#easter bonnet making

[mixedupmilly]

Kids crafts: Easter Bonnets

Yes it’s that time again. The time where we desperately start hunting high and low in the shops for anything remotely related to spring or Easter, that we can use to decorate those Easter Bonnets with. Even adults enjoy this task, it’s a fun and jolly activity which allows you to have the perfect excuse to unleash your creativity, and maybe even enter a competition to win some small prize. If…

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

DISCOPUNK - Octobie Week #3 - Slice of Life

Well, that's one way to say 'thank you'. | Its tea time, innit. (Hobie x DiscoSpider Diane)

A.N: This was SO SO fun to draw and I'm really happy with how it came out :') - Also, I hid a lot of personal fanon-lore in this drawing so, here's some easter eggs below! As always, huge thanks to @the-kr8tor!

Easter Eggs:

Hobie lives on a boat with his lovely stray boatcats.

Hobie is proudly Jamaican (in my head).

His favorite colour is Green, though only Diane knows that.

Hobie didn't tell her, but somehow she managed to figure it out on her own.

Someone asked him, but before he could answer, she simply said 'Green'.

When he later asked her how she'd known, Diane told him it was obvious.

His carpet was green, and so was his bonnet, and his favorite shirt - to her it just made sense.

He calls her Duchess, since their first night out.

Diane sleeps with her guitar pick necklace on her left wrist.

She says she's afraid if she wears it to bed, it'll choke her to death in her sleep.

Hobie tells her that's not possible - considering she's superhuman. Green Goblin could hardly choke her out if he wanted to.

She doesn't believe him. She's 'not taking no chances'.

Diane only sleeps in high quality pastel pajama sets - with fuzzy socks to match. Hobie is the type of guy to turn any shirt into a 'sleep shirt' if he owns it long enough.

Diane likes her nails long, acrylic, and consistently manicured.

Hobie could never. After raiding Diane's extensive varnish collection, he paints every finger a different color. Sure, he could pick one. That's no fun, though!

When Hobie is enamored - or near Diane - his outline with turn her favorite color, pink!

Not only that, when Hobie's being a loverboy, pink origami hearts may start fluttering around his head - literally.

Diane knows Hobie's tea order by heart.

Another thing she'd learned by sheer observation.

Irish Breakfast tea, not British. One sugar, not too sweet, with the bag steeped a little too long.

He likes it 'her-coloured' - tea with just enough milk to match the tone of her skin. Anymore makes it taste 'like rubbish', in his opinion.

Hobie endorses tax evasion.

Happy Octobie Week #3!

Remember, if you have a spidersona, you can do whatever you want forever <3

BYE.

[rose-tea-and-strawberries]

🐇 Deuce Spade Easter Headcanons 🐇

In light of it being Easter Sunday, I decided to compile a list of Easter themed headcanons for our local baby chick boy

Also, quick word of warning - I’ve never celebrated Easter before so I deeply apologise if any of this is offensive. I just thought that the whole aesthetic of chicks, eggs and bunnies would go really well with Deuce and wanted to write about that

Reader is female

Masterlist

Since Spring has sprung, you decided to tell Deuce about a holiday from your world and him being the sweetheart he is, wanted to recreate it with you here in Twisted Wonderland

🐣 Imagine decorating Easter eggs with him, just having a blast in Ramshackle, with old newspapers covering the surface of the dining table and a bunch of paints spread out. Deuce takes this very seriously, scrunching his nose up in concentration as a shaky hand carefully applies paint to each egg. You did have a wonderful time coming up with different designs but then Ace got wind of your little date and whined about you playing favourites (“Of course, she’s playing favourites - I’m her boyfriend!”) so the next day your entire first year squad (+ Ortho) all decided to decorate Easter eggs so you ended up with a range of colourful mismatched eggs that were worth their weight in gold.

🐣 MATCHING EASTER THEMED OUTFITS. Like obviously you’d have chick themed outfits but imagine also bunny themed outfits as well with him. Of course, you have to deal with Leona’s teasing about how you look even more like a herbivore now but you kind of predicted that. Also, you send every single picture that you take of you and Deuce to his mother (that you are having constant conversations with) and whilst Deuce is so unbelievably happy that his two favourite people are getting along so well, he could do with a little less gushing about him.

🐣 Speaking of Easter outfits, imagine making Easter bonnets together, using a hot glue gun to stick on little bits and bobs like tiny chicks, bunnies and fake flowers

🐣 You handmake him homemade chocolates that are shaped like little baby chicks and bunnies. He loves them so much that he doesn’t even want to eat them, only to get slapped on the head by Ace for being a whipped idiot

🐣 You, Deuce and the rest of the first (minus Jack) totally don’t get food comas from eating too many chocolate eggs at once, by the way

🐣 You already have a habit of making him cute bento boxes or adorable looking omurice dishes, but you decided to go the extra mile and put little chick figurines inside each one. Deuce feels like he’s going to cry - he loves you so much.

🐣 You get him a bunch of those wind up chick toys - the bright eyed smile on his face outshined the sun

🐣 You organise an Easter egg hunt inside Ramshackle, consisting of chocolate eggs, the eggs you decorated and plastic eggs with little toys inside and let the first years go wild

🐣 The two of you go on dates to petting zoos so that you could hang around with actual chicks and bunnies in a safe environment and also go on picnics in the park where you feed nearby ducks (not bread. Bread is not a safe food for ducks to eat.)

[thebearer]

only because of the hints carm is catholic, i feel like he wouldn’t take the traditions too seriously when he becomes a father, or something. but i do feel like he would have a christening ceremony for the baby’s. i’m only thinking of a teeny teddy in this poofy white dress with her bonnet on (and ofc carm in a nice suit or something)

"This is insane." Carmen huffed, pulling on his tie. "I haven't been in this church since... well, Mikey's funeral, but my Communion before then."

You grinned, bouncing baby teddy in your lap. Her white lace bonnet and long lace dress, all intricate details and a little worn. It had been Sugar's before, Carmen's mom insisted you use it.

Donna was the reason you were here. Well, part of it. Carmen's family was religious passing, he said. Put on a front, went to mass on Easter and Christmas Day, but that's about as far as it went. Well, besides Donna's wine addiction which could hardly be claimed as a religious practice.

"I bet you looked so cute in your little Communion outfit." You grinned, pleased at the way Carmen's lips twitched.

"Shut up." Carmen said playfully, shifting in the uncomfortable wooden pew. "Holy fuck, can this be over?"

"Carmen, we're in a church." You hissed, eyes cutting around to the other parents in front of you.

"I said holy." Carmen muttered, biting back a smirk at your eye roll. "She does look cute." He hummed, taking Teddy's tiny hand in his, letting her fist wrap around his finger.

"She looks so cute." You cooed, pressing a kiss to her chubby cheek. "Like a little Victorian baby."

"Yeah." Carmen snorted lightly. "Surprised my mom still had this."

"Sugar had it." You gave him a light look. "She, uh, she said she went and got it when she was pregnant. In case it was a girl."

"That makes more sense." Carmen nodded. "I don't even know what we do up here."

"Just stand there. They just sprinkle water, right?" You shrugged, looking around. "They're not gonna dunk her, right?"

"Better not." Carmen's fists clenched at the thought. "I'll really be going to Hell then."

[soufcakmistress]

Temptress

Pairing: Erik Stevens x Thick Black OC

The intricate oil painting hanging on the wall threatened to fall by the incessant pounding of the bed frame. “I wonder what they’re serving at the pub tonight…” Sybil Freeman pondered as this sad soul rutted away between her legs. The Viscount Peters was one of her frequent visitors, and always tipped well. A lackluster lover, but always super sweet. The viscount shuddered and finally expelled into the sheepskin condom, with sighs of much awaited relief. Her corset has her abundant breasts grazing her chin, which have now spilled out from the romp that just ensued.

This is the part that the men come for. “Ooooh, the Viscount is feeling very frisky this evening. I’ll be sure to put those juniper berries in your wine every time we meet, sugar.” The short and dumpy nobleman always moseyed down her street for a bit of loving. Black and white men alike patronized the house—a house of nothing but Black bawds and whores.

~

London is a long way from colonial Charleston. Sybil Ravenel was one of eleven children to an enslaved couple working the indigo crop on Edisto Island. Keen on her surroundings and fierce about her family, one particular overseer would always harass her. She was very shapely and purposely wore baggier clothes to conceal her body. She’d managed to make it this far without getting whipped or separated from her family. The overseer was tired of Sybil spurning him. Easter Day came and the slaves were able to take the day off for once. While everyone was congregated by the fire, Sybil was caught off guard and gagged and pulled around the tobacco barn. Little did that overseer know that Sybil had been preparing for that day.

She sharpened this stick every day and hid it in the waistline of her skirt. Today, she made good on her intentions and shoved the stick into his neck. “I the last Negro woman you try to push up on. Bastard.” Blood drenched her apron and bonnet, and she wrenched them off and hid them under her skirt. Scrambling to the slave quarters, she gathered up the few clothes she had, tied them up and ran towards the harbor with all of her might in the dead of night.

Sybil understood sex and how easy men were guiled once it entered a dynamic. Men had few motivations and if it didn’t involve money, food or sex, Sybil found they didn’t have much use past that. She wasn’t entirely sure of her age, but she was a woman full grown. She had no education but she had the will to live and extremely limited means to do so. Offering what she had between her legs was how she was able to convince the captain of a nearby merchant ship not to ring the alarm for a fugitive slave on the run. She sucked his pecker so good as a matter of fact, he gave her her own cabin, left to be undisturbed until the ship docked.

The manifest was set for London Harbor, with a large store of indigo posed for shipping to the British Isles. England outlawed slavery years ago and all Sybil can remember being in awe of how Black folks roamed so freely. London was expansive, a different feeling versus Charleston. Attempting to navigate the streets, she bumped into a striking woman, with incredible cheek bones and dwarfed almost every man. “Careful, darling. Yuh ‘ave to actually look where yuh walk in this city. Before yuh get trampled.”

Needless to say, her life was changed from then on out. Bellemere Almodovar. Born in Jamaica, she was purchased by Spanish spice traders in exchange for bushels of saffron. She was so beautiful that she was whisked away from the auction block to accompany a lord in the Spanish court in the Spanish royal seat in Madrid.

Bellemere took Sybil under her wing. Showed her the ropes, how to keep herself safe, how to articulate herself, and recognize what the means to the end was. Fuck the frogs until you find the prince. A marquis or a lord having you for his mistress meant security and stability. A binding contract between the two of you kept the relationship mutually beneficial at all times. You provide the cunny and ego stroking, he provides the lifestyle. It’s plain and simple as that.

Until then, Sybil would stack her money. Her and Bellemere have expanded their stable, with an extremely diverse group of Black women with various treasures to offer. Lola and Liza Ibeji, the Sierra Leonan twin Amazons liked to play with the kinky politicians on Downing street on every bank holiday who liked to be tied up and degraded. Sarah Macenroe was a biracial beauty from Ireland, looking for a new home since her last bawd kicked her out. She was a contortionist, and petite like a nymph who loved to stick her finger up a John’s bum. And Sybil’s best friend Janie Smith from Trinidad, always quick to cuss her in patois. She was plump and shaped like you and that brought you both closer. Janie learned that she did not have a gag reflex, allowing any man to aim his prick down her endless throat with no resistance.

And Sybil. Sybil’s prized possession was between her legs. It was wetter and tighter than anyone around, and was guaranteed to make any man lose his pride before he wanted to. Her blue fingertips were a marvel to gaze upon and added to the fantasy. These English nobles ached for the chance of sleeping with a liberated Negro woman from the colonies. Her life was easy now. Fuck her regulars, and live good. She was free. Free to eat in any cafe of her choosing. Led her girls into any social gathering with their heads high and guaranteed to garner whispers and gasps. Music to her ears.

As of late, Sybil had been bored to tears of the social scene. Janie had just snagged her keeper, and she’d been whisked to the northern countryside for the next month. On this particular occasion, Sybil’s carob skin emitted radiance unknown to this world with the midnight blue gown hugging her body close. Her scalp itched under the powdered wig, and she daintily threw back her 6th drink of the night. Her girls worked the room as always, prowling for the next kill, and yet Sybil couldn’t give a fuck about any of these men.

She grabbed her sachet, picked up the ends of her dress and sashayed to the terrace. Some fresh air was needed. A cigarette she already rolled was pulled out and heavy footsteps lurked behind her. “Is this seat taken?”

A puff of tobacco smoke billowed in front of her cherubic face. A pleasant surprise that a Black man with a familiar accent met her. “Do as you like.”

The strange man quietly observes Sybil’s appearance. Their eyes finally meet and she’s enraptured and forgets to mask her intent. He’s very handsome, with a sterling smile and dashing garments. And an American accent. Interesting. “What’s a southern Belle doing mingling with English society?”

“I could ask the same of you. You’re like a fly in a glass of milk with this crowd. American?”

The gentleman wore his own hair out, a beautiful tangle of curls, and an emerald green suit that was immaculately crafted. His scent was alluring, and made Sybil want to know how deep his pockets went. “Yes. I was formerly enslaved, just like you. My father was African however and fell in love with my mother on a trip to the colonies. He bought us and we went back to his country to live. I grew up and wanted to explore this world. So for the moment, here I am..”

He took her cigarette out of her hand and began to puff on it himself. “And how would you know that I was enslaved? I could have been born free for all you know.”

The gentleman blew out the tobacco smoke, and gently placed her hand in his. The indigo dye. Permanently marking her as a piece of chattel. A former piece of chattel, for that matter. He kissed every fingertip on her left hand, and Sybil gulped. Her eyes became glassy, and she pulled away. She adjusted her dress, and stabilized her towering wig. “I didn’t catch your name, miss.”

Sybil took the cigarette back from him, taking a harsh pull. Why did this man make her feel like this? “Sybil. Sybil Freeman.” She had to get out of there. As seemingly progressive as London purported itself to be, Black men were almost never gentlemen and of the ton. He exuded high levels of breeding and class. His skin was gorgeous and he had piercing eyes that never left her….and roamed all over her body. He was clearly different.

“Good evening, sir.” Sybil gave the stiffest curtsy and zoomed away, flustered and confused. Something told her that that wouldn’t be the last she saw of him..

A/N: I totally forgot that I had most of this written up already LMAO. Please let me know if you want me to continue this story. Pleaseeee reblog and comment, love yall!!!

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[postnuclearophelia]

“I took up a conversation with a gorgeous country girl wearing a low-cut cotton blouse that displayed the beautiful sun-tan on her breast tops. She was dull. She spoke of evenings in the country making popcorn on the porch. Once this would have gladdened my heart but because her heart was not glad when she said it I knew there was nothing in it but the idea of what one should do. “And what else do you do for fun?” I tried to bring up boy friends and sex. Her great dark eyes surveyed me with emptiness and a kind of chagrin that reached back generations and generations in her blood from not having done what was crying to be done—whatever it was, and everybody knows what it was. “What do you want out of life?” I wanted to take her and wring it out of her. She didn’t have the slightest idea what she wanted. She mumbled of jobs, movies, going to her grandmother’s for the summer, wishing she could go to New York and visit the Roxy, what kind of outfit she would wear—something like the one she wore last Easter, white bonnet, roses, rose pumps, and lavender gabardine coat.” ― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

[jasonswh0rre]

Birthday Wishes AK! Jason Todd x MC

🎊: Pairings: Jason Todd (Arkham Knight), MC (fem. Reader)

🎊: Tropes:

Romance

One-Shot

Birthday Surprise

🧁 Special Message 🧁

Happy Birthdays, Future Birthdays and Belated Birthdays! And a Hoppy Easter too 🐣

Summary:

On a morning that seems like any other yet uniquely special, it's your birthday! Waking up to the tantalizing smells of breakfast prepared by none other than your boyfriend Jason, you are treated to a visual and culinary feast. As Jason serves up not only a delicious breakfast but also some delightful morning affection, you can't help but be drawn into the moment, celebrating your special day with love, surprises, and the promise of more to come.

Author's Notes:

I wrote this story on my birthday! I hope this story brings a smile to your face and maybe even gives you ideas on how to make your loved ones birthday extra special. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the sweetness and surprises within!

It was a morning the same as the rest but unique for you. It was your birthday! The sun's rays brightened the room; you slept very peacefully for someone taking up most of the bed, arms sprawled out and legs dangling off the bed; the only thing together was the snugness of your bonnet tied across your hair. Oh, you were a natural sleeping beauty in that bed.

Nose taking a whiff of the newly scented air, your eyes were wide awake. As the smells had your senses under hypnosis, you left your bed sitting opposite the kitchen island, and you sat quietly watching your boyfriend cook.

"How do you want your coffee?" Jason asked, and as you pondered over your coffee preferences, you couldn't help but be captivated by the view before you. The muscles of his torso were on full display, moving rhythmically with each action he took. The muscles contracted and flexed with a fluid grace. It was a live exhibition of human anatomy in motion, each muscle group working in seamless coordination—his shoulders rolling, his spine flexing subtly with each reach, and the distinct lines of his muscles weaving across his back.

"MC?"

"A lot of creams and none of the sugar," you replied, your eyes still glossed over watching him; you may have forgotten bedroom talk is only in the bed

Moving over to hand you your plate, he set down a coffee for you, only with a little bit of cream but a whole lot of sweetness.

"Happy Birthday, MC," Jason congratulated; the smell of the coffee alone perked your spirits right up. Looking at your plate, you couldn't imagine Jason making this for you. He had been quite the chef, but this was next level: blueberry pancakes, each fluffier than the next with a buttermilk syrupy inside, deviled eggs that were just as devilishly good, and sausage.

"You didn't have to do this," you suggested, but as you as you ate, your stomach would say otherwise

"I wanted to, doll, so you're just gonna have to deal with it," Jason said, leaning forward and kissing you, gently and yet perfectly attached to your lips. You wouldn't have stopped before he pulled away.

As you finished your breakfast, you watched Jason get dressed, his holders strapped around his thighs, and he strapped his boots on.

Holding his jacket, you offered to put it on him; turning around, he made himself accessible for your help, rubbing his shoulders when you were finished putting his coat on.

"I'll see you tonight. I've got another surprise for you," Jason commented; he turned around, hand wrapped firmly around your waist as he pressed you up against his chest and planted a firm kiss on your lips.

Pressing a side button, his helmet shielded his face; putting his hood on, he opened your window and left.

[ysines]

springfest just got announced, and im pretty sure i know the theme.

so before i say my theory i want to tell what i think the theme is so that none of you have to read the whole thing to get it. i think that springfest's theme will be flowers vs candy vs eggs. i think shiver will be team flower, frye will be team candy, and big man will be team eggs.

lets analyse this image.

evidence for flowers:

top left corner, a sticker of a character is wearing a flower in its hair

to the right of that sticker there's a sticker of a face. the face has flowers for eyes.

to the right of THAT sticker there's a strange symbol covered in small flower markings.

flowers have an obvious connection to spring.

evidence for candy:

under the top left sticker there's a trio of symbols that look like gummy worms to me

in the top right, there's a squid licking a lollipop

alongside the edges of the image there's tons of small jellybean symbols and sprinkles

candy has a connection to easter, which occurs in spring

evidence for eggs:

at the bottom, there's a sticker of a fish with legs. this fish has an egg strapped to its back.

to the right of the fish sticker is a face sticker, with an egg shell on its head.

to the right of the face sticker is an egg.

eggs have a connection to easter, which occurs in spring.

next image!

evidence for flowers:

giant obvious statue just slightly left of the middle of the image. huge plant, huge pink flowers

on the screen to the left to the statue is shiver, with green tentacles. the color green is often associated with plants. flowers are a type of plant

evidence for eggs:

this image pretty much proves that egg is one of the splatfest options. the cephaloling in the forefront has a tye-dye style splatfest tee with an egg symbol on it

we know that this is a splatfest tee becayse every cephaloling in every image is wearing a tye-dye style tee, and the tye-dye shirts didnt appear in the gear announcement

egg is guaranteed a splatfest option and its color is pink

next image:

evidence for flowers:

to the left of the frontmost statue are some pretty big tulips

on the bottom of the statue's bonnet is a strange pink symbol and a fish symbol. both have small flower markings.

the kitsune and tanuki statues have flower crowns

evidence for eggs:

on top of the frontmost statue is a large object that can be assumed to be an egg

the statue's base seems to be a giant eggshell

hanging off the bottom of that eggshell are smaller eggs in the splatfest colors

final image:

this image has a lot of the same evidence as the first image, with the addition of the pink pinhole shades having jellybeans and sprinkles in the lenses.

in the back are three ink splashes. in order for left to right, its green, blue, pink. assuming the ink splashes are in accurate order (as in when we get the actual theme announcement the order of colors will be the same), that means shiver is on the green team, frye is on the blue team, and big man is on the pink team.

shiver has already been seen with green tentacles, and ive already said how i think green is team flowers because of green's association with plants. we already know for sure that team eggs is guaranteed and its ink color is pink, so big man is on team eggs.

that means frye is on team candy, the blue team. this makes extra sense because frye was on team sweet. if anybody in deep cut was team candy, it would be her.

as such, i believe the splatfest theme is flowers vs candy vs eggs. i think team flowers has green ink and is repped by shiver. i think team candy has blue ink and is repped by frye. and i think team eggs has pink ink and is repped by big man.

thank you for coming to my S.Q.U.E.D. (splatoon questions understanding entertainment design) Talk

[thelandboundseawitch]

🐣Ostara🐣

Ostara, or the Spring Equinox or the Vernal Equinox, is known as the first day of spring. It’s a time that marks the nights shortening and the days becoming longer. Ostara is similar to Easter in its aesthetic, but they are very different celebrations. Ostara often times starts between March 19th-22nd, it varies by year so make sure to check each year.

Activities

Plant flower seeds/bulbs

Spring Cleaning

Dye Eggs (and try your hand at making natural dyes)

Take a walk and admire springtime

Set up a bird house, bird feeder, etc.

Plan your summer garden

Altar Decorations

Bunnies

Flowers (and other plants), seeds, bulbs, etc.

Eggs

Ribbon

Chicks/birds/nests

Garland

Easter decorations

Baskets

Animals

Bunnies

Birds + Chicks

Butterflies

Baby animals

Colors

Pale Green

Pale Yellow

Pale Pink

White

Crystals

Amethyst

Aquamarine

Moonstone

Rose Quartz

Deities

Aphrodite / Venus

Eostre

Gaia

Persephone

Demeter

Osiris

Flowers

Tulips

Daffodils

Easter lilies

Peonies

Liliacs

Lavender

Clover

Honeysuckle

Meadowsweet

Food

Cheese

Eggs

Chocolate

Honeycake

Milk

Seeds + Nuts

Honey

Yogurt

Fresh fruit (especially berries)

Incense and Oils

Jasmine

Rose

Vanilla

Berries

Lavender

Plants & Herbs

Lavender

Thyme

Rose Hips

Dogwood

Clovers

Lemon Balm

Catnip

Spells and Rituals

Balance

Fertility

Growth

Rebirth

Marriage

Final Notes

"The character of the “Easter bunny” first appeared in 16th-century German writings, which said that if well-behaved children built a nest out of their caps or bonnets, they would be rewarded with colored eggs" [1].

"American Christians continue to generally celebrate Easter as a religious holiday, but public references to Easter almost never include any religious elements. Christians and non-Christians alike celebrate Easter in decidedly non-Christian ways: with chocolate and other forms of Easter candy, Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts, the Easter bunny, and so forth. Most cultural references to Easter include these elements, most of which are pagan in origin and all of which have become commercialized" [2].

[always-outlander]

Easter Eggs and Spoilers for 7x03 below the cut! 

The Big House

The big house burns - and we learn that Arch Bug had been hiding a secret right beneath Jamie and Claire’s nose. But what I found especially interesting about this storyline (and even more so when I first read the books), was the discovery that their obituary was written in error, and why.

Claire and Jamie remark that it is not January at the time that the house burns down, and it’s clearly not even Fall in the show (in the books the house burns on December 21st). Claire also makes a comment about how newspapers never get anything correct, which is comical considering Jamie’s previous profession as a printer.

In the epilogue of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, we discover that the news of their deaths was reported by a reader of the local paper in Wilmington, and was used to fill a page beneath General Washington’s address to the troops. Spoiler territory, but it was actually Tom Christie who heard of the big house fire and wanted to put a formal obituary in the paper to honor Claire and Jamie. We see that Tom is very much still alive in the preview for this week’s episode, so that will cover the rest of that storyline.

But back to the book epilogue. The printer admits that he was told the news of their deaths in December, but printed the date as January because he had set the page in a specific font which had been missing the November and December slugs, and would have had to type it out in separate letters (which he did not feel was worth it, since after all, they are dead).

1980’s

Back in the future, we are in Inverness with Fiona and her husband and daughters. We briefly see Jemmy and Fiona’s kids playing in the yard, with Mandy in the bassinet and implied to be recovering from her heart surgery. The year is 1980 but it’s implied they have been there for a little while now - I know a lot of people were confused as to why there was such a time jump. Claire and Jamie are in 1776, and while Claire always says she went back 200 years, we will soon learn once Roger begins writing his book on time travel that it’s not exact every time.

There, Fiona gives Bree and Roger a mystery box which had been delivered to Reverend Wakefield’s former address and kept by the bank for over 200 years. In the books, Claire and Jamie deliver this chest to a bank in Edinburgh once they arrive back in Scotland so that one day in the future it would be delivered to Jemmy. So to ensure that no one else would ever open the box at that time, they gave strict instructions that it not be opened by anyone other than the name on the top, and used Jemmy’s full name (presumably so that no other Scot with a similar name could claim it as theirs). We see them writing those letters in this episode to Brianna and Roger, updating them as to what has happened and their journey to Scotland.

In the books, the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes is Bree reading the letter and line “we are alive”, then the book ends. I like that we don’t have that cliffhanger here and can see this storyline unfold right away as it is one of my favorites from the books. In this moment we were able to get excerpts from a few more letters which are taken directly from An Echo in the Bone, and can see how Jamie and Claire had both taken turns writing to the McKenzie’s.

In the books, the box includes letters, two books, and Sawnee, Jamie’s toy snake from his brother. In the show, they included a musket ball which we saw them making out of the stolen French gold in the episode. Another difference is that in the books, the letter is written on December 31st, ten days after the fire. In the show, it’s written in April.

Bree and William

In Echo in the Bone, the opening scene takes place with Bree and Roger still in Wilmington, and standing with William watching Stephen Bonnet tied up in the harbor (obviously this has been rearranged in the show, since the Bonnet storyline wrapped up in Season 5). It is on the shore that she meets William, and William meets Mandy and Jemmy as well. Then we cut to Lallybroch in September of 1980, where Bree and Roger are continuing to read the first letter from Claire. Having been so immersed in the show, it’s easy to forget how many storylines they have moved around from the books.

Like the books, Roger points out that Bree’s matches are in fact the thing that caused the fire of the Big House while reading Claire’s letter. He points out that in trying to prevent their deaths they had succeeded, and changed the future. This is reminiscent of Claire and Jamie’s journey to France and how their attempts to prevent an event were likely the very thing that caused it.

Ian and William

Back at the Big House, Claire, Jamie and Ian are going through the rubble in search of anything they can recover. Amongst the items are a few of Claire’s books, Jamie’s old tartan, and a piece of the french gold. Young Ian is also able to recover the portrait of William that Lord John had given Jamie.

In the books, Ian had been suspicious of William’s parentage the first time he met him as a child back on the Ridge when he and Lord John had visited. He had recognized his stubborn nature as one that mirrored Jamie’s and his mother’s, but never made mention of it to Jamie. In the show they took this opportunity to have Jamie and Ian share that really lovely moment. You can tell what a relief it has been to Jamie each and every time someone else learns of this secret he has been harboring. And Ian has such a huge role in Jamie’s life as his only true remaining family to be with him now. I really think John Bell is the perfect Young Ian.

French Gold

Arch Bug and Jamie have their inevitable confrontation where he admits that he had been taking it back from Hector Cameron bit by bit each time he was sent to River Run. For backstory and a refresher, Jocasta Cameron (Jamie’s aunt) was married to a man named Hector Cameron, who we briefly saw in a flashback during season 4. Hector, his brother in law Dougal (Jamie’s Uncle), and a third man (who we now know was Arch Bug’s Laird, Malcolm Grant) had the gold and intended to use it to support the Jacobite cause and aid Charles Stuart’s rebellion.

When Hector Cameron and Jocasta fled Scotland after the rising, they took their share of the Jacobite gold with them and used it to fund River Run. It was during that journey that Hector accidentally killed he and Jocasta’s daughter, Morna. Arch felt that the gold was misused and Hector was a traitor to Scotland and the cause. He felt it was his duty to take it back, and in doing so he stole from Jamie’s family. Jamie terminates Arch’s employment at the Ridge and releases him of his oath to him.

In the books this moment is substantial because the Bugs are less of background characters and we have seen how much they mean to the Frasers. The show isn’t able to capture that properly, and even more so with Mrs Bug. It isn’t until An Echo in the Bone where Mrs. Bug returns to the Big House in search of the remaining gold where she is mistaken for Arch and is killed by Ian. She was a grandmother figure to Ian whom he deeply loved and appreciated so this was heartbreaking in the books. I suspect in episode 4 we will see Ian and Rachel meet and perhaps by the end of this first half of season 7 we will have Arch return. In the books he goes after Rachel a few times, as Ian is in love with her. William is the one who saves her a few times, and I’m looking forward to him and Ian interacting with one another for the rest of this season.

Return to Scotland

Back on the Ridge, time has passed (as made evident by Claire’s hair). Jamie and Claire discuss where they might set out to build another house, and they share a conversation about where they would like their body’s buried should either of them be killed which is direct from the books. Jamie tells Claire that he wishes to first return to Scotland, as he had promised Ian and Jenny that he would return young Ian to them. With the war looming, it is now or never. They agree that they should go and begin making plans to travel back across the ocean to Lallybroch.

In the books he does not admit that to Claire right away but instead says his reason for returning is to fetch his printing press. The Ridge is no longer a safe place for them while there is so much unrest regarding Malva and now Mrs Bug. Claire thinks they can go live with Fergus and Marsali in New Bern, and it is then Jamie tells her he wishes to bring Ian home and have him avoid the war.

That night, while in bed, Claire can hear Jamie praying. In the books, he leaves their room and goes to a small pool or water near their cabin to pray, and Claire finds him there only to pick up on him praying to God to let him be enough. I enjoyed how this scene was shot in the show better, to be honest. And rolls perfectly into the following morning when Jamie tells Claire of his most recent dream.

The frequency of Jamie’s dreams of the future seem to be increasing, and this time he tells Claire that he saw the McKenzie’s. They were walking up to a house, and looked happy. He is able to tell Claire the name of the woman speaking to them both, Fiona, which Claire knows she had not shared with Jamie before. He also tells Claire that Jemmy was trying to talk to him through a box he’d never seen before, and she tells him it is a telephone.

To hide what was left of the French Gold, Jamie uses some of it for musket balls and the remainder he puts into a chest. He and Claire then return to a cave that we find out he used to come to with Jemmy. Inside the cave, Jamie shows Claire the remains of a Spanish man who died there. This is later important in Jamie’s cryptic letter to Roger and Bree which reveals Jemmy holds the key to finding it. The storyline with Jemmy in the future gets very interesting, and I feel like the cliffhanger for the end of this first half of the season might be his kidnapping.

A New Knife

Back on the Ridge, Jamie and Claire share a scene straight from the books where he gives her a new knife for their journey. There are lots of direct quotes from the books, minus a few dirty comments from Jamie. The two blood the blade and call back to the iconic line from their wedding, “Blood of my Blood” with a reworked version of their theme song.

I loved this parallel to their wedding, where Claire was not given a choice to share her blood and partake in this act. Now, we see her blood her own blade willingly and choose Jamie once again. The theme of Echo and the Bone is definitely heavy on Jamie’s self worth and Claire choosing him over and over again. Their strength as a couple will be needed more than ever this season, so I like that they are reinforcing that with these scenes.

Lallybroch

At the end of the episode, Bree and Roger drive up to Lallybroch. Ironically they were filming at when I was in Scotland last year and my tour was cancelled because they ended up extending filming due to rain. While there, Bree explains to Roger how much he would have loved the house in its hay day. They cut to a shot of Bree sitting on the steps looking through the gate like Claire had back in season 3 imagining Jamie there. Worried they are trespassing when another car arrives, they learn that the property is actually up for sale. When we see them in the future again in the books they had already purchased it, so I liked getting to see this scene in the show. The house is so central to their storyline and feels like a strong return to seasons 1 and 2. When Jamie and Claire go back to Scotland this season the two couples will be at Lallybroch simultaneously across time and I think that will be incredible to watch.

Wilmington again

Claire and Jamie travel to Wilmington (doesn’t it feel like they just left and were only home on the ridge for a long weekend) and along the way Claire spots Adso. She knows she cannot take him with her and sadly leaves him in the woods to live out his life at the ridge. She has a moment where the reality of their home being gone again hits her all at once and they have a really touching scene where she sees the stake that Jamie first put down in season 4 when they arrived at Fraser's Ridge.

She asks Jamie if they will make it back there one day, and he admits he never thought he’d see Scotland again but the Ridge is where they are bound, so they will. This ties back to his conversation with Bree where she tells him that the freedom gained in this war is worth fighting for, so Jamie knows he must take part. To wrap a nice bow around the episode, Claire says to him that he will always be enough for her, and it was the sweetest moment as the two ride off towards their next adventure in Wilmington as they prepare to travel to Scotland.

A good episode, pacing is still quite quick, but I’m enjoying this season a lot.

[wordswithkittywitch]

"In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it..."

Well, I don't celebrate Easter because I'm pagan, but part of my Ostara tradition is getting a new garment for spring, or in this case, making a whole new outfit for spring.

I'm pleased as punch about how the whole thing came out, mother said this is the best dress I've yet made and I can't argue with her. It fits beautifully and the pattern absolutely enhances the design.

[snailsagere]

Please read my dni in my bio before interacting

It's Easter tomorrow so here's a poll! I don't really get to celebrate Easter but I love egg hunts! :3

[ms-m-astrologer]

2024 Aries Equinox

Wednesday, March 20, 03:06 UT Chart erected for Washington, DC (Tuesday, March 19, 23:06 EDT)

I wish all charts were this simple to interpret! But that’s an Aries thing, keeping it simple. Fitting.

We have an “easy opposition” here: the Moon in Leo opposes Pluto/Aquarius; the Aries Sun is trine the Moon and sextile Pluto. Some situation (Pluto) causes us to react (Moon), and the “easy” part is when we let that Aries Sun step up and take action. Easy peasy. We’re enthusiastic and optimistic, and why ever not?!?

Mercury is sandwiched between the North Node and Chiron. It’s allowed to speak up, but not to shout over others.

Venus is closing in on Saturn; their conjunction is at the midpoint of a trine between Ceres and Jupiter. It isn’t necessarily depressing, just a solemn mood, and not without some comfort.

===*+*===

The Aries Equinox is important for the calculation of Easter: that holiday happens on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the vernal equinox. As I was raised as an Episcopalian (one of the Protestant Christian deniminations), my Easter memories are vivid. Coloring the Easter eggs was serious business - my mom would always use some of them to make Devilled Eggs, which are definitely an acquired taste. The rest, we ate for breakfast until they ran out. There was lots of candy, too, though I preferred chocolate.

But the best part - especially 60 years later! - was the Easter outfit. My maternal grandma always made us new Easter dresses. We got new coats, too, which Mom usually bought - new purses - new white gloves - and best of all, a new Easter bonnet!

[youremyonlyhope]

Hallmark’s Sense and Sensibility

Yes. YES. All I've ever wanted was an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility where Mr. Dashwood is white, Mary Dashwood is Black (or another race), so that the sisters are mixed and it causes even more tension between their older white half-brother and his wife.

As a mixed girl, I’ve been begging for this version of the story to be told.

I can't believe Hallmark is the one to do it, but I am ready and excited to watch.

Hmm... is Fanny mixed... is internalized racism going to be an issue for her too? If so, I am here for that.

Edward is Fanny's stepbrother... I don't think that was the case in the book. But I infamously hate Edward so maybe I just didn't pay close enough attention to him. (It's a change)

BONNETS. They have bonnets! They have natural hair (probably wigs but still, natural textures), and bonnets. I am actually super happy about the costuming so far.

Ok I might like this Edward... We'll see. We're not at the part where he makes me mad. But right now... he's ok.

"Right kind of woman" ok girl. Sure.

I really liked that scene between Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor, while Margaret played the pianoforte.

Oh Col. Brandon. Already smitten. I do have one complaint though: Mrs. Dashwood is supposed to be about 40, to make it so Col. Brandon being 35 offputs Marianne even more that he's close to her mother's age. But this Mrs. Dashwood (who I really really like so far) is being played as much older than 40.

YES CURLING RAGS. And am I crazy but are some of Marianne's clothes kind of leaning to wards 1820s transitionary styles? I sorta love that if that's the case.

OK Willoughby... ok. You cute. I love this "Who are you?" thing we got going on.

That painting of a Black man in Georgian-ish clothing. Someone remind me to look it up. I love the framing of this shot with Brandon and Willoughby, and the painting between them.

God I adore Mrs. Jennings. In generally but I really like this one.

God, fuck Willoughby. I always forget how much I hate him.

"A daughter." No no no you're supposed to say "natural daughter." Come on.

Oh poor Willoughby, what a coincidence he's called to London, while Brandon's already in London, dealing with an issue involving his "natural daughter." Such unlucky timing...

I can't wait to see Steele sisters. I hope their hair is blonde, so there's no doubt that the hair Edward has is NOT Elinor's. God. This is what I wanted from a S&S adaptation.

OOH the Miss Steeles are Black too! Ok. Ok. Fanny you absolute hypocrite.

OH MY GOD. THE PAINTING OF DIDO ELIZABETH BELLE IS IN THE BACKGROUND. Oh my god. I literally just squeaked. No random family would have that painting hanging, especially with the cousin cut out only showing Dido but STILL. And adding the fact that I once found an Amazon listing for an Austen novel using the cousin Elizabeth as the portrait and cutting out Dido (and also that the portrait is from 50 years earlier) made me so mad. This little easter egg of including Dido's portrait in this movie is like HEALING that specific moment's pain for me. Oh my god.

This adaptation, is far too good. It's so much better than I thought it would be.

Ah yes, the constant talk of "beau"s from Anne.

YES THE LOOP ON THE TRAIN.

This Lucy is diabolical. I don't think I remember her being so... almost mean. Annoying yes, but mean? Hmm...

Love all these Black paintings. I wonder if Juan will show up, though that's a Spanish painting not English.

Miss Jennings has white servants. Love it.

I think they made Robert worse.

"And I always keep my promises." You tell him. I thought I was going crazy earlier, that a song sounded kind of pop-ish. But they're playing Kiss From a Rose right now on a string quartet, so they're going full Bridgerton with this. I didn't want to accuse it earlier, but now I must.

Ugh. Willoughby.

MRS. FERRARS IS BLACK. FANNY YOU SUCK. You're giving us light skinned mixed girls a bad name.

Edward didn't want to be in the same room as his main and his side chick. I forgot about the Mortons. He's got 3 girls. This is why I dislike him. And I really think this movie ended up playing up Robert Ferrars' personality in a way I'm not sure I liked, he was always charming but I don't think he was this rude.

Ok Marianne. You're not wrong. But I don't remember that. It's been over a year since I last read S&S, I really need to brush up on it I guess.

Wasn't Eliza married to Brandon's brother and then cast aside? I really need to brush up. However, god I'm reminded of how much I love Austen.

Well I enjoy this Edward's embarrassment a lot.

Ooh Fanny. I don't like Lucy but do not call her a peasant.

Ok fine, point to Edward. I will concede that this adaptation is doing a good job of making the watcher feel for Edward. I still dislike him the most of all Austen husbands.

This is truly a great Elinor.

They've been so careful with having everyone in gloves. And now Edward is thanking Elinor, taking her hand, and no one is in gloves. I see you costume department, I see you.

Yessss loose hair moment.

Oh my god, I always love Col Brandon when he says he won't rest until he brings Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret. Every single adaptation. It makes me so emotional.

Wow ok. This version is a very good Edward, a very good Elinor, a very good Marianne, a very good Brandon. Even a very good Willoughby. I can't believe they really made me actually want to forgive Edward. I usually still am salty towards him by the end. That alone makes this pretty amazing.

Costumes were fun. A little bit crazy but honestly sometimes Austen adaptations don't go crazy enough with the costumes. Minus some fit issues with the empire waists (same issues that Bridgerton is plagued by) and some weird closures in the backs of some dresses, it was really well done costume wise.

And I was surprised that race was not as much of an issue as wealth, though I still think that Fanny and Mrs. Ferrars had some colorism issues in there.

Really my only issue with the movie is that they didn't make clear how old Brandon was compared to Marianne. And I have some concerns about Robert's characterization. That's really all I can complain about though.

Dare I say... that Hallmark somehow created... my new favorite Sense and Sensibility adaptation...

[mask131]

Green spring: The Easter Bunny

THE EASTER BUNNY

Category: Easter folklore

When people think of Easter, they usually consider that there are two sides to the celebration – the religious Easter, about the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Christian religion, and the secular Easter, which is all about finding chocolate eggs. But it might surprise you to learn that the Easter eggs – and the Easter bunny – are not as “cut-off” from the religious celebrations as one might think…

You see, the very tradition of the Easter eggs comes from a Christian custom of sharing eggs dyed red – dyed red to symbolize the blood shed during the crucifixion of Jesus, the death of the Messiah, but eggs to symbolize the resurrection of the Christ upon Easter day. While in most of the “Western world”, the religiousness of the eggs kind of disappeared – as they became plastic eggs and chocolate eggs hunted down by children in gardens and parks, they kept all of their religiousness in Eastern Christianity (Orthodox Christianity), where they are still blessed by a priest. In fact, the very reason the Easter eggs are chocolate eggs now was cause of the practice of Lent – forty days of fasting before Easter during which Christians were forbidden to eat rich foods, such as meat, eggs or sweets. Since Lent ended with Easter, people started to create chocolate eggs to have the pleasure to eat back two of the forbidden “Lent foods” (eggs and chocolate) at once. And similarly, it might surprise you, the Easter Bunny started out as a religious figure…

The Easter Bunny first appeared as the “Easter Hare” among the Lutherans of Germany in the second half of the 17th century – he was a moral figure very similar to what Santa Claus was for Christmas, that is to say that the Easter Hare was supposed to watch over and decide which children were naughty and which children were nice during Eastertide (the Easter season). Nice children would then receive gifts from the Easter Hare – colored eggs, candies and/or toys. The Easter Hare was especially supposed to place the eggs in special nets children had to make in their bonnets, caps or hats on Easter Eve. It was truly a figure of Protestant moralism, the same way Saint Nicholas was tied to Catholic morals for children. It was in the 18th century that the tradition left Germany: as German Protestants arrived in the USA, they brought over with them the “Osterhase”, Easter Hare, which quickly became there the “Easter Rabbit” or “Easter Bunny” – a magical rabbit supposed to hid decorated eggs and/or chocolate eggs in gardens, houses and parks on Easter Eve, eggs that children had then to hunt down and collect on Easter Day.

As you know, nowadays the Easter Bunny is a fully secular creature, part of a “modern folklore” and not being tied to religion anymore. He is a secular symbol of the holiday, especially used by toy-makers and chocolate-makers, who love to distribute Easter Rabbit dolls and chocolate statues on Easter day. Due to this secular nature, there are also many local and regional variations of the creature: for example in Australia, where rabbits are considered a dangerous pest, the mascot of Easter is rather the Easter Bilby – named after an endangered species in an effort to raise awareness and gather funds for the protection of this little marsupial. While the Easter Bunny imposed itself in American-influenced and English-speaking regions, the Germanic countries still hold on to their Easter Hare. And in French-speaking countries (plus Italy) there is a very different custom… The ones supposed to bring the Easter eggs are actually the “Easter bells”. Like, church bells. I’ll explain: in Catholicism it is strictly forbidden to ring the church bells during the “Holy Week” that precedes Easter, to honor the death of Christ. As a result, a legend/story arose, told to children – the story claims that the reason the bells do not ring is because they are gone, they (yes, they are sentient) went on their way to Rome, on a pilgrimage to be blessed by the Pope himself! And they only return to their rightful place on Easter – but not without bringing back eggs they drop in gardens everywhere… This is why in France, Belgium and Italy there is a custom of saying “The Easter bells brought you some eggs!”, “The bells are back from Rome”, or to sell chocolate-bells. But, and as a Frenchman I can attest, this very Christian-focused custom becomes less and less practiced in France, where laicism and the American influence pushed forward the widespread use of the Easter Rabbit instead of the Easter Bells.

You might wonder why a hare out of all was originally chosen for this holiday – and why even the hare was tied to the eggs. Unlike what many people will want you to believe, people “back in the days” did not think that rabbits or hares could lay eggs, no… But the hare had a specific religious connotation which explains why the Lutherans associated it with the “egg of resurrection” of the Christ. You see, it was believed that hares were hermaphrodite creatures, that could reproduce all on their own, without need of a partner. As such, they were considered to be able to reproduce without “losing their virginity”… You see where I’m coming with that? Hares became, especially in northern medieval Europe, a symbol for the Virgin Mary. And thus, the hare (symbolizing Mary) brings the egg (symbolizing Jesus)…

What is also fascinating with the Easter Bunny is that, unlike Santa Claus which has a very precise “canon”, the Easter Bunny doesn’t have any truly settled image in popular culture. Everyone depicts him differently. For some he speaks, for others he doesn’t. For some he is white, for other he is brown – when not blue. For some he is anthropomorphized, dressed with human clothes ; for others he just looks like a regular good old rabbit… There is absolutely no specifically formed image. Everybody pictures a different rabbit in their own head. Though, with the success of Easter Bunny-centered movies this last decade, such as the “Hop” movie or the “Rise of the Guardians” one, things might change in the future… Who knows?

- - - - - -

Since I won’t be able to make much Green Spring post this month, I made an additional one just for Easter. A bit late, I know, but hey, we do as we can.

Speaking of the Easter Bunny, there is something else I should mention: the Eostre theory. Now… As I said, the Easter Rabbit originally was a German figure, a German invention. Well, the Germans have a specific thing with the Easter holiday thanks to the 19th century folklorists, who decided, and tried to prove, that the German celebrations of Easter, were actually tied to the ancient pagan celebrations of a Germanic goddess known as “Eostre” or “Ostara”, a divinity of springtime and the dawn, whose festival got replaced by the Christian Easter. The very name “Eostre” had supposedly turned into “Eastre”, then “Easter”. This theory was notably made EXTREMELY popular by the Brothers Grimm (if you only know them for their fairytales, you should learn that they also studied a lot Germanic paganism, German gods and the German religion as a whole). [To be precise, Eostre was thought to have been originally a Saxon goddess, whose existence and worship then spread to ancient England, thus making her an Anglo-Saxon goddess, and explaining the supposed similarities between the “pagan Easters” of both Germany and England]

In this theory and interpretation, people perceived the “invention” of the Easter Hare as not an “invention”, but a resurgence and return of an ancient pagan symbol – they theorized that the hare was the sacred animal, or animal companion, of Eostre. But despite this very enthusiastic theory, nowadays experts agree that there is no actual substance tying the Easter Bunny/Hare or even the Easter Eggs to the ancient goddess Ostara – and many people even doubt the true existence of Ostara in the first place, with many elements and attributes seemingly being made up.

A bit more Easter eggs trivia for the road: the first chocolate eggs of Easter were invented in France, at the royal court of king Louis XIV, in 1725 to be exact, at Versailles, created by filling empty eggshells with molten chocolate (the first hollow chocolate egg was created in England in 1875). Beyond the red (which was the original dye color for the Easter eggs, reflection of Christ’s blood), the other most popular color for the eggs in the “olden days” was green, to symbolize the renewed foliage and reborn nature of this springtime celebration – the same spring ambiance of Easter also led to the custom of painting leaves over the eggs. The opening of Easter eggs in Christianity is supposed to symbolize the opening of the tomb of the Christ, only to find that it is empty (since he resurrected after being entombed). Between the primitive “let’s dye chicken eggs red” and the modern “plastic eggs filled with candies”, there was a whole tradition of carving Easter eggs out of wood, or making them out of porcelain, and the most famous example of these artificial eggs is without a doubt the Fabergé eggs – a series of wonderful, jeweled Easter eggs made out of precious materials with exquisite decorations, created by the Fabergé jewelry for the two last Russian Tsars… Beyond the traditional “egg hunt” of Easter, found in a lot of countries nowadays, England and Germany have a lot of other Easter games involving eggs – such as the “egg dance” (dancing around eggs on the floor without cracking them), “egg taping” (two people fight by taping each other’s hard boiled egg until one cracks) and the “egg rolling” (an egg race where eggs are throw by the side of a hill, rolling from the top to the bottom).

And finally, the tradition of sharing red eggs ended up creating folk-legends tying this custom to the Biblical times (these legends are found among Orthodox folk-Christianity, again Easter is a VERY BIG deal among Eastern Christians). One of those stories claims that Mary Magdalene had brought boiled eggs in a basket to the other women who went to the tomb of the Christ – and that the eggs turned bright red when the women discovered that the corpse was gone. Another story rather claims that Mary Magdalene, in her effort to spread the news that Jesus was resurrected, went to the emperor of Rome (which one? We don’t know) to tell him “Christ has risen!” (a very common sentence that Orthodox Christians typically pronounce at the blessing or opening of Easter eggs). The emperor mocked her by pointing at an egg and saying “The Christ has no more risen than this egg is red!”, and lo and behold! The egg turned red…

EDIT: @skyprowler pointed out to me that the “blessing of the eggs/blessing of the food” isn’t an exclusively Orthodox rite - it actually is a shared ritual between Western and Eastern Christianity - and while it was never something big in France (at least to my knowledge), it is still very strong today in Germany, Poland, Finland and Slovakia (in fact, skyprowler suggested that it might have been a Central/Eastern European rite that survived in the canon of the Orthodox Church, while kept existing only regionally in the Catholic Church)