Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

White House Announces 2024 Easter Egg Roll

In a Release (full text) yesterday, the White House announced information on the 2024 White House Easter Egg Roll. The traditional event, which is geared toward children 12 years of age and under, will be held on the White House South Lawn on Monday, April 1. Between now and March 4, the public may enter the free lottery for tickets. Applications to volunteer to assist at the event may also be submitted online. The White House Easter Egg Roll has been held annually (with a few exceptions) since 1878.

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Biden Sends Greetings on Orthodox Christian Easter

President Biden today issued a Statement (full text) sending warm wishes from himself and the First Lady to those in the Orthodox Christian community celebrating Easter today. He said in part:

 Today, as we pray for all those suffering from war and persecution, we also give thanks for people around the world who are binding up the wounds of the injured and working to protect the dignity of all—including by welcoming refugees and standing up for human rights....

During this sacred season and the years ahead, we look forward to continuing to work together to build a more just and compassionate world for all God’s children.

Sunday, April 09, 2023

White House Issues Easter Greetings

Today is Easter. In honor of the holiday, President Biden issued a Statement (full text) which says in part:

Jill and I join Christians around the world in celebrating Easter Sunday, a day of hope and joy, renewal and rebirth....

Today, we hold close the Easter message that nothing – not even death – can match the power of faith, hope, and love. And we remember Jesus’ sacrifice and recommit ourselves to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves, embracing His call to treat one another with compassion.

Last week, the White House also issued a Release (full text) giving extensive details for this year's annual Easter Egg Roll. It says that "In total, approximately 30,000 people will take part in this year’s Easter “EGGucation” Roll...."

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Biden Releases Statement On Easter

President Biden earlier today released a Statement on Easter (full text) wishing a Happy Easter to all. The statement reads in part:

On this day and each day, we pray for ... peace, freedom, and the basic dignity and respect for all of God’s children. As we look ahead with His blessing, may we share a common hope for the future, reaffirm love and compassion for one another, and cherish the blessing of the dawn of new possibilities.

Friday, April 15, 2022

White House Issues Two Holiday Statements

The White House this morning issued two holiday statements. It announced (full text) the theme and activities for for the 2022 Easter Egg Roll to be held on April 18, saying in part:

The White House announced today the full program of activities for the 2022 White House Easter Egg Roll, a tradition dating back to 1878.  A teacher for more than 30 years, First Lady Jill Biden created this year’s event theme, “EGGucation!,” with the South Lawn to be transformed into a school community, full of fun educational activities for children to enjoy.

President Biden also issued a Statement on Passover (full text), saying in part:

This Passover, we hold in our hearts the people of Ukraine and those around the world whose heroic stand against tyranny inspires us all. The enduring spirit of this holiday continues to teach us that with faith, the driest desert can be crossed, the mightiest sea can be split, and hope never stops marching towards the promised land. 

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Street Artist Sues Vatican For Using Her Image of Christ On Postage Stamp

 AP reports on a lawsuit filed in Italy last month by a Rome street artist.  Alessia Babrow has sued the Vatican for copyright infringement for using her street art image of Christ on the Vatican's 2020 Easter postage stamp.  The image was glued onto a bridge near the Vatican:

Olivieri, the Vatican’s numismatic chief, has told an Italian journalist that he took a photo of the Christ when he saw it while riding his moped one day and decided to use the image for the Easter stamp in an apparent attempt to appeal to a new generation of stamp enthusiasts.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

President Trump Sends Easter Greetings

The White House this morning posted President Trump's Presidential Message on Easter, 2020. It reads in part:
Melania and I join millions of Christians celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the gift of eternal life this Easter.  Although this year’s observance of Easter comes during a somber time for our Nation, we hope all of you are filled with the joy, love, and hope that marks this holiest of days.
As our Nation has faced the unique challenges posed by the coronavirus during the past few weeks, we have turned to God for guidance, comfort, and hope.  Throughout this difficult period, we have witnessed the core tenets of Christianity—love, compassion, and kindness—reflected in the many acts of courage, generosity, and caring of the American people.  Our country’s citizens have taken to heart the words of 1 Peter 4:10: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Court Allows Drive-In Church Services For Easter In Kentucky; In-Person Attendees Face Quarantine

In On Fire Christian Center, Inc. v. Fischer, (WD KY, April 11. 2020), a Kentucky federal district court issued a temporary restraining order barring the city of Louisville from enforcing a COVID-19 related ban on drive-in Easter services that were planned by a Louisville church. The court began its opinion as follows:
On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter.
That sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of The Onion. But two days ago, citing the need for social distancing during the current pandemic, Louisville’s Mayor Greg Fischer ordered Christians not to attend Sunday services, even if they remained in their cars to worship – and even though it’s Easter.
The Mayor’s decision is stunning.
And it is, “beyond all reason,” unconstitutional.
The court explained in part:
Here, Louisville has targeted religious worship by prohibiting drive-in church services, while not prohibiting a multitude of other non-religious drive-ins and drive-throughs – including, for example, drive-through liquor stores. Moreover, Louisville has not prohibited parking in parking lots more broadly – including, again, the parking lots of liquor stores. When Louisville prohibits religious activity while permitting non-religious activities, its choice “must undergo the most rigorous of scrutiny.”That scrutiny requires Louisville to prove its interest is “compelling” and its regulation is “narrowly tailored to advance that interest.”
The day before the decision was issued, Kentucky's attorney general issued a Statement (full text) saying in part:
We are aware that some Kentucky jurisdictions are discussing a prohibition of drive-in church services for the upcoming Easter holiday.  As long as religious groups and worshippers are complying with current Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) recommendations for social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, we see no problem with these drive-in services occurring.
Religious organizations should not be treated any differently than other entities that are simultaneously conducting drive-through operations, while also abiding by social distancing policies....
This leniency does not, however, extend to in-person church services. As reported by WHAS News, Kentucky's governor says that anyone attending mass gatherings, including church services, this weekend, will be required to be quarantined for 14 days. Gov. Andy Beshear said the state record license plates those attending such gatherings and will give the information to local health departments who will then order quarantines.

UPDATE: On April 21, the Louisville Courier Journal reported:
On Fire Christian Church has reached an agreement with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and city officials to continue to hold drive-in services while abiding by social distancing guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Friday, April 19, 2019

White House Announces Annual Easter Egg Roll

The White House today announced this year's Easter Egg Festivities, which will be held next Monday.  The press release, supplementing information elsewhere on the White House website, says in part:
First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald J. Trump invite this year’s Easter Egg Roll attendees to enjoy a variety of activities, including the time-honored Egg Roll and the Trump Administration’s Cards for Troops station.  New to the Egg Roll this year: musical eggs and Be Best hopscotch.  In recognition of the First Lady’s Be Best campaign, children will also have the opportunity to spread kindness by mailing postcards to anyone they choose – friends, family, members of the military – directly through a United States Postal Service mailbox that will be on the South grounds.

Friday, March 30, 2018

White House Easter-Passover Greetings and Events

The White House today released a YouTube video of President Trump's Message for Passover and Easter. In a press release today the White House also summarized the events that will be part of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, hosted by First Lady Melania Trump on April 2.  The event will be live streamed on the WH Info website.

Thursday, March 08, 2018

Canadian Agency Violates Foster Parents' Rights By Insisting They Say Easter Bunny Is Real

Canadian Press reports that an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled this week that a Christian couple's religious beliefs were infringed in violation of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms when the Children's Aid Society of Hamilton removed two foster children from their home.  The action closing their foster home came after a social worker insisted that the couple tell the two young girls that the Easter Bunny is real. Foster parents Frances and Derek Baars say that doing so would violate their religious beliefs.  The court wrote in part:
There is ample evidence to support the fact that the children were removed because the Baars refused to either tell or imply that the Easter Bunny was delivering chocolate to the Baars' home. I am more than satisfied that the society actions interfered substantially with the Baars' religious beliefs.

Monday, April 10, 2017

British Controversy Over Name of Easter Egg Hunt

Washington Post last week reported that in England, Prime Minister Theresa May and the Church of England harshly criticized a move by the National Trust (a charity that promotes conservation) to rebrand its annual Easter Egg Hunt as merely the "Great British Egg Hunt" in order to attract non-Christian children as well. The event is co-sponsored with the candy maker Cadbury whose chocolate eggs are used in the event. Prime Minister May, during her trip to Jordan, said: "I think what the National Trust is doing is frankly just ridiculous. Easter’s very important. It’s important to me, it’s a very important festival for the Christian faith for millions across the world." After the criticism, the National Trust added the word Easter to the description of the event on its website. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]

Thursday, May 05, 2016

Suit Challenges 25-Foot Cross In Florida Park

The American Humanist Association yesterday announced the filing of a federal court lawsuit against the city of Pensacola, Florida to challenge the city's ownership, maintenance and display of a 25-foot tall Christian cross that stands alone in the city's Bayview Park.  The complaint (full text) in Kondrat’yev v. City of Pensacola, Florida, (ND FL, filed 5/4/2016) says that the history of the cross is uncertain, but it is used solely for Christian Easter sunrise services each year. The cross was placed in the park sometime between 1951 and 1965, probably by the Jaycees. Easter services in the park pre-date the erection of the cross there. The lawsuit seeks an injunction ordering removal of the cross from government property.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

President Sends Greetings For Orthodox Christian Easter

In a White House press release (full text) yesterday, President Obama sent greetings to members of the Orthodox Christian community who are celebrating the Orthodox Easter this week end, saying in part:
Michelle and I extend our best wishes to members of the Orthodox Christian community here in America and around the world as they observe Holy Friday and the Feast of the Resurrection....
We lift up in prayer the members of the Orthodox community who have been persecuted for their faith and subjected to unspeakable acts of violence, and we seek the release of those who have been kidnapped.   We remember those who have been driven from their homelands and who have seen their religious institutions desecrated or destroyed. 

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Obama Speaks At White House Easter Prayer Breakfast

Yesterday, President Obama (introduced by Vice President Joe Biden) spoke at his annual Easter Prayer Breakfast in the State Dining Room at the White House. (Full text of remarks.) The President said in part:
[I]n light of recent events, this gathering takes on more meaning.  Around the world, we have seen horrific acts of terrorism, most recently Brussels, as well as what happened in Pakistan -- innocent families, mostly women and children, Christians and Muslims.  And so our prayers are with the victims, their families, the survivors of these cowardly attacks. 
... [T]hese attacks can foment fear and division.  They can tempt us to cast out the stranger, strike out against those who don’t look like us, or pray exactly as we do.  And they can lead us to turn our backs on those who are most in need of help and refuge.  That’s the intent of the terrorists, is to weaken our faith, to weaken our best impulses, our better angels. 
... [I]f Easter means anything, it’s that you don’t have to be afraid.  We drown out darkness with light, and we heal hatred with love, and we hold on to hope.  And we think about all that Jesus suffered and sacrificed on our behalf -- scorned, abandoned shunned, nail-scarred hands bearing the injustice of his death and carrying the sins of the world.
AP reported on the President's remarks.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

White House Issues Easter Greetings and Plans For Annual Easter Egg Roll

On Friday, President Obama extended Good Friday and Easter greetings, saying:
Michelle and I join our fellow Christians in observing Good Friday and celebrating Easter this weekend. This is a time to remember the sacrifices made for us and hold all who suffer close to our hearts. Yet it is also a time to rejoice, give thanks for the Resurrection, and unite with Christians around the world in proclaiming, "Christ has risen; He has risen indeed." We wish all who celebrate a blessed and joyful Easter.
The White House on Friday also announced (full text) the full program, activities, and talent line-up for the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll that will be held on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday. Over 35,000 tickets have been issued for the event.

Sunday, April 05, 2015

Easter/ Passover Stories From The Weekend

On Friday, the White House released a statement (full text) from the President sending Good Friday and Easter wishes, and indicating that the President will be hosting the annual Easter prayer breakfast on Tuesday.  The statement reads in part:
Michelle and I join our fellow Christians around the world in observing Good Friday and celebrating Easter this weekend. With humility and awe, we give thanks for the extraordinary sacrifice that Jesus made for our salvation. We rejoice in the triumph of the Resurrection. And we renew our commitment to live as He commanded ...
On Saturday, the White House posted a video message from the President sending Passover and Easter wishes.

On Friday, the White House posted a photo of this year's annual White House Seder along with a detailed menu for the evening.

A traditional Passover ritual is the "selling of chametz"-- a symbolic transfer of ownership of food that does not meet Passover standards so an individual will not own leavened foods during the holiday period. JTA reported Friday:
For the past 15 years [the Israeli government] has been symbolically selling all the chametz from state-owned companies, the prison service and Israel’s national emergency supply to Hussein Jabar, an Arab-Israeli resident of Abu Ghosh. It then buys it all back after the holiday is over. The price tag? $5,000.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Annual White House Easter Egg Roll Announced

The White House this week announced that the 137th annual White House Easter Egg Roll will be held on April 6, hosted by the President and Michelle Obama.  It is expected that 35,000 people will gather on the South Lawn of the White House for the event. The lottery for tickets ends today at noon.