Celebrating Easter in the UK

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Posted on April 11, 2014 by admin

On our final day of looking at how Easter is celebrated across the world, we concentrate on the traditional Easter celebrations in the UK. With a large Christian population in the UK, Easter is celebrated in various different ways. The traditional pagan aspects of Easter are also adopted by the vast majority of the population in the UK. Here are some of the things you might expect to notice throughout the upcoming Easter weekend in a typical British household.

There is a special service carried out in by most parishes on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday to commemorate the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection. On Good Friday, Catholics do not sing hymns at mass and leave the church in silence.

Easter Sunday is a day of celebration across the country, regardless of your religious background. Most Christians will visit church in the morning to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, whilst Christians and non-Christians alike typically follow pagan traditions by organising Easter egg hunts for the children and giving out chocolate eggs to one another as gifts.

The vast majority of working organisations are closed down for a long weekend, spanning from the end of Thursday to the beginning of Tuesday. Hardly any shops are open on Easter Sunday, with limited public transport available as well. It is a quiet day that encourages families to get together and celebrate the bank holiday weekend.

For more on RAND’S unrivalled delivery service throughout the UK and abroad, get in touch today. We’d be delighted to hear from you!

Celebrating Easter in Italy

Posted on April 10, 2014 by admin

On the penultimate day of looking at various Easter traditions across the world, we’re focusing on how the Christian festival is celebrated in Italy. If you need to send a parcel to Italy, why not make the most of our services here at RAND?

Italy has a huge catholic population with a significant portion of Italians prioritising a visit to church every Sunday. There are plenty of unique traditions held throughout the Easter week in Italy. Here’s what you might expect to see if you’re visiting the country during this time.

For most Italians, Good Friday is a hugely symbolic day. Ceremonies are hosted in cities across the country, commemorating the death of Jesus and his road to crucifixion. Some of these processions may include symbolic dress to represent the events of Jesus’ death, such as Roman costumes.

Good Friday is, like in many other countries, a sombre day. Churches throughout Italy won’t ring their bells from this day until Jesus’ resurrection. The Pope’s Easter message also takes place on Easter Sunday from the Vatican.

On the Saturday, Italians usually prepare for Easter Sunday by decorating the home and cooking food. Some Christians will attend church in the evening, although the day is usually seen as one of rest and reflection. Easter Sunday is a day of celebration whereby families gather and enjoy a large traditional meal. They also incorporate the inherited pagan traditions of having Easter eggs and other sweets on the Sunday.

Celebrating Easter in Bangladesh

Posted on April 9, 2014 by admin

We’re at the halfway point of our Easter week here at RAND, and today we’re looking at how Easter is celebrated traditionally in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is home to many different religions, including Christianity, Islam and Hindu. Whilst Christians recognise Holy Week as any other Christian would, many of the other religions will also get involved with the celebrations. Here are some of the traditional Easter festivities that take place in Bangladesh.

Easter Sunday is not yet regarded as a national holiday in Bangladesh despite opposition from Christians throughout the country. The Muslim population are believed to be against the idea of having Sunday as the national rest day, which opposes the Muslim calendar.

Despite their differences, the various religions in Bangladesh enjoy celebrating Easter alongside Christians in the country and recognise the symbolic event of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Christians will often celebrate Easter by sharing sweets, chocolate and other treats amongst the family and with other non-Christians. The church service usually takes place in the morning on Easter Sunday, with parents dressing their children in new clothes to symbolise the special occasion.

We provide a parcel delivery service to Bangladesh here at RAND, so if you want to send a gift abroad, make sure you get a quote from us today!

Celebrating Easter in Portugal

Posted on April 8, 2014 by admin

We continue our week of looking at Easter celebrations across the world with the traditional celebrations that take place in Portugal. Portugal has a large Christian population that celebrate Easter differently to the rest of the country. Here are some of the events and traditions that take place throughout the Easter week in Portugal.

Portugal recognises Good Friday, the most important day in the Holy Week, as a national holiday. Some Christians also recommend that people fast as a symbol of Jesus’ suffering on the cross. This would involve giving up meat and replacing it with fish instead, in particular codfish.

Easter Sunday is a huge day in Portugal, with all sorts of traditions taking place. The local parish priest visits homes to wish a Happy Easter, whilst he also brings a figure of Christ with him which can be kissed by each member of the household to celebrate his resurrection.

There are plenty of pagan traditions still present in Portugal, from Easter Eggs to the Easter bunny. Like many other countries, chocolate eggs are shared out at Easter as gifts, whilst roast lamb is traditionally eaten in Portugal at lunchtime on the Sunday.

If you’re interested in sending a gift to Portugal, make sure you check our list of prohibited items to Portugal so that you know your gift will make it to the addressee without being intercepted by customs.

Celebrating Easter in Ghana

Posted on April 7, 2014 by admin

This week we’ll be gearing up for the biggest event in the Christian calendar, the celebration of Easter. It’s a religious event that is celebrated in various different ways across the world, with some focusing on the sorrowful events of Good Friday and Jesus’ death and others concentrating on the joys of Easter Sunday and Jesus’ resurrection. Today we’ll be looking at how Christians and non-Christians in Ghana approach the week leading up to Easter and the weekend itself.

Palm Sunday is an occasion where Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem is welcomed and celebrated. This is the largest event before the crucifixion and the Easter weekend, so it is celebrated widely in churches throughout Ghana. Palm branches are typically waved at mass to recognise the event.

Good Friday is a sombre day in Ghana that is respected by attending church and wearing dark coloured dress. Some people in Ghana who don’t attend church regularly will almost certainly look to be there on Good Friday. On the other hand, Easter Sunday is a joyous day that signifies the resurrection of Jesus. Everyone who attends church in Ghana wears white on Easter Sunday.

If you know someone who is visiting Ghana for Easter this year or you just plan to send a parcel to Ghana, why not make the most of our unrivalled parcel delivery services here at RAND?

Alternative, Eco-Friendly Methods of Packaging

Posted on March 28, 2014 by admin

If you’re someone who has to ship gifts and parcels abroad quite regularly, you might find yourself having to invest in wrapping paper and other necessary parcel materials on a regular basis. This blog post will provide you with various other methods of wrapping parcels so that you can make the process eco-friendly and a little more exciting. Here are a few alternatives to the average parcel.

Newspaper might seem a bit tasteless, but in truth you can turn it into an excellent resource for parcel wrapping if you’re a bit more creative than the average person. Newspaper that gets regularly delivered to your house is ideal and you can use colouring pens, paint, stickers or whatever suits you.

If you aren’t so creative, why not have a look through the gift wrapping materials you’ve got leftover? You’ll be able to choose from all sorts of colours and designs that your addressee will admire, or you can just turn it inside out and use the blank white canvas instead.

Certain fabrics are prohibited in some countries but if you’re sending a gift somewhere where this doesn’t apply, you can always make the most of colourful fabrics from beds, cushions, pillow cases or whatever you can find. In fact, this is a common method of gift wrapping in Japan, so it wouldn’t be to out of the ordinary if you’re sending a gift to Japan.

Possible Gifts For Mothers Day This Coming Sunday

Posted on March 27, 2014 by admin

Mothers Day is fast approaching, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to give something back to one of the most important people in anyone’s life. You may even need to ship a parcel abroad for Mothers Day if your mum isn’t in the country, and you can do this using the services we have to offer here at RAND. For now though, here are some great gift ideas that are sure to please her on the big day.

If your mum enjoys a tasty alcoholic beverage, she’d really appreciate an exotic bottle of sparkling wine. In addition, sweet treats such as chocolates might also work well if you’re going down this route. Try to get something out of the ordinary and possibly a little more expensive as well rather than something she’d usually expect.

Flowers are the perfect symbol of love, friendship and appreciation. A colourful bouquet can really lighten up anyone’s mood but on Mother’s Day it is a traditional gift to say thank you for everything they do for us.

If you think a gift might be a better option, why not consider something she has previously asked for her birthday? Small gifts aren’t as spectacular as some of the other things mentioned above, though they could act as a sign of the strong bond that you share with your mum.

Contact RAND today to discover more about sending gifts locally and abroad, whilst you can also get an instant quotation.

Royal Mail Put Kids TV Characters on Stamps To Celebrate 50 Years of Children’s TV

Posted on March 26, 2014 by admin

You might have noticed some familiar faces on your stamps recently, especially if you remember the days of watching kids TV. Since the start of 2014, children’s TV characters have begun to appear on Royal Mail postage stamps as a means of celebrating 60 years of children’s TV.

There are some notable figures to watch out for, including a selection of newcomers such as Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder and Shaun the Sheep. Some of us might even get a bit nostalgic seeing the older characters Postman Pat, Mr Ben and Ivor the Engine.

Andrew Hammond from Royal Mail Stamps told the BBC that they simply couldn’t ignore the landmark. “It feels appropriate to celebrate all of these unforgettable characters on a set of very special stamps” he said.

If you plan on sending a letter or parcel abroad, you might be able to make the most of these unique set of stamps, especially if they’re going to a distant friend or a younger recipient.

We offer an unrivalled parcel delivery service here at RAND, so make sure you get a quote from us today to see how we can save you money when shipping parcels abroad.

Sending Baked Goods – Choices, Choices

Posted on March 7, 2014 by admin

We wrap up a happy week of delivering baked goods and perishables with a few last minute tips in making sure that your confectioneries reach the recipient in top condition.

Easier to Ship

Certain types of baked goods are easier to ship than others. Layer cakes and fragile goods like meringues are not recommended when sending things by post, although with meringues if you absolutely have to send them, sometimes freezing them works better and keeping them packed in cold storage, because this decreases of their chances of breaking in transit.

Moist breads, cookies and fudges and caramels are good for shipping as they are flexible and heavier and are less likely to break or ruin if they are thrown about a bit when being posted. Still place a ‘fragile’ sticker on all baked goods to prevent any cookies or muffins being ground into dust though!

Be Careful of Mixing Flavours

Strong flavours tend to overpower others especially if they are kept in the same space for extended periods of time. If you are thinking of sending gingerbread cookies or cookies with other strong flavours with more mild flavours, try to package them in separate boxes as the milder flavours can be overpowered by the stronger ones.

For more information on the level of services we can provide throughout the UK and worldwide, please contact RAND Logistics. With a well established network sending parcels throughout the world, from Italy to New Zealand and anywhere in between, RAND Logistics is the only courier to choose.

Sending Baked Goods – Keeping Gifts Fresh

Posted on March 6, 2014 by admin

Everybody loves getting gifts in the post and it is even more heartfelt when these gifts are handmade and edible! Cookies and muffins are great if you are recovering from an illness, or you simply feel homesick for some traditional family cooking. Make sure your baked goods reach their intended destination in good condition with our top hints and tips.

Double Wrapped, Double Fresh!

You can never pack your baked goods too well. By ensuring that all Tupperware containers are sealed with cello tape and then placed inside a larger container, you are reducing the chances of the goods being exposed to air, plus you are reducing their chances of breaking from being thrown around. Place the smaller container in a larger container and fill with packing peanuts or bubble wrap to ensure that the container does not move around in transit.

Retaining the Moisture

Pack soft cookies or muffins with a slice of bread or a slice of apple, as these help the goods to retain their moisture. If you are packing up cookies, try not to pack moist cookies with hard ones, as the moist cookies will soften the crisp ones. If you have to pack them together, make sure each cookie is well wrapped individually.

For fast delivery and excellent service worldwide from Spain to Pakistan and further afield, choose RAND Logistics.

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