Festivals
Easter
1 Discuss the questions in groups.
1 Do you celebrate Easter?
2 If you do, how do you celebrate Easter?
3 If you don’t, do you celebrate any other
festivals in spring?
E aster is the oldest and
most important
festival in the Christian
year. It celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus
Christ and is always
on a Sunday in March
or April. The English word
‘Easter’ comes from the Anglo-
Saxon name for the month of April,
which was known as ‘Eostremonath’. Today,
people celebrate Easter in different ways, either
taking part in traditional religious activities or
enjoying more modern ones. Here’s how they
celebrate in the UK.
On Easter Sunday, people who usually go to
church attend special services with music,
candlelight, flowers and ringing of the church
bells. In the past, a popular tradition was
to decorate and exchange eggs. The eggs
were hard boiled and dyed in lots of different
colours. Nowadays, it is more common to
2 Read the text, then write the questions to the following
answers.
1 It’s the oldest and most important Christian festival.
2 It takes place on a Sunday in March or April.
3 The Easter Bunny.
4 It’s an activity where children go round a house or
garden finding eggs.
5 It’s a time when some people abstain from food or drink.
74 FESTIVALS: easter
receive large chocolate eggs
covered in shiny paper and
in colourful boxes. In the
UK, children are told that
it’s the Easter Bunny who
brings the eggs and hides
them around the house or
garden. The Easter egg hunt is
a very popular children’s activity
where they run around looking for the
hidden eggs.
After the 40 days of Lent, when some people
fast, food at Easter is always special. Roast
lamb is traditionally eaten for the main
meal on Easter Day. Other traditional Easter
foods include custard tarts with raisins, Easter
biscuits in the shape of rabbits or chicks, hot
cross buns, which contain spices and raisins,
and simnel cake. Simnel cake is a fruitcake
covered with a thick layer of marzipan
(almond paste). Originally, the simnel cake
was a gift to mothers on Mother’s Day.
3 In pairs, plan an Easter celebration. Discuss and decide
on activities, what you will wear, and a menu for the
party. Include any other ideas you may have.
4 Share your ideas for the Easter celebration with the
class.
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