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From Lambs to Lilies – Eight Symbols of Easter

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Happy Spring! Happy April!

Here in our neck of the woods, the vernal equinox (Spring) is in full bloom…literally. Along with the Bradford pear trees, Eastern Redbud, daffodils, and tulips, a sticky, hazy green pollen sticks to everything!

However, that aside, Easter will arrive in seventeen days. While many people list Christmas and Thanksgiving as their favorite holidays, Easter has always been my favorite. There’s the traditional ham or lamb dinner, chocolate bunnies, and Easter baskets for the little ones, of course. The holiday is low-key, giving folks time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

And for many, Easter has been observed since the 2nd century as a way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As it turns out, there is so much that makes this holiday what it is today — religious and otherwise.

Easter Lily

The Easter lily is both a pagan and Christian symbol, closely connected to Easter from either side. In the pre-Christian Roman tradition, the white lily was also associated with Hera, the Queen of Heaven. According to her myth, the white lily came from Hera’s milk.

Likely from there, the lily later became associated with Mary in the Roman Church. Lilies were also often mentioned in the Bible, although the wild Middle Eastern lilies at the time weren’t exactly the same flowers as the modern Lilium Longiflorum white lilies we often use on Easter.

Easter Eggs

Throughout most of Christian Europe, the pagan symbols of the spring hare, the egg, and chick were quickly adopted as symbols for the Christian Easter. The colorful ritual of decorating eggs also has an intriguing origin. As part of the Lenten season leading up to Easter, early Christians abstained from eating food from animals as the Lenten fast. Yet chickens continued to lay eggs, so eggs were hard-boiled, then decorated to celebrate the Easter season but were not eaten until Easter.

Easter egg decorating became a high art in Europe, especially in eastern Europe and Russia, that immigrants brought to America. The name of these Easter eggs contains part of their story. Pysanky (or pysanka in the singular form) is rooted in the Ukrainian verb “to write.” In this case, that refers to the pretty patterns you would scrawl across the eggs. Ukrainian Easter eggs often feature intricate designs and symbols, such as flowers, animals, and geometric shapes, each with its own significance.

There are a few different origin stories for how this cultural tradition began. According to Pysanky for Peace, the practice comes from ancient Ukrainian peoples who worshiped the sun as the source of life on earth. During pre-Christian times, they believed birds were the sun God’s chosen creations, so eggs decorated with nature symbols became integral to spring rituals. With the acceptance of Christianity, the egg took on new meaning as the rebirth of man.

The Easter Lamb

As the Bible calls Jesus “the Lamb of God”, it’s no surprise that the Easter lamb is a major sign of Easter. This Paschal Lamb symbolizes Jesus Christ himself and his sacrifice for all humanity on Easter.

Many Easter traditions from Eastern Europe to the US celebrate Easter with a lamb-based dish on Easter Sunday evening, after the end of Lent.

Easter Bunny

Like many Easter traditions, the Easter Bunny evolved out of ancient fertility and spring celebrations. Rabbits breed like, well, rabbits, and give birth in the spring. So, in places where the fields became overrun with baby bunnies, it was natural to incorporate the rabbit as a symbol for spring and, eventually, Easter.

Another legend tells of a poor German woman who loved children. She would hide brightly colored eggs in her garden as Easter treats. One year, while the children searched for them, they noticed a hare hopping past and believed that the animal had left the eggs.

Easter Egg Rolling

Given the egg’s symbolic significance representing the rock before the tomb, egg rolling became a popular children’s Easter activity in America in the 1800s, recreating the rolling away of the rock in front of Christ’s tomb. According to the White House Historical Association, some historians credit First Lady Dolley Madison (yes, her name is spelled correctly!)with first proposing the idea of a public egg roll around 1810. There are also accounts of informal egg rolls staged by the children of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson on the White House lawn. The 1878 event hosted by President Rutherford B. Hayes on the South Lawn, however, stands as the first official White House Easter Egg Roll.

Easter Outfits

How many of us remember dressing up to the nines on Easter Sunday? Girls in frilly spring dresses with little gloves and purses? Boys in pastel suit jackets and bow ties? Purchasing a new holiday outfit may seem like a 20th-century commercial invention, but even early Christians followed the practice of wearing new clothes for Easter.  It was the one time of year when, if you had new clothes, you wore them. You dressed in your finest to go to church as a manner of honoring the resurrected Savior. In America, stores soon latched onto the idea that creating Easter outfits and sales during the season would help them sell fancy bonnets or suits.

     

Fueled by the popularity of Irving Berlin’s song, Easter Parade, as well as the resulting movie featuring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, locals and visitors alike descended on New York’s Fifth Avenue to show off their new attire, eventually leading to the creation of the famous Easter Parade.  

Easter Egg Trees

It’s only in recent years that miniature Easter trees have become popular in North America. This Easter tradition from Germany is a favorite. Beautifully decorated Easter eggs are hung on branches in a vase in the home or on trees outside, adding a splash of color to spring’s palette.

Until this research, I never knew I was ahead of the curve on this tradition. From the time my children were babies, I’ve decorated a tree outside our home. Using plastic eggs (to endure the elements, e.g. ice/snow/wind/rain…you get the picture!), I would thread a ribbon through a hole in one end of the egg then loop them over the bare branches. Here is this year’s masterpiece!!!

Easter Bread

Easter bread comes in dozens of different shapes, types, and sizes – some sweet, some salty, some large, and others – bite-sized.

Hot cross buns, soft pretzels, Eastern European kozunak bread, and various other types of bread are all very much associated with the different Easter traditions.

Here is my Easter Bread made with the recipe handed down from my grandmother.

As with Santa Claus—who came first from the pagan Father Winter, then morphed into the Christian St. Nicholas—the Easter bunny and Easter chick had pagan origins that then became symbolic to the Christian faith. But the Christian symbolism associated with all three and the historical context behind them is, sadly, little known by most in modern America. It is worth remembering that all three are associated with birth and rebirth, sharing gifts and bringing joy, and peace and good will.

Happy Easter!

******** A Giveaway! ********

For a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, leave a comment below.

What is your favorite Easter memory or tradition?

 

An Upcoming Release…

An outlaw looking for a fresh start.
A schoolteacher who might hold the key to the entire town’s salvation.
Ash “Shotgun” McCrae can never make up for all the wrong he’s done. After leaving a notorious outlaw gang, he thought he’d discovered the peaceful existence he’d been looking for when he found work laying tracks for the railroad in Rivers Bend. Yet, when trouble shows up in town, he fears he may never free himself from the burden of his past.

Schoolteacher Kate Cummings stands as the one bright light in contrast to the curious looks and behind-the-glove whispers blowing through the town. The arrival of Padraic “Patch” Rooney and his gang challenges the small-town serenity she holds dear. Still, her steadfast trust in Ash awakens the strength of courage within them all, giving rise to the collective defiance against the approaching danger.

In a deadly game of dangerous outlaws and secret schemes, Kate and Ash must decide whether they are willing to risk everything for their love, including their lives.

Pre-Order Link

To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!

 

 

The Curious and Useful Broom Corn Plant – and a giveaway

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Have you ever played that game: what is your state (or town) famous for? I met someone recently from a small town in Colorado. He told me that where he lived grew more broom corn than anywhere else in the country. Now, I can’t verify if what he claimed is 100% true, but our conversation was interesting, and I learned a lot about broom corn.

Full disclosure, I never really thought about how people made brooms in olden days. I figured they used some kind of thin, hard plant stalk. I had no idea brooms were actually constructed by using the top part of a plant. And as it turns out, broom corn isn’t really corn at all. It’s a type of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), a plant with long fibrous seed heads. Once the seeds are (easily) removed, the remaining strands can be bound together to make great bristles for brooms.

In case you’re interested, here’s a video of a man making a broom from the broom corn seed heads. It’s kind of cool. Though sweeping with one of these old-fashioned brooms looks like hard work. I now have a new respect for people in centuries past.

Short Video on How to Make a Broom with Broom Corn

Seems brooms aren’t the only thing you can use broom corn seed heads for. The stalks make great decorative items like festive spring or fall wreaths, dried flower arrangements, and fun Halloween ornaments. After watching the video, I’m wondering if I couldn’t craft a witch’s broom for the front door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, my research in to broom corn and its many uses inspired me. I thought it might be fun to have a giveaway. Who doesn’t want a genuine broom corn whisk broom? I decided to give away this little fellow along with a couple of my backlist books. I think it might look cute hanging on a laundry room wall or in the pantry.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is comment below on how you use a whisk broom. I’ll start. Sweep crumbs off the counter (ha, ha). I’ll randomly choose one winner from everyone who comments.

P.S. – don’t forget to check out the Petticoats & Pistols FB Readers Group page at:

Petticoats & Pistols FB Readers Group

 

 

A Shipping Company, an Old Man, and a Giveaway!

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My latest release is different from my usual western. Part of a multi-author project entitled The Rich Man Takes a Bride Series, each hero in our line up of books has some issues or a past that might not be all that appealing to a future bride. While doing the research for this book, I looked more at how a shipping company was run in the late 1800s, then realized that if my dad were alive back then, he might have worked for my character Asher Stone.

Dad was a merchant marine back in WWII and oh, the stories he would tell! But what I didn’t know, was that merchant marines were long considered the unsung heroes of American maritime history. In times of peace, they operated as a bustling commercial enterprise. But when conflicts erupt, the merchant marines’ sturdy vessels transformed dramatically into lifelines for military operations.

But what about the merchant ships in my story set in 1893? In short, merchant ships were the heart of global trade networks. They transported things raw materials, finely crafted manufactured goods and luxury items. Is it any wonder pirates were a problem?

A shipping company would find the most efficient shipping routes, and in doing so, create robust revenue streams. This bolstered national economies, ensuring that essential imports meet domestic needs and exports open doors to international markets.

In other words, merchant vessels were the backbone of America’s ascension on the world stage and were a reliable provider of shipping services spanning numerous economic sectors. And thus, this is why my character Cyrus Van Cleet, is filthy rich. It’s also why Asher Stone, became pretty well off himself. He was the perfect character to use in this book as my hero. Poor guy has been sitting on the virtual fiction shelf for years! I’m glad I was finally able to tell his story.

Most of the fillies belonging to Petticoats & Pistols have been writing for a long time. Some of us have multiple generations of characters at this point! Cyrus Van Cleet’s origin story is told in Polly and the Shipbuilder. He travels west and settles my little town of Clear Creek in The Trail to Clear Creek. He’s then in my Prairie Bride series, and my Prairie Groom

series and appears in multiple series in my more than 180 book backlist of books!

My townspeople don’t find out how rich he is until Her Prairie Viking,  the fourth book in my Prairie Bride series when he decides to build a small, but elaborate hotel in the tiny town. It sticks out like a sore thumb, but everyone in town loves it. And he manages through correspondence to run his shipping company from afar. It helps that he has a brother, Reginald, who is back in Boston, also running the company. Unfortunately, Reginald isn’t the most savory of characters, so Cyrus chooses Asher Stone, who’s running the bank in my tiny town, to go manage things for him. 

Asher has been a side character for years and he pops up now and then in conversation, and makes a few appearances here in there, but now finally has his own book! And, in case you’re wondering, Cyrus Van Cleet is still alive and kicking in my books. He’s old now, and so are his friends. And they can sure stir up their share of trouble!

Are there books you’ve read that have characters that live long into old age? Have you enjoyed getting to know them over the years through the books they appear in? My readers enjoy Cyrus and his friends, so much, I had to come up with a way for them to keep living! Good thing I have time travelers in my repertoire of characters. Not to mention one that’s quite handy with elixirs that affect aging. It was the only way to keep my little gang of elderly trouble makers going.

What are some characters from books or movies that you’ve enjoyed watching grow story after story? I’m giving away one free e-copy of The Captain’s Rescue to one lucky commenter. Here’s a little more about the book:

Asher Stone was detail oriented and good with numbers. So when he left his little town of Clear Creek, Oregon years ago to manage the Van Cleet Shipping Company in Boston, Asher discovered he was good at other things too. Like spying, privateering, and posing as a pirate. But what’s a little extra work? After all, between three jobs, he’s managed to procure his own ship. But lately, thoughts of finding a wife and starting a family were crossing his mind. Unfortunately for him, he’s got a few  obstacles in the way. For one, someone is spreading rumors that he’s a smuggler. And two, the one woman that catches his eye, accuses him of ruining her family during his privateering days. But she’s got it all wrong, and he aims to set the record straight with the pretty spitfire.

Elodie Carlson finally has the name of the man that ruined her family. Captain Asher Stone. And she’s determined to bring him to justice! But when she finally gets the chance to confront him, he denies any involvement. In fact, he’s just as determined to prove his innocence as she is to prove he’s guilty. And blast it! Wouldn’t you know his explanation as to what might have really happened makes sense? But to prove it they’ll have to work together to bring the real culprits to light, and see them arrested. Can she bear working with a man she’s not sure she can trust? Worse, can she work with a cowboy turned sea captain without losing her heart?

NEW WHR SERIES “GUN FOR HIRE” KICKS OFF WITH A BANG! by Cheryl Pierson

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There’s a new series in town! GUN FOR HIRE is a multi-author series that focuses on ten men who must rely heavily on their guns throughout their lives. They don’t expect to ever settle down and have a normal life, much less ever fall in love! But, and there is a big but…they didn’t ever expect to meet “the” woman who can make all of that fall into place for them, either!

GUN FOR HIRE includes books by some present and past fillies, and many other talented authors, including Charlene Raddon, who put the series together. It was her brainchild and she made all the gorgeous covers! I was so thrilled to be asked to participate because I had a story in mind I’d been wanting to write and it fit right into the broad premise that Charlene had come up with.

Linda Broday kicked off the series with her book, CREEK, yesterday. Oh, my stars, y’all. Let me just say, I think I’m in love with every one of these men – and that’s before I’ve even read their stories! I’ve ordered CREEK and am just waiting for the perfect time to be able to sit down and immerse myself in his tale.

Next comes DUSTIN by Margaret Tanner. Her story will be available on March 30, but you can pre-order NOW! Charlene Raddon’s story, KIRK, follows on April 15. (So pay your taxes and then treat yourself to a great story!) LANCE by Heather Blanton follows two weeks later, and then DEVON by Carra Copelin.

Jo-Ann Roberts’s hunky hero is named ASH, and SHAD is Caroline Clemmons’s heartthrob. Tracy Garrett’s story is CLINT, and my LANDON is next in the lineup, rounded out by Winnie Griggs’s  story, LUKE.

My LANDON won’t be out until July 15, but boy, there’s lots of great reading in the months ahead, and of course, Winnie’s story just after mine, at the end of July.

Some of these stories will be available not only on KINDLE, but also in print, including my tale about LANDON. Aren’t these covers gorgeous? 

Here’s the blurb to whet your reading appetite! You can pre-order LANDON now, as well as many of the others, and the availability to pre-order the remainder of the others will follow soon.

Landon: Gun For Hire Sweet Western Romance Series #9

Alissa Devine finds herself in an unthinkable situation when her father is murdered, and she’s left to raise her young brother, Zach. With $22 to her name and her no-account gambler father’s burial to pay for, Lissie has no choice but to carry on with her father’s plan to take part in the Oklahoma land run. But single women aren’t allowed on the wagon train.

Landon Wildcat’s mission for months has been to find the man who abducted his younger sister. His search ends when crooked gambler Happy Devine gets what he deserves at the end of Land’s gun. But that act of vengeance leaves Lissie and Zach alone with no man to accompany them on the wagon train.

Wagon Master Bill Castle hires Land as his scout; a devil’s bargain—for both of them. Land offers Lissie his protection, suspecting the unscrupulous Mr. Castle has indecent intentions toward her.

When one of the settlers is murdered, Land takes the outlaws on in a desperate battle to protect the only witness, and nearly pays the ultimate price. Land’s life hangs in the balance, but the wagon train moves on, callously deserting him and the teen boy he saved, along with Lissie and Zach.

Through the hardship, Lissie and Land both realize how much they love one another, and what they have come so close to losing. Though danger lurks around every curve in the road, Lissie believes with all her heart there is a place for their small band of settlers in this untamed Territory. Now that love has finally come, will Fate allow a miracle for their happiness with this new beginning?

Our GUN FOR HIRE series page is still populating, but the first four are up if you want to go take a look at them, too, and pre-order. Here’s the link for the series page. Here’s the link for the series page, and keep checking back to see more as they are added there. The link for LANDON is just below–he hasn’t made it to the series page yet, but he’s coming, along with the rest of the gang!

AMAZON GUN FOR HIRE SERIES PAGE

PREORDER LANDON HERE! 

I love series like this one. The heroes and heroines are all different because they come from varying backgrounds and places, but the heroes have something in common that holds the thread of the series together. 

CHERYL’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

 

Two Winners for Karen Kay’s Giveaway

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Howdy!

Hope your evening is goingn well, indeed.

Well, because there was a good turnout yesterday on the blog, I decided to up a person’s chance of a win and give away two books instead of one.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a large selection of RED HAWK’S WOMAN on hand and so I’m going to give RED HAWK’S WOMAN , book #3, to the first name I picked and then the book, THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF, book #2 in The Lost Clan series to the second name I picked.

Here are the winners:

BONNIE

and

MEGAN

Bonnie and Megan, please message me at karenkay(dot)author(at)startmail(dod)com — What I’ll need from you is a physical address to send the books to.  And again, CONGRATULATIONS!

The Legend of Nancy Hart by Jo-Ann Roberts

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“Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.”  

Eleanor Roosevelt

If you’ve read any of my blogs here on P&P, you’ll recall I’ve often gone down the rabbit hole while researching my books. Which is exactly what happened a few weeks ago while I was researching information for an upcoming Civil War romance set to release in 2026, and came across a book, “The Cotillion Brigade” by Glen Carey.

Based on the true story of the celebrated Nancy Hart Rifles, “The Cotillion Brigade” is an inspiring story of the Civil War’s ravages on family and love, the resilient bonds of sisterhood amid devastation, and the miracle of reconciliation between bitter enemies. Twenty-one-year-old year-old Nannie Colquitt Hill and her “Fighting Nancies” stand between their beloved homes and the Yankee torches.  The all-female unit was composed of wives and daughters of Confederate soldiers.

While this book caught my interest, it was the mention of the Nancy Hart rifles that sent me tumbling down that tangled web. So, in honor of Women’s History Month here is the legend of Nancy Hart…

Nancy was born Ann Morgan in 1747. According to contemporary accounts, “Aunt Nancy,” as she was often called, was a tall, gangly woman who towered six feet in height. Like the frontier she inhabited, she was rough-hewn and rawboned, with red hair and a smallpox-scarred face. She was also cross-eyed. One early account pointed out that Hart had “no share of beauty—a fact she herself would have readily acknowledged, had she ever enjoyed an opportunity of looking into a mirror.”

Hart’s physical appearance was matched by a feisty personal demeanor characterized by a hotheaded temper, a fearless spirit, and a penchant for exacting vengeance upon those who offended her or harmed her family and friends. Members of the Cherokee Indian tribe soon began to refer to her as “Wahatche,” which may have meant “war woman.” She was also a domineering wife. Many remembered that she, rather than her husband, ran the Hart household, which eventually included six sons and two daughters. Although she was illiterate, Hart was amply blessed with the skills and knowledge necessary for frontier survival; she was an expert herbalist, a skilled hunter, and despite her crossed eyes, an excellent shot.

Nancy was known for being a devoted Patriot, who strongly disliked the British and their cause. She dedicated most of her life to fighting against it. She also fought British and Loyalist soldiers on her own property in the Georgia backcountry on multiple occasions. In one such instance, Nancy was making lye soap, and the liquid was extremely hot. Her daughter noticed a pair of eyes peeking through the wall of their log cabin. She alerted her mother, and Nancy stopped to throw a ladle of steaming soap mixture right into the eyes of the British soldier. She tended the soldier’s wounds before surrendering him to the Patriots.

Perhaps the most famous legend states that British soldiers entered the Hart property looking for a local patriot leader they had been pursuing. When they knocked on the door, Nancy refused to give them any information. Convinced she was lying, the soldiers slaughtered the last turkey on the property, barged into her house, and demanded Nancy cook it for them.

As the soldiers made themselves comfortable, Nancy served them plenty of her corn liquor, getting them drunk enough that they would not notice her sneaking their weapons outside the house each time she walked by them. Then, her daughter snuck outside and used a conch shell to alert the neighbors that they needed assistance.

When the soldiers caught on to what Nancy was doing with their muskets and threatened her, she turned the weapon on them. The soldiers ignored her warning, so she shot and killed the first to approach her. Nancy and her daughter held the remaining at gunpoint until the neighbors arrived. The rest of the soldiers were hanged on a nearby tree.

While this story is steeped in legend, it was given credence in 1912 by the discovery of six bodies on the Hart property. It was said that the skeletal remains were buried three feet underground and had been there for at least a century.

In 1853, the state of Georgia formed a new county from parts of Franklin and Elbert counties and named it Hart County after Nancy Hart. She is the only woman with a county named after her in Georgia. Near the city of Hartwell, G.A., the U.S. government dedicated a monument to her that says, “To commemorate the heroism of Nancy Hart.” In 1932, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps, rebuilt Nancy’s cabin. The DAR gave the cabin to the state of Georgia, and the area, about 14 acres, was turned into a state park.

My May 30th Release!

An outlaw looking for a fresh start. A schoolteacher who might hold the key to the entire town’s salvation.

Ash “Shotgun” McCrae can never make up for all the wrong he’s done. After leaving a notorious outlaw gang, he thought he’d discovered the peaceful existence he’d been looking for when he found work laying tracks for the railroad in Rivers Bend. Yet, when trouble shows up in town, he fears he may never free himself from the burden of his past.

Schoolteacher Kate Cummings stands as the one bright light in contrast to the curious looks and behind-the-glove whispers blowing through the town. The arrival of Padraic “Patch” Rooney and his gang challenges the small-town serenity she holds dear. Still, her steadfast trust in Ash awakens the strength of courage within them all, giving rise to the collective defiance against the approaching danger.

In a deadly game of dangerous outlaws and secret schemes, Kate and Ash must decide whether they are willing to risk everything for their love, including their lives.

 Pre-Order Link