This document discusses the origins and traditions of Easter. It begins by explaining that Easter has origins in pagan festivals celebrating spring like Eostre and origins in the Jewish Passover. It then describes the traditions associated with each day of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday such as palm branches, hot cross buns, and sunrise services. Finally, it discusses modern Easter celebrations and symbols like Easter eggs, foods like simnel cake, and games like egg rolling.
1. LEARNING AND TEACHING ENGLISH CELEBRATIONS
CELEBRATING EASTER
Neda Mirova
rainbowidiomas.cordoba@gmail.com
21 March 2012
CEP Luisa Revuelta, Córdoba
2. CONTENTS:
I. ORIGIN
- Pagan festivity
- Easter and Passover
II. TRADITION and CUSTOMS
- Palm Sunday
- Maundy Thursday
- Good Friday
- Holy Saturday
- Easter Sunday
III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY
- Easter symbols
- Easter food
- Easter fun and games
IV. THE EASTER WEEKEND and DIY
3. I. ORIGIN: Pagan festivity
• Easter > Eostre – the goddess of
Anglo-Saxon paganism, worshipped
sometime during April; Hredhe, another
goddess was worshipped at the Vernal
Equinox (during March)
• Primary historical source: Temporum
Ratione or The Reckoning of Time by
the Northumbrian monk and scholar the
Venerable Bede (673-735).
“Eosturmonath” has a name which is now
translated 'Paschal month' and which was
once called after a goddess of theirs named
Eostre, in whose honour feasts were
celebrated in that month. Now they
designate that Paschal season by her
name, calling the joys of the new rite by the
time-honoured name of the old observance.”
(Faith Wallis (trans.), Bede: The Reckoning
of Time, Liverpool University Press, 1999
p.54)
4. I. ORIGIN: Easter and Passover
• often overlap, both celebrated in early spring
• renewal of nature, hope, redemption
EASTER PASSOVER
individual focus communal focus
commemorates the tribulations of tribulations of the ancient Israelites
one man freedom through God's assistance in the
freedom from sins (Christ's flight from Egypt (Exodus)
crucifixion), understanding of eternal
life (Christ's Resurrection)
5. II. TRADITION AND CUSTOMS: Palm Sunday
Task 1. Look at the customs. Which day are they celebrated
on and what is their significance?
PALM SUNDAY
- Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday;
- Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover;
and was cheered by crowds of people waving palm branches (As Royalty),
hence “Palm Sunday”.
Nowadays:
- palm crosses or garlands to decorate churches:
- In Protestant churches, children are given palms and
they walk in a procession;
- palms are sometimes saved, burned and used as ash in
the following year’s Ash Wednesday service.
6. II. TRADITION AND CUSTOMS: Maundy Thursday
- commemorates The Last Supper, beginning of the Triduum;
- “maundy” derived from “mandatum” > commandment: 'And now I give you
a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another.' John 13:34
- Jesus washing the feet of the disciples – rulers serve their subjects;
- Until 1689 in England, the monarch would wash the feet of the poor in
Westminster Abbey; food and clothes were also handed out to the poor.
Maundy Money - ceremony dates back to
Edward I (1239-1307)
Nowadays… Royal Maundy religious service in the C of E:
• Maundy Money is given to elderly people by the Queen;
• number of people who receive the money = the sovereign’s age in
years;
• red purse – ordinary coinage; white purse – silver money.
7. II. TRADITION AND CUSTOMS: Maundy Thursday
Task 2. Discussion. What do you think of the Maundy Money
custom? Imagine you are advisors to the Queen and you must
suggest the introduction of a new custom which would reflect
the significance of this day better.
8. II. TRADITION AND CUSTOMS: Good Friday
• commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ;
• “good” – derived from God’s Friday (“good-bye” > “God be with ye”); the barrier
of sin was broken;
• public holiday (bank holiday);
• day of fasting – Anglo-Saxon name was “Long Friday” due to the long fast,
eat fish instead of meat;
• special services in churches;
Hot Cross Buns - pagan origin, cross symbolic of the
sun wheel (Spring Equinox);
- Church tried to ban them, but
unsuccessful – Queen Elizabeth I
“Christianized” them;
Hot Cross Bun Ceremony at the Widow’s Son pub in East London – widow
waiting for her sailor son to return. She baked a new bun every year on Good
Friday. The son never returned but she continued to bake them and collected
them in a net. Nowadays, a sailor adds a new bun every year.
9. II. TRADITION AND CUSTOMS: Holy Saturday
- Easter Even or the Great Sabbath;
- last day of Lent when Jesus laid in his tomb;
- Easter Vigil – dates back to Roman times, it is the first Easter service,
takes place on the night of Holy Saturday;
- in the early church this was the time to baptize new Christian converts.
Coco-nut dancers of Bacup,
Lancashire
- type of Morris dancing;
- first troupe formed in 1857;
- blackened faces – sources point to pagan or medieval background (protect
faces from being recognised by evil spirits), possible connection to mining
tradition in the village or Moorish pirate origins.
10. II. TRADITION AND CUSTOMS: Easter Sunday
- Sunrise Service, particularly popular with Protestant Churches –
women coming to the tomb at dawn;
- Easter Garden – stone rolled away;
- Paschal candle;
- Easter water brought home to use in family blessings.
Task 3. Watch the clip.
What do chocolate eggs and Easter have in comm
''And then kids eat chocolate eggs, because the colour of the chocolate and the
colour of the wood on the cross...Well, you tell me? It's got nothing to do with
it, has it?
You have people going-'' 'member kids''- the kids are eating the chocolate
eggs-they're going '' 'Member kids, Jesus died for your sins.''
''Yeah, I know, it's great.''
''No, no, no, it's bad, it's bad.''
''No, it's bad, it's very bad...it's terrible. Whatever you want. I mean, just keep
giving me these eggs.''
And the bunny rabbits, where do they come into the crucifixion?'‘ (Eddie Izzard,
comedian)
11. III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY: Easter symbols
Why chocolate eggs?
- egg: fertility, rebirth, a new start etc;
- Earliest Easter eggs – decorated at home with dye, Eastern Orthodox
believers still carry this out;
- 17th and 18th cent. – egg themed toys, Victorians had eggs covered in satin
and full of chocolates and toys;
- first made in Europe in the early 19th cent. in France and Germany;
- eggs were solid chocolate until the technique evolved and allowed for the
production of hollow eggs.
12. III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY: Easter symbols
Task 4. Read the clues and decide which 7 Easter
customs they refer to. When you have the correct
answers you can collect your eggs.
13. III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY: Easter symbols
Task 5. A. What does Easter mean to you? What is your favourite
thing about this time of year?
B. In groups. Imagine you are the famous person on your picture.
Write a few sentences about your memories of Easter – customs,
games, food, family celebrations etc. Now read this to another
group who has to listen and guess who is the celebrity talking.
Some curious customs – Easter Day
- Durham, 1826: “Pay for your shoes, please”;
- Rippon, 1790: stealing buckles from shoes;
- Twickenham, date not known: dividing two big cakes in church for children
and young people, in 1645 parliament ordered that money should be
used to buy penny loaves for poor children, which were thrown from the church
steeple;
- Paste eggs in Cheshire: children sing a short song in return for eggs - "an egg,
bacon, cheese, or an apple, or any good thing that will make us merry…”;
- Sugar Cupping, Peak of Derbyshire: children and young people would take
a cup and some sugar to a spring, fill the cup and dissolve the sugar, then drink it.
Adapted from “The Every-day Book”, William Hone, published in 1826
14. III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY: Easter food
• boiled eggs for breakfast – egg jarping (tapping);
• roast lamb for lunch – “the Lamb of God”;
• simnel cake – fruit cake, decorated with 11 marzipan balls;
• Easter biscuits or cakes – spices, currants and grated lemon;
• hot cross buns.
15. III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY: Easter fun and games
Egg rolling takes place on Easter
Monday (the first Monday after Easter):
- hard boiled decorated eggs
- winner could be the owner of the egg
which rolls furthest, rolls most times…
- eggs given to pace eggers who sang
traditional songs and performed
mumming plays (folk plays) > The Pace
Egging Play.
Pace-egging and Pace Eggers (Jolly Boys):
-“pace” > “pacha”> “passover”
- pace-eggs – wrapped in onionskin and boiled,
nowadays simply painted; eaten for Easter
breakfast; any left over were used in games (egg
rolling)
- Pace Eggers were groups of men who toured local
villages during Easter and enacted the Pace Egg
Play (Pace Egging).
- Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northumberland
16. III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY: Easter fun and games
Midgley Pace Egg Play
- traditional village play, references as early as 1842, died out after the Great War
(WW1);
- rebirth theme;
- St George hits challengers;
- the fool, Toss Pot, rejoices;
- the hero (in the Midgley version “the Bold Slasher”)
- combat between the hero and villain;
- hero is killed and brought to life, often by a quack doctor;
- very popular custom throughout England, nowadays only alive in some areas,
particularly Lancashire and West Yorkshire;
- Midgley School (and later Calder Valley High School) in West Yorkshire were key in
preserving the tradition; Calder Valley High still puts on performances of the play
every Good Friday.
- Middleton, North Manchester, Pace Egging (performing the Pace Egg Play) was
revived in 1967;
-The Bury Pace Eggers were revived in 1969, nowadays perform in pubs and
squares around the town and neighbouring villages over the Easter weekend.
17. III. CELEBRATING EASTER TODAY: Easter fun and games
Fun secular customs – Easter Monday
Biddenden Dole
Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking
London Harness Horse Parade
World Coal Carrying Championship
18. IV. THE EASTER WEEKEND AND DIY
Task 6. Match the number to the corresponding paragraph title.
Do 50
It 33 15
Yourself
2.5 million
25
2 15
1956 12.5
19. IV. THE EASTER WEEKEND AND DIY
Do E. 2.5 million - number of hanging
basket B&Q expected to sell this Easter
It B. 33 - % of households which want a new
Yourself H. 50 – deaths per year caused by ladders
bathroom
D. 15 – number of series of the BBC show Changing
Rooms
F. 12.5 billion – Value of the home improvement market
I. 2 – hours spent at the kitchen sink every day
C. 15 – % of women who own power tools
A. 25 – % surge in demand for magnolia paint
G. 1956 – The year flat pack furniture was invented
20. And finally…
1. Write an Easter symbol or custom and stick it on your
partner’s forehead.
2. Everyone get up and mingle. You must ask 10 questions
to find out what or who you are.
21. LEARNING AND TEACHING ENGLISH CELEBRATIONS
CELEBRATING EASTER
THANKS FOR LISTENING AND HAVE A GREAT EASTER!
Neda Mirova
rainbowidiomas.cordoba@gmail.com
21 March 2012
CEP Luisa Revuelta, Córdoba
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