IL PENSIERO “THE THOUGHT”
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NUMERO 4
Palm Sunday by Courtney Kamm
Palm Sunday is a Christian tradition celebrated every year on the Sunday before Easter, and commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The holiday is associated in many churches with the blessing and procession of palm leaves and is celebrated this year on April 10, 2022. Although the first date of observance is uncertain, a detailed description of a palm processional celebration was recorded as early as the 4th century in Jerusalem. The ceremony was not introduced into the West until much later in the 9th century. Sometimes called Passion Sunday, it marks the first day of Holy Week which then concludes on Easter Sunday, the most important holiday in Christianity.
Good Friday by Courtney Kamm
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, His death, and His rising from the dead. It is observed during Holy Week, and this year falls on April 15, the same day as Passover. Special prayer services are usually held on this day with readings from the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to the crucifixion. Major Christian churches say that Christ’s crucifixion was a voluntary act, which He did for everyone who believed in Him, and also one, by which, together with resurrection on the third day, death itself was crushed.
Passover by Courtney Kamm
Passover is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the major departure of Israelities from slavery in Egypt. This year, Passover begins the evening of Friday, April 15 and ends the evening of Saturday, April 23. In Israel, Passover is the seven-day holiday of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with the first and last days observed as legal holidays and holy days. During those days, observant Jews don’t attend work or school, holiday candles are lit at night, and extravagant meals are enjoyed. Traditional dishes include matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, beef brisket, potato kugel, and tzimmes, a stew of carrots and prunes.
Easter by Courtney Kamm
Easter, also called Resurrection Day, is the last day of Holy Week as well as considered the most important holiday in Christianity. Among the Christian church, it is a celebration of Jesus Christ being raised from the dead. This year, Easter falls on April 17, 2022. Currently, all Christian churches agree on how the date is calculated: Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon which occurs on or after March 21st. This means it can occur as early as March 22 and as late as April 25. Most of the modern ways that Easter is celebrated in the United States (Easter eggs, greeting cards, gift baskets, etc.) have nothing to do with the Christian meaning
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of the holiday. The modern celebrations are more related to the pagan festivities of ancient Germany. Here are a few interesting facts about Easter you might not know: 1. Pretzels are associated with Easter: a pretzel resembles arms folded in prayer. 2. The tradition of wearing new clothes on Easter came from a superstition that said if someone wore new clothes, they would have good luck for the rest of the year. 3. Decorating eggs, a way to call out to the gods and goddesses of health and fertility, has been a custom in Ukraine for centuries. 4. Every year, Americans spend $1.5 billion on Easter candy, 70% of which is chocolate.
Tax Day by Courtney Kamm
Federal Tax returns are due on April 18, 2022, but they weren’t always due on this date. In 1913, taxes were due on March 1 and then in 1918 it moved to March 15 until the current tax day was established in 1954. Here are a few other Tax Day facts to lighten up your tax season: 1. Before World War II, only 1.1% of working-age people filed a return. 2. The average refund is worth about $2,900 3. Albert Einstein found taxes impossible to interpret and once said, “The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” 4. Seven states have no income tax. Do you know which ones they are? (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Continued on page 6