ULTIMATE DECADES CHALLENGE -1309 - FRI - ISABELLE'S NEEDLEWORK - WEEK 6 - DAY 41 - UPDATED DEC 7
THE CHALLENGE: https://i.postimg.cc/m2kK8RBn/morbids-ultimate-decades-challenge.png This challenge is based on Morbid's Ultimate Decades Challenge. It is a very involved challenge, and there...
The family was up early and there was much excitement this morning. The annual Easter Spring Festival was being held in Finchwick.
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William and Francesca had talked it over, and even though Francesca had never been to the Easter Spring Festival before, and was looking forward to doing 'The Carole' with William, it was decided that they would follow Francesca's tradition of attending church. Afterall, Easter had always been a special holiday for their Uncle Bernard, and this was the first Easter that he would not be with them. So Francesca felt that it would be a fitting memory to her uncle if they attended church together.
William had seen Rahmi at the Cow Festival yesterday, and Rahmi had suggested that perhaps the Fletcher children could attend the festival with her family while the Fletcher adults attended church. William thought that was a good idea, and so that is what was planned.
Rahmi also mentioned that an egg hunt had been organized by King Edward himself. It was the first of its kind in Henford-on-Bagley. King Edward had purchased 450 eggs and his servants were hiding eggs all around Henford-on-Bagley for the children to find. Apparently the eggs had been brightly decorated so were easy to spot. King Edward had decreed that the child who found the most eggs would be awarded a prize for their efforts.
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Everyone met at the The Old Stone Church in Finchwick after dropping off their children with Rahmi and her family at the Easter Spring Festival.
Francesca saw Colette and Isabelle and she went over and spoke with them. They all reminisced about Easters past when their Uncle Bernard had taken them there.
He also asked Colette, Isabelle and Francesca if they wanted to say a few words about their uncle. Francesca decided to come forward to the pulpit and told everyone that Easter was her Uncle Bernard's favorite holiday. He had told them that it was a "celebration of a new life", a joyous occasion which held hope for the future. And even though he wasn't with them today, she still felt a special connection with him by celebrating Easter here.
Afterwards, they all headed outside, and just as Francesca went through the church doors, she was hit with a feeling...a sensation...a revelation if you will, and all of a sudden, she knew...she just knew.
She turned and headed back inside, and took William aside and told him that she had a strange feeling suddenly like something or someone had whispered something to her, and she knew that she was with child. William looked at her and did notice that her belly looked swollen.
William: "Well, if your Uncle Bernard is here, I bet he is smiling from hearing the news that you are with child. It is indeed a joyous occasion. Francesca, and I am so happy to hear this news..."
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When William and Francesca returned home, the children were anxious to begin looking for the hidden eggs. Ian, William's father, had come over and was helping the children search for eggs.
The King's servants had done a splendid job of hiding them, and on Benedict's insistent plea, had asked Ian to look in the mailbox and Ian even found one there. Benedict was already carrying several eggs in his sweater. and Ian watched as Benedict looked in bushes and under rocks and gave an excited cry when he found an egg. Ian marveled at the fact that his grandson was a natural collector.
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Benedict's eggs collected.
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Inside, Bryan had decided to check under the beds and in the cupboards, and had found several that way. He even found one that was golden in color, and gave that one to his mother as a gift. Francesca was rather touched by his thoughtfulness.
Amelia, on the other hand, seemed to be questioning a bunny herself, asking where the bunny had hidden those eggs. And maybe the bunny did tell her, because she found quite a few in the garden and under the stools on the porch. One of the eggs she found was even a chocolate egg.
Conrad had found one egg, and seemed rather content to just stare at it. He did follow Francesca later as she collected eggs in the chicken coop, and Conrad found a rainbow-colored egg there. Conrad may not have collected a lot of eggs, but the ones he did collect were quite unique.
No matter how many eggs each child collected, they had a lot of fun. Ian had to head home and bid everyone farewell. At the end of the day, a knight from the Knight's Stronghold came to their house and tallied up the eggs that each child had found. Sir Lancelittle seemed most impressed with the number of eggs that Benedict had collected. The formal announcement of the winning child would be put on the notice board at the Gnomes' Arms Pub, and if their child should win, the prize would be delivered by royal messenger later that day. William thanked Sir Lancelittle and bid him farewell.
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With the amount of eggs that they had collected, Francesca thought it was most appropriate that they had eggs and bread for dinner. Each of the children placed one of the eggs they had found on the fireplace mantle as decoration, and their little house looked so festive. As Francesca cooked, the aromas of the eggs and bread filled the house. William went outside and picked some wild flowers and arranged them on the table. When everything was ready, the humble offerings looked like such a marvelous feast.
Just as they were about to sit down and have supper, there was a knock on the door. William answered it and a royal messenger greeted him and handed him a rather large stuffed bunny. It was Benedict's prize for collecting the most eggs. Oh what a happy day it was indeed!
One of the Medieval holidays to be celebrated is Easter. Since it was tradition for the de Baskerville sisters to attend church with their uncle, Parson Bernard, I felt that this is what they would continue to do, especially since he had passed. It was a way for them to visit his gravesite and also to get together as a family.
The bunny has always been associated with spring and Easter since early times, and although the "egg hunt" was not popular until the late 16th century, I did modify some real history about King Edward and having some eggs decorated, and incorporated that into the holiday. (See History of Easter below for more info).
With all the eggs they collected, they actually completed the Decorative Egg Collection, and the prize was the large stuffed pink bunny, which actually arrived in the mail the next day. But I figured that since King Edward had planned the egg hunt, that a royal messenger would deliver the prize.
In many pre-Christian societies eggs held associations with spring and new life. Early Christians adapted these beliefs, making the egg a symbol of the resurrection and the empty shell a metaphor for Jesus’ tomb.
In the medieval period eating eggs was forbidden during Lent, the 40 day period before Easter. On Easter Sunday the fast ended with feasting and merriment, and eggs were considered an important part of these celebrations. This was especially true for poorer people who couldn’t afford meat. Eggs were also given to the church as Good Friday offerings, and villagers often gave eggs as gifts to the lord of the manor at Easter. Royals got involved with this tradition too – in 1290 Edward I purchased 450 eggs to be decorated with colors or gold leaf and then distributed to his household.
The custom of the Easter egg hunt, however, comes from Germany. Some suggest that its origins date back to the late 16th century, when the Protestant reformer Martin Luther organized egg hunts for his congregation. The men would hide the eggs for the women and children to find. This was a nod to the story of the resurrection, in which the empty tomb was discovered by women. Find the full article HERE.
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