Hippity hoppity, Happy Easter day

Happy Easter Welcome to a Holiday Celebration

Easter is the time of springtime festivals, and a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. Its a time of new suits, new dresses and patent leather shoes. A time for Christians to celebrate the life and resurrection of Christ. And a time of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and coloured eggs!

Easter will be celebrated on Sunday April 08, 2007.

The Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Easter. The goddess, Easter, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.
The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.

The Easter Egg
As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.

From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, coloured brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.

Today, children hunt coloured eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or chocolate candy.

Like their visit with Santa at Christmas, little egg hunters will climb up on the Easter Bunny's lap at the mall to have brief chat. The only thing is the Easter Bunny does not talk. That's okay because kids usually have a lot to talk about and the Easter Bunny has big ears to listen.

The children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or the garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests . The use of elaborate Easter baskets would come later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.

"Oh! Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hoppin' down the bunny trail, Hippity hoppityHappy Easter day"

Easter Egg hunts, usually held the day before Easter, are as much a part of Easter as pumpkins are to Halloween and presents are to Christmas. Easter eggs hunts are held by families, organizations, and even local town events. The theme is always the same. A number of eggs are hidden, usually separated by two to four age groups. On a given signal, the children race to find the hidden eggs. In days gone by, the eggs were hard boiled and decorated. Most commonly today, hollow plastic eggs are used. These eggs are filled with candies or a coin. Sometimes a prize slip for a bigger prize is included.

However this event is carried out, it is always over too quickly. Organizers spend hours making the eggs, or filling them with prizes. Then, they carefully hide dozens, or even hundreds of them depending, upon the size of the expected crowd. For all these hours of effort, the hunt only lasts minutes as eager children race to find their prizes.

-- If you and your family don't want to miss out on the Easter party please welcome to enjoy a fun filled afternoon cone join the Easter festivities on Friday, March 30, 2007 at the Ambassador's Residence, Bangkok, Thailand.

So that the Easter Bunny will know how many eggs to hide. -- Happy Easter 2007

Cool Down Summer Temperature by Thai Sweet Dish

Mango with Sticky Rice is one of my favorite Thai dessert in Summer ...

Sticky rice and mango (khao niaow mamuang) is a popular dessert in Thai restaurants (either in Thailand, US, UK and so forth), served a after-meal sweet.

This time of year, produce stands are brimming with both local and imported fruit. Reach for the exotic mango and try out a simple Thai dessert made with sticky rice, coconut milk, and slices of fresh mango.

Thailand is home to a large variety of delicious fruits, both seasonal, such as durian, rambutan, mangosteen, longan, lychee etc. and all-year-round, such as papaya, guava, coconut, orange, banana, pineapple, rose apple etc., all of which are as nutritious as they are delicious.
The huge variety of local produce, combined with the culinary art of the Thai people, has resulted in a wealth of ways that Thai fruits can be enjoyed all-year-round.

Get the real taste of Thai fruits ... Just one bite, that's all it takes.

Mango (Mamuang): Thailand is home to many varieties of mango. Some of which can be eaten unripe, some either ripe or unripe while sour ones are enjoyed with a sweet, salty dip called "Nam Pla Wan". Ripe mangos with sweet sticky rice, especially the Nam Dok Mai and Ok Rong varieties, are an all-time-favourite Thai dessert -- for this summer let's try "khao niaow mamuang".

The Umbrella Village, colour of Chiang Mai

Bo Sang Umbrella City, Hand made!

Bo Sang near Chiang Mai is renowned for its exquisitely hand-painted umbrellas made from mulberry paper and silk. The dainty parasols are decorated with beautiful floral motifs painted in dazzling colours. The designs are very distinctive and are instantly recognizable. During the festival, brightly decorated craft shops and stores line both sides of the 'high street' transforming Ban Bo Sang into a picturesque village decorated in the Lanna Thai style. Colourful umbrellas and traditional lanterns liven up the handicraft fair. The people of Bo Sang, known to visitors as "the Umbrella Village", celebrate their traditional craft and skills with this annual fair held on the main street, featuring contests, exhibitions, a Miss Bo Sang pageant and, of course, stalls selling umbrellas and other handicrafts. Umbrellas made from brightly coloured Sa paper have traditionally been made in the area around Ban Bo Sang for many years and with the help of the tourist industry, this once-small craft has developed into big business. Almost everyone in this small village near Chiang Mai now derives a livelihood from making these paper umbrellas, which are intricately painted with beautiful floral designs. Different households often specialise in one particular stage of the production process.

Bo Sang parasols are popular decorative and gift items sought after by visitors from all over the world. Its international appeal is confirmed by the fact that the Bo Sang parasol won the "Best Souvenir" prize at the International Tourism Seminar held in Los Angeles, USA.

**Event details can change.

The festivals reflect the rhythm of life in rural Thai villages and local traditions as observed in times past. To ensure you have the most updated information, please reconfirm details prior to travel by checking with the organisers that the event is happening.