EASTERTRADITIONS

Easter is a joyful spring festival which celebrates the rebirth of Jesus. Christians and many other people around the world celebrate Easter every year.

Pagan traditions give us the English word "Easter" which comes from the word "Eostre".

The English word Easter comes from

the Anglo – Saxon name for the month of April, which was known as "Eostremonath"

EASTER EGGS

• Easter is the oldest and most important Christian festival.

• Every Easter family and friends give each other Easter eggs to celebrate new life.

• Around 80 million chocolate eggs are eaten every year in England.

• Eggs are given on Easter Sunday.

In Britain children have two weeks off school when it is Easter. They finish school a few days before the Easter weekend.

EASTER IN SCHOOL

At school, children often make chocolate Easter nests.

The younger students make Easter bonnets.

They also paint hard-boiled or hollow eggs.

DYED AND DECORATED EASTER EGGS

EASTER CARDS• Every Easter, family and

friends send Easter cards .

• It is the Friday before Easter Sunday (Easter Day).

• On Good Friday, Christians remember the day when Jesus was crucified on a cross.

It is traditional to eat warm 'hot cross buns' on Good Friday .

The cross on top of the

buns symbolizes and reminds Christians Jesus’s death on the cross.

They are a rich, spiced

teacake. Normally you eat them

with butter or jam and you can have them hot or cold.

On Easter Sunday (Easter Day) Christians gather together on a hill to watch the sun rise.

Then it’s breakfast with the family.

Boiled eggs are traditionally served at breakfast. After breakfast people go to church for a service to celebrate Jesus rising from the dead.

• In the UK Roast lamb is the traditional meat for the main meal on Easter Day. It is served with mint sauce and vegetables.

In America, they prefer roasted ham instead

In the UK, traditional Easter pudding is

custard tarts.

EASTER CAKES Simnel Cake is a fruit cake with marzipan on top and it

is decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas.

This is eaten on Easter Sunday.

You can also have other Easter cakes such as chocolate cakes.

EASTER BISCUITS

• These biscuits are eaten on Easter Sunday.

• They have spices, currants and sometimes grated lemon rind.

EASTER EGGS

Or small

, Come in all sizes...very big.

American love to eat marshmellow “Peeps” at Easter

EASTER CHOCOLATES

EASTER ANIMALSThe Easter Rabbit brings eggs, but it depends if you have been good or naughty.

It is lucky to see a lamb at Easter. Lambs also symbolise Spring.

The chick and duckling symbolise new life and Spring.

The tradition is that the Easter Bunny paints the eggs and hides them in the house or in the garden.

Then children go with their baskets and look for the eggs.

Children find the eggs and eat them.

EGG ROLLING is very popular in England and is an EASTER MONDAY tradition.

Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a hill.

Or pushed in the grass with a wooden spoon.

THE FAMOUS EGG ROLL ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN