Course EFA daytime English

Facts about Easter How much do you know about Easter? How did Easter get its name? Here we aim to help you discover the facts and the background to Easter traditions. Find out why Christians celebrate Easter and the timeline to the festival from Shrove Tuesday to Easter Sunday. The Easter Story The last week of Lent is known as Holy Week. It is the time when Christians remember the last week of Jesus' life. In our illustrated Easter story you can read about these events, which includes the arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Easter Facts What is Easter? Easter is the most important Christian festival. Christians are followers of Jesus Christ who lived about 2000 years ago in a country called Palestine. They believe that Jesus was the son of God. At Easter time Christians remember the last week of Jesus' life. How did Easter get its name? One belief is that Easter got its name from the Goddess of Spring called Eostre who some people worshipped long before Jesus was born. At that time it was thought that the sun died in Winter and was born again in Spring when days would lengthen and the sun’s power would return. In Europe, Eostre was honored as the bringer of Spring. When and how long is Easter? Easter Day is always on a Sunday, but the date varies from year to year unlike Christmas which is always on December 25. Many years ago Christians decided that Easter Day should always be on the Sunday following the first full moon after the first day of Spring on March 21. This means that Easter can be as early as 22 March or as late as 25 April. For this reason Easter is called a “movable feast”. In fact not only is Easter a movable feast but it happens on different dates depending on where in the world you live

Easter Customs Easter Eggs The custom of giving eggs at Easter celebrates new life. Christians remember that Jesus, after dying on the cross, rose from the dead. This miracle showed that life could win over death. For Christians the egg is a symbol of Jesus' resurrection, as when they are cracked open they stand for the empty tomb. No-one actually knows when eggs were first used as symbols at festival times but it was long before Jesus' time. Eggs were always thought to be special because although they do not seem alive, they have life within them especially at springtime when chicks hatch out. Long ago people gave gifts of eggs carved from wood or precious stones. The first sweet eggs that were eaten were made in the last 100 years from sugar or marzipan. Since then chocolate eggs have become popular and these are given on Easter Sunday. In some countries parents tell their children the Easter Hare or Bunny has hidden chocolate eggs and they race to find them round the house or garden. Children in other countries decorate hard-boiled eggs at Easter time by painting or dyeing them. In some countries such as the United States egg rolling is a popular Easter game. This is usually done with coloured eggs. One of the most well known events is held in America on the White House lawn. Children and parents push the eggs along through the grass with wooden spoons.

Easter Bunny Rabbits have been associated with springtime since ancient times. It is believed that a symbol of the Anglo- Saxon Goddess of Spring Eostre was the hare. It was Eostre's sacred animal since it was a symbol of fertility and the rebirth of nature following winter. As rabbits are similar to hares and are very common everywhere, Christians changed the symbol to the Easter bunny. So the modern symbol of the Easter bunny comes from pagan times. The tradition of the Easter bunny leaving a basket of treats such as Easter eggs and chocolates on Easter Day is common in America but not in Britain. Parents of American children often hide eggs in the garden for children to find. Sometimes their children leave out carrots for the Easter bunny. The idea of an egg-laying rabbit went to America in the 1700's through immigrants arriving from Germany. They told their children to make 'nests' before Easter with their caps and bonnets and if they were good the Easter bunny would leave them coloured eggs.

Work done by : Albino, João, Rita, Paula and Vítor