My Easter Holidays By Fran Andrés García.

MY EASTER HOLIDAY

by Fran Andrés García

WHAT IS EASTER?

Easter is a Christian religious tradition that celebrates stories from the Christian bible about the resurrection of Jesus and marks the end of Lent, which is a period of fasting, or giving up certain treats.

Those who follow the Christian bible believe that Jesus died on a cross on Good Friday and then his body was taken to a tomb, where it was guarded by Roman soldiers. Three days later, some of Jesus’s followers discovered that his body had disappeared. His followers believed that Jesus came back to life — was resurrected — on this day, which has become known as Easter Sunday.

WHEN IS EASTER?

Easter falls on different dates each year, ranging between March 21 and April 25. The date is decided by calculations based on observations of the equinox* and the next full Moon.

WHY DO WE GIVE EGGS?

Chocolate or decorated eggs are one of the most recognisable modern traditions of Easter. For those who follow the religious meanings, hollow chocolate eggs have become a symbol of Jesus’s empty tomb. Eggs are also a symbol of rebirth

WHY IS THERE AN EASTER BUNNY?

Bunnies or rabbits do not appear in Christian stories.They began to be a part of Easter traditions in the 1600s. Early drawings of rabbits at Easter from Germany show the floppy-eared creatures delivering toys and eggs in baskets to Christian families.

Many historians believe the tradition comes from a pagan* festival called Eostre, dedicated to the goddess of fertility (to do with pregnancy and the birth of babies), who is often depicted as a rabbit. This ties in with the Christian Easter celebrations of the rebirth of Jesus.

THE HISTORY OF EASTER EGGS AND WHY THEY´RE DECORATED

Many cultures throughout Europe embraced the idea that eggs had life-giving associations. In Ukraine, people began the practice of "writing" the eggs, called pysanky (from the word pysaty, "meaning to write"). They adorned them with symbols such as the sun, a triangle, or lines that encircle the egg.

The decorated eggs were kept in homes, given to friends, or even buried in the fields. It's likely the idea was to connect to the "magic" of the egg to protect the family, banish evil, and ensure spring's return. When Christianity came to Ukraine in the 10th century, "The people melded old and new traditions," says Wolynetz. "Pre-Christian rituals, such as egg writing, were not abolished and soon became associated with Easter, which also focuses on resurrection."

WHAT DO HOT CROSS BUNS STAND FOR?

Spiced fruit buns with a white cross are an Easter tradition in Australia and some other countries and began in the UK.

The cross represents the cross that Jesus is said to have died on and the spices signify the spices that people who looked after his body would have used to embalm* him.

MORE EASTER TRADITIONS

In Spain, there are Easter parades, for which people wear conical hats and carry palms leaves.

Palm Sunday begins the Easter in Spain, one of the oldest celebrations, appears and emotive of this country, in which several popular religiosity, tradition and art have been mixed for centuries.

They have a common characteristic: the great participation of citizens, who turn with the celebrations of their towns and cities, filling the streets when the processions pass both day and night.

There are also parades featuring olive branches in Portugal and people bake bread called folar, with an egg in the middle.

People in Ireland clean their homes, have a haircut, trim their fingernails and shop for new clothes before Easter Sunday.

Children in Sweden dress up as scary Easter witches on Maundy Thursday and walk around the neighbourhood collecting lollies, a bit like  Halloween.

Many cultures have a special Easter bread. In Russia, people bake kulich, a sweet yeast bread with raisins, nuts, and candied citrus rind sometimes cooked in a coffee tin.

In many European cultures including Serbia, Ukraine and Poland, Easter feasting includes many of the rich foods people gave up for Lent, such as meat and eggs.

EASTER COOTIE CATCHERS - BUNNY AND CHICK ORIGAMI

If you haven’t already played with this origami project, you just have to give them a try, they are really easy to make and kids can play with them once they are done.

This is my Easter craft.

By Francisco Andrés García 5ºA