April 2012 - April Fool, Easter and Anzac Day

What has April 2012 got in store for us...
1st April Fool’s Day
April Fools Day, sometimes called All Fools Day, is a day of mixed and unknown origin. Yet, most of the western world knows this is a day set aside for good hearted pranks, hoaxes, gags, and giggles!

April Fools Design

6th-9th April - Easter
According to the gospel, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday). The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to have occurred between AD 26 and 36.
Easter marks the end of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. The last week of the Lent is called Holy Week, and it contains Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Easter is followed by a fifty-day period called Eastertide or the Easter Season, ending with Pentecost Sunday.
Easter has other links beside those for the Christian religion. It was a pagan festival celebrating the beginning of spring with the Goddess known as Eastre having a rabbit as her symbol, hence the Easter Bunny. The Easter Rabbit did not become a commonly used symbol, however, until the 19th century. Similarly, the sharing of eggs was a common practice during spring celebrations, though they may not have been quite as colourful or made of chocolate. More information on the history and traditions of Easter is found below.

Easter Stubby Holder Design

25th April - Anzac Day
The ANZAC tradition - was established on 25 April, 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
It was the start of a campaign that lasted eight months and resulted in some 25,000 Australian casualties, including 8,700 who were killed or died of wounds or disease. The men who served on the Gallipoli Peninsula created a legend, adding the word ‘ANZAC’ to our vocabulary and creating the notion of the ANZAC spirit.

Anzac Day Stubby Holder Design

In 1916, the first anniversary of the landing was observed in Australia, New Zealand and England and by troops in Egypt. That year, 25 April was officially named ‘ANZAC Day’ by the Acting Prime Minister, George Pearce. By the 1920s, ANZAC Day ceremonies were held throughout Australia. All States had designated ANZAC Day as a public holiday. In the 1940s, Second World War veterans joined parades around the country.
Have a great month!