Easter was always the most joyous holiday in our house while I was growing up.
I’ve always said that was because of my mother, who not only was very religious but was predestined to love it because of her very name — Pasqualina. She was named after her Italian grandmother, and although mom’s name was “Americanized” over the years to Pauline, Pasqualina literally means “female child of Easter.”
How can you not go crazy for the holiday when you are named after the darned thing?
So, Mom did it up big. We colored the eggs and then hunted them on Sunday morning — before church. Then, after church, we were given our baskets, filled to the brim with chocolates, jelly beans, baseball cards (for me), jewelry (for my sisters) by the Easter Bunny — who I have to admit, I never could quite figure out how he got in the house. Santa was one thing — OK, maybe the chimney was a tight fit, but at least it was a way in. That giant rabbit? I had no idea how he did it.
In the meantime, Dad did the cooking, usually homemade macaroni — gnocchi or cavatelli — along with sausage and meatballs, ham, turkey and lamb, Easter pie stuffed with prosciutto, ricotta, mozzarella and salami and all the sides.
And always, in his heavy Italian accent that included chopping off the ending of words as he went, he would be wishing everyone a “Happy East!!”
Obviously, the holiday has heavily religious overtones, so I know all you readers don’t observe it, maybe don’t celebrate it at all, so I wanted to do some research to learn some facts that just might give you cause to celebrate tomorrow, even if not for the miraculous resurrection of Jesus.
So here are some tidbits the “internet machine” — as my mother-in-law calls the computer — provided:
• Easter Sunday, 1722 — Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen stumbled upon an island while on an expedition in the Pacific Ocean — or perhaps it was his ships that stumbled upon it! Either way, he very cleverly named it Paasch-Eiland, which is Dutch for Easter Island. If you don’t know it, it is famous for its eerie human statues with oversized heads. A team of renowned scientists is still trying to figure out how the Easter Bunny got them there. (OK, I made that up.)
• Easter Sunday, 1918 — Daylight Savings Time took effect in the United States for the first time, after Germany and the United Kingdom did the same as a way to save energy during World War I. It was repealed by Congress a year later because it was so unpopular but reinstituted from 1942-45 during WWII and then again in 1966 until today. Maybe it’s not such a good thing to celebrate, though, since research has shown that heart attacks rise after we “spring forward.” So, never mind.
• Easter Sunday, 1945 — The Battle of Okinawa commences, the Allieds’ last major campaign in the Pacific during WWII. It was an intense, 82-day battle with enormous casualties, but the Allieds captured the island and were able to use it as a base for its later invasion of the Japanese mainland. Germany surrendered a month after Easter in May, and Japan followed suit in September, marking the end of the war.
If those aren’t enough to make you want to get out your Easter bonnets, I guess I can understand. So how about some famous personalities born on an Easter Sunday:
Fashion designer Liz Claiborne (March 31, 1929), actor Paul Rudd (April 6, 1969), tennis star Maria Sharapova (April 19, 1987) and actress Emma Watson (April 15, 1990) all are “Happy East” babies.
And I even went an extra step and just looked up some important events that happened on tomorrow’s date, March 31, over the years, in case Easter isn’t for you. On that date:
In 1870, Thomas Peterson-Mundy of New Jersey became the first African American to vote under the 15th Amendment.
In 1889, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was inaugurated.
In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson made the surprising announcement that he would not seek reelection as a result of the Vietnam War.
In 1985, the first edition of WrestleMania, which has grown into the world’s most important wrestling match, was held in New York.
And, on a sad note — but still worthy of a toast if you are a fan of the Fighting Irish — in 1931 legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne died with seven others when their plane crashed on a trip from Kansas City to Los Angeles. His winning percentage of .881 (105-12-5) remains the best of all time.
Finally, one more personal note — the greatest Easter gift I ever received came not from the Easter Bunny but from the Stork. The year my daughter was born, Easter was on March 30; we went to the hospital that evening, and she was born in the early hours of the next morning, March 31.
So, tomorrow I will wish her a Happy Easter AND a Happy Birthday!
And to all of you: Happy Easter … or Happy Birthday … or Happy March 31.
Mike Cutillo is the publisher and executive editor of the Times. Contact him at mcutillo@fltimes.com or 315-789-3333, ext. 264.
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