March 12th, 2009 by Solange

Bright sunny yellows, fresh greens, sweet Camaeiu of blues, milky cream background,  Easter greeting cards colors celebrate the joys of spring and revival.

Easter postcards were first sent to friends and relatives at the end of the 19^th century. Back then, most of the pictures represented decorated eggs. Poor Easter bunnies, symbol new life which can be traced to the 16^th century had almost disappeared from the pictures. The pairing of the 2 : Bunny & egg was a marketing ploy hatch in the 1900’s to boost sales.

I don’t remember ever receiving many Easter cards, they are certainly on the declin which make vintage cards rather collectable as they are not easy to come across. The most impressive Easter cards were stamped in silver and gold.

Nowadays When sending a Easter card you can choose a religious theme and/ or incorporate the history of Easter:

• The most sacred festival in the Christian calendar, Easter commemorates the Resurrection of Christ.
• In pagan times a festival was held in honour of Eostre, goddess of dawn, hence its name Easter.
• Easter is a moveable feast which takes place on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the 21^st of March.
• Passover, the historic Exodus of Jewish people was for a while celebrated during the same period,  as  it was during Passover that Jesus was crucified.

If you decide on a more modern and secular twist, you could rely on new symbols such as basket full of goodies and chocolate, cards with lively flowers such as the white lily symbol of purity.

The white Bermuda lily is the accepted symbol for Easter and is the most popular flower for Easter decorations today.

There is a large choice of e-cards for Easter, free e-cards are easy to send. Religious or  secular, it is about time we bring the tradition back to its former glory don’t you think? So make a list of people to send your “Best Easter Wishes” to on:

2009 April 12

2010 April 4

2011 April 24