Passover, Easter, and Sweet (Floral) Gatherings
Springtime is in the air in New York City, and holiday celebrations are right around the corner. As a flower shop, we have a special place in our hearts for holidays – adding color and life to the joy, togetherness, and community inherent in gathering.
To skip the holiday history and go straight for the flowers, scroll down to Our Favorite Floral Picks for this Weekend.
The Traditions of Passover and Easter
This weekend marks the start of the Jewish holiday Passover, a week-long celebration of the Israelite's liberation from Egyptian slavery, originating in the 1200s BC. According to tradition, the festival marked the “passing over” of their homes by the forces of evil and destruction.
Modern Passovers are celebrated in many forms, but most involve a Seder, a special family meal wherein significant and symbolic foods are accompanied by traditional prayers and recitations. Families join in gratitude for liberation and safety, while also paying homage to the pain and suffering that came before them.
Similarly, Easter will also be largely celebrated around the city this weekend; the holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion within the Christian tradition. Easter Sunday also marks the end of Lent, a span of 40 days dedicated to acts of penance and fasting. Historically, Easter has been observed differently across different Christian denominations and has morphed over time due to the influence of folk traditions. But today, most celebrations involve a morning church service, followed by a mealtime gathering.
But Where’d the Bunny Come From?
Like many holidays, there’s a lot we associate with Easter that didn’t originate with it – like painting “Easter eggs” and hiding them for children to find. Decorating eggs began as a way to designate which eggs were laid during Holy Week (the week preceding Easter) beginning in the 13th CE, and making a game out of hiding and seeking them can be dated back to the 16th CE.
The bunny we now know as the deliverer of those decorated eggs (and baskets of toys and treats in the United States) was added to the Easter tradition in the 17th CE, speculated as a shift of Protestants away from Catholic tradition. In several European countries, the bunny is replaced by other animals, like a cuckoo in Switzerland and a fox in Westphalia.
No matter what you celebrate, celebrate it with love.
One thing we love about New York is the wide variety of people - with all their traditions, customs, religions, and reasons for celebrating as unique as they are. But one common thread weaving together almost every holiday is gathering around food with the people you love. Whether a Seder or an Easter brunch or a shared meal to mark the re-emerging blooms on the trees and warmer days on the horizon, we encourage you to celebrate with your whole heart.
At Julia Testa, this of course means, adding fresh flowers to those times of gathering. We’ve got the best flowers to add to your tables, to bring to your host’s house, and to say “thanks for all your work in bringing us together,” after the celebration has passed.
So, without further ado,
Here are our favorite floral picks for this weekend.
We will be closed on Sunday, April 17, but will be taking same-day delivery orders until 3 pm on Saturday. We will reopen to business as usual on Monday, April 18th.
Bunch of Happiness
Nothing says spring more than a colorful bunch of tulips. Choose from a wrapped style bouquet with a satin ribbon, or a vase arrangement designed in clear class.
Spring Sorbet
This delightful arrangement will add joy to any table it’s on, featuring pastel colors and pops of fun turquoise. It will be designed in a white container while available, or substituted with clear glass.
Bring the Sunshine
This tall, stunning arrangement is a guaranteed show-stopper, with gorgeous white delphinium and a mix of gladiolus, Yellow Calla, Hints of Blue, White Rose, all in a tall safety vase.
Sweet Aroma
With beautiful blooms of peony, cymbidium orchid, lisianthks, spray rose, fragrant lily, and calla lily, this wonderfully springy arrangement will fill the room with the sweet scent of fresh flowers.
Clearly Beautiful
This arrangement is well named, as Calla Lilly, white Tulips, white Hydrangea, light pink spray roses, South African Protea, and Aspidistra leaf, all are arranged tightly to create a lush luxury composition. The ceramic container may be substituted for white or clear glass, depending on availability.
Shop the entire Easter/Passover collection here, and Happy Celebrating from the Julia Testa team to you.
*Information about Easter and Passover was collected from Encyclopedia Britannica.