Easter Traditions

Easter is the feast of Christ’s resurrection. It is one of the most important Christian holidays. The exact date of the holiday changes from year to year but it usually falls on April. Preparation for Easter starts seven weeks before the actual holiday. It’s called the advent of Lent. Many Christian people don’t eat meat and animal products during this period. The week before Easter is quite busy because people start thoroughly preparing for the holiday.

The last Sun­day before Easter is called Willow Sunday. On this day people bless pussy willow branches in the church. Then they tap one an­other with these branches and repeat the wish: «Be as tall as the willow, as healthy as the water, and as rich as the Еarth».

The week before Easter, the Great Week (Holy Week), is called the White or Pure Week. During this time people try to finish all field work before Thursday (from Thursday on all work is forbidden). On Passion Friday (Good Friday) no work is done.

Easter is the principal spring festival, its rites are closely related to agriculture, to the remembrance of the dead, and to the marriage season when praise is given, ritual songs are sung, and there is much well-wishing.

Easter is a feast of joy and gladness that unites the entire community in common celebration. For three days we celebrates to the sound of bells and to the singing of spring songs — Easter carols. Easter begins with the Easter matins and high mass, during which the traditional Easter breads and decorated col­ored Easter eggs are blessed in church. After the matins all the people in the congregation exchange Easter greetings and then hurry home with their baskets of blessed food.

The Easter eggs are an old Christian tradition and it has an important role in the Easter rites. They are given as gifts or exchanged as a sign of affection.

In Great Britain Easter is a very popular holiday as well. At Easter the British celebrate the idea of the new birth by giving each other chocolate Easter eggs, which are opened and eaten on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday bakers sell hot cross buns. Easter Monday is a holiday and many people travel to the seaside for the day or go and watch one of the many sporting events as football or horse racing. Egg - rolling is a traditional Easter pastime which is still popular in Northern England, Scotland, Wales and Isle of Man. It takes place on Easter Sunday or Monday and consists of rolling colored, hard-boiled eggs down a slope until they are cracked and broken after which the players eat them. In some parts of Britain the competitions take place and the winner is a player whose egg remains longest undamaged, but usually the fun is just rolling and eating. This is the older form of the custom, since egg-rolling does not appear to have been a game to be lost or won.

In English-speaking countries the official symbol of this holiday is Easter bunny. Children are especially fond of this day because they get lots of chocolate and fluffy bunnies as a present.

feast — праздник

resurrection — воскрешение

willow — верба (ива)

forbidden — запрещено

rite — обряд

praise — хвала

matins — утренняя служба в церкви

congregation — сбор, собрание

1. What kind of holiday is Easter?

2. What does Easter mean?

3. How is the last Sunday before Easter called?

4. What do people do on this day?

5. How is the week before Easter called?

6. What does Easter begin with?

Choose the right variant:

1. Easter comes in...

a) summer b) spring c) autumn

2. Easter lasts for a...

a) day b) month c) week

3. The main Easter flower is the white ...

a) lily b) camomile c) daisy

4. The main Easter tree is ...

a) cedar b) willow c) olive

5. Hot cross buns are baked on...

a) Good Friday b) Good holiday c) Good morning

6. Emblems of Easter are...

a) sweets b) apples c) eggs

7. The symbol of Easter is...

a) Kitty b) Pussy c) Bunny

8. During the Easter Parade girls show their...

a) crinoline b) bonnets c) pinafore

9. The traditional Easter game is...

a) Egg Hunt b) Leapfrog c) Pig’s tail

10. People make Easter ... and bring them to the church.

a) bags b) boxes c) baskets

11. The Friday before Easter is known as…

a) Easter Friday. b) Lent Friday. c) Good Friday.

12.Easter day is commemorated as the day…

a) that Jesus was born.

b) that Jesus died.

c) that Jesus was resurrected.

13.Which animal is considered a symbol of Easter?

a) The chick.

b) The rabbit.

c) The duck.

14.The week before Easter is known as…

a) Resurrection week..

b) Holy week.

c) Easter week.

15.What is Lent?

a) It’s a celebration.

b) It’s an Easter bunny.

c) It’s a time of fasting.

16.What is Shrove Tuesday?

a) It’s the last day before Lent.

b) It’s the first day of Lent.

c) It’s the last day of Lent.

17.What is usually done to eggs at Easter?

a) They are eaten.

b) They are decorated.

c) They are broken.

18.How many days does Lent last?

a) 15.

b) 30.

c) 40.

19.What kind of hunt is usually done at Easter?

a) Rabbit hunt.

b) Chick hunt.

c) Egg hunt.

20.The Easter bunny carries the eggs in a…

a) basket.

b) box.

c) bag.

21.In the U. K. Shrove Tuesday is also known as…

a) Egg Day.

b) Rabbit Day..

c) Pancake Day.

-Make up sentences:

1. Christ, is, of, Easter, resurrection, the feast

2. The, Easter, Great, is called, before, week, Week

3. оn Saturday, eggs, Сhildren, Easter, col­or