traditions come from? Upon discovering some answers, I became zealous for what I now understood, or at least thought I understood. One such "understanding" was about Easter. I learned that the word "Easter" was related to "Aster," meaning star, and to my horror, related to the ancient fertility goddess Astarte, or as she was called in the Bible, Ashera. Oh dear. All along, Christians have been wishing each other a "Happy Easter" on the holiest day of the Christian calendar! I linked the fertility goddess to other emblems of fertility, such as bunnies and eggs, and upon further research realized that pagans all o
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St. Patricks Day 2020

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The Book of Kells As an avid thrift store shopper, I have discovered many treasures over the years. One such treasure is a scarf from Dublin, Ireland with illustrations from the Book of Kells adorning it. Doubtless it was sold in the 1970's, by the feel of the polyester material used, as a tourist item commemorating a visit to view the 8th century Book of Kells housed at the Trinity College Library, Dublin. This unique piece of clothing found it's way promptly into my dining room, settling on a bright celtic red tablecloth and further adorned by my favourite rustic dinnerware, Midwinter's Stonehenge Creation. Every year as a holiday approaches, I look for fresh inspiration for themes and decorations. St. Patricks Day tends to beg for green every year, and I usually grant it Ireland's signature colour. One year, I looked to the flag and an old folk song about the Troubles for a Catholic-Protestant Orange and Green theme. Another year, I leaned heavily on white
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