Easter - story and traditions!

The greatest festival of the Christian church commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a movable feast; that is, it is not always held on the same date.

Easter starts before Easter Sunday – the day when Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ. It begins on Palm Day. Small crosses made of palm leaves are given to church-goers.

Then on Good Friday – the Friday before Easter – people in the UK eat hot-cross buns. On Easter Sunday children receive chocolate Easter eggs and play lots of Easter games.

Easter can come as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.

Symbols

Many Easter customs come from the Old World.

The white lily, the symbol of the resurrection, is the special Easter flower.

Rabbits and coloured eggs have come from pagan antiquity as symbols of new life.

The Easter rabbit is a symbol of fertility, and it appears in coloured Easter eggs, originally painted with bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. The eggs: Easter Monday egg rolling, a custom of European origin, has become a tradition on the lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C (U.S.A.)

Hot cross buns

Small round cakes containing dried fruit and spices with cross on the top.

Hot cross buns are typically eaten on Good Friday and during Lent.

Guy Fawkes Night / Bonfire Night

5th November

A noite de Guy Fawkes é também chamada Noite de “Bonfire”.
É uma celebração britânica que recorda que, no dia 5 de Novembro de 1605, Guy Fawkes planeou matar o Rei de Inglaterra, fazendo explodir as Casas do Parlamento. Contudo, foi descoberto e enforcado.
Actualmente as crianças, poucos dias antes do 5 de Novembro, fazem bonecos de palha ou jornais e vestem-nos de roupas velhas. Depois vão para a rua pedir dinheiro.
Habitualmente dizem “um tostãozinho para o Guy” – “a penny for the guy”. Esse dinheiro é depois gasto em fogo-de-artifício.
De facto, muitas famílias fazem uma grande fogueira, queimam o Guy e lançam fogo-de-artifício.

Children’s rhymes

A penny for the guy,
A big umbrella and a flashy tie.
The guy, the guy,
Pin him in the eye,
There let him die.

A banger, a banger,
A boom, boom, boom!
A rocket, a rocket,
A zoom, zoom, zoom!
A sparkler, SSSSSSSSSSSSSHH!

Fifth November
Please to remember
The fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Halloween 2

October 31st is Halloween. On this day, some children dress up in scary costumes. Then the children go to Halloween parties or they play "trick or treat". The children go to people's houses and say, "Trick or treat?". Usually people give them a "treat" - sweets! If they don't, then the children play a trick!
Here are pictures of five scary Halloween costumes. Can you match the costumes with the words?

Halloween

October 31st is Halloween. Can you match the Halloween words and spooky pictures?