EASTER

Issue 4
March 2010
EASTER
Contents:
Easter in Catholic Church
2
Easter Festivals in Spain
13
Czech Easter
3
Easter in France
14
Easter in Finland
7
Easter Competition Winners
16
Easter in Poland
9
Glossary
19
Easter Crossword
10
Religious Songs
19
Easter in Lithuania
11
Bunny and Easter Songs
20
Easter in Catholic Church
Crucifixion
Easter is the most important
annual religious feast in the
Christian liturgical year. According to Christian scriptures, Jesus
was resurrected from the dead
on the third day after his crucifixion. Christians celebrate this
resurrection on Easter Day or
Easter Sunday; two days after
Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday. Easter
also marks the end of Lent, a
season of fasting, prayer, and
penance. Eastertide, or the
Easter Season, or Paschal Time,
is the period of fifty days from
Easter Sunday to Pentecost
Sunday.
Ash Wednesday is the first day
of Lent and occurs forty days
before Easter. Ash Wednesday
gets its name from the practice
of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of
repentance. The ashes used are
gathered after the Palm Crosses
from the previous year's Palm
Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches,
the ashes are mixed with the Oil
of the Catechumens, though
some churches use ordinary oil.
Maundy Thursday is the Christian feast or holy day falling on
the Thursday before Easter that
commemorates the Last Supper
of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of Holy
Week, and is preceded by Holy
Wednesday and followed by
Good Friday.
Holy Sunday
It commemorates
the last week of the
earthly life of Jesus Christ culminating in his crucifixion on Good
Friday and his resurrection on
Easter Sunday.
Easter Monday is the day after
Easter Sunday. The services are
exactly the same as on Pascha
(Easter Sunday), except that the
hymns from the Octoechos are
in Tone Two. It is customary to
have a Crucession (procession
headed by a cross) either after
Paschal Matins or after the Paschal Divine Liturgy. It is customarily a day for visiting family and
friends. Easter Monday is also
the day when St. George is celebrated.
Good Friday commemorates to
Christianity the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary.
Holy Saturday is the day after
Good Friday. It is the day before
Easter and the last day of Holy
Week, in which Christians prepare for Easter. This day commemorates the day that Jesus
Christ's body lay in the tomb.
Ascension Day
Easter Quiz
1. What is Easter?
2. How long is Lent in western churches?
3. What did Jesus eat with his apostles at the night before
his death?
4. What is decorated for the holiday?
5. On what day was Jesus crucified?
6. What are two animals traditionally associated with Easter?
7. What is a typical pastry cake baked in the Czech Republic at Easter?
8. What does the priest put on people´s foreheads on the Wednesday forty days
before Easter?
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Czech Easter
In the years before 1989, the meaning of Easter was limited to the welcoming of
spring. The religious connotations of Easter were suppressed under the communist
regime. Nowadays, Czechs are again aware of the strong Christian background of
Easter, but Easter has not become a serious religious holiday in all the regions of
the country.
Easter in the Czech Republic is a fun time. Many traditions are still observed and practiced, especially in villages, and different regions may have their own Easter traditions and customs.
Czech Republic Easter Symbols
Many Czech Easter symbols are related to spring and the beginning of new life. Some of the best
time.
Pussywillow
Young, live pussy-willow twigs are thought to bring
health and youth to anyone who is whipped with
them. An Easter is a braided whip made from pussywillow twigs. It has been used for centuries by boys
who go caroling on Easter Monday and symbolically
whip girls on the legs. In the past, it was also used by
the farmer's wife to whip the livestock and everyone
in the household, including men and children. There
would be no Czech Easter without it.
Boys used to make their own braided willow canes in
the past (the more twigs, the more difficult it was to
braid one), but this tradition and skill is long gone
and they can be bought in stores and street stands.
Some men don't even bother and use a single twig or
even a wooden spoon!
Baby Animals - Lamb, Bunny Rabbit, Chicken
One Easter tradition is to bake a lamb. In the Czech
Republic, real lamb is usually replaced with one
made from gingerbread or sweet pastry.
Dousing
Dousing a girl with water has a similar symbolic
meaning as whipping.
The Red Color
Red and other bright colors symbolize health, joy,
happiness and new life born with the spring.
known are:
Easter Eggs
The hand-painted or otherwise decorated egg
is the most recognizable symbol of Czech
Easter. Girls decorate Easter eggs to give
them to boys on Easter Monday. There are
many Easter egg decorating techniques, and
the more
elaborate ones require a certain level of skill.
Different materials can be used, such as
bee's wax, straw, watercolors, onion peels, or
stickers. There are no limitations to creating
pretty, colorful eggs.
A nationwide Easter egg contest is held in
Prague and other Czech cities around Easter
Days Before Easter Sunday
Children finish school on Ugly Wednesday, which is a good idea because they
need to spend some serious time on making Easter what it should be. In the
evening of Green Thursday, every boy in the village equips himself with a
wooden rattle, which is specially made for that purpose, the boys form a group
and walk through the village, rattling their rattles vigorously, so the noise can be
heard from afar. The meaning of the rattling is to chase away Judas. The same
procedure repeats on Good Friday and one more time on White Saturday when
the boys don't only walk through the village but stop at every house in the morning and rattle until they're given money, which they then split among themselves.
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Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday is a day of preparations for Easter Monday. Girls paint, color
and decorate eggs if they haven't done so already, and boys prepare their
canes.
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is a day off.
The origin of the Easter Monday whipping tradition dates back to pagan times. Its original purpose and
symbolic meaning is to chase away illness and bad spirits and to bring health and youth for the rest of
the year to everyone who is whipped with the young pussy-willow twigs. Boys would whip girls lightly on
the legs and possibly douse them with water, which had a similar symbolic meaning. An Easter carol,
usually asking for an egg or two, would be recited by the boy while whipping. The girl would then reward the boy with a painted egg or candy and tie a ribbon around his cane. As the boys progressed
through the village, their bags filled up with eggs and their canes were adorned with more and more
colorful ribbons.
This tradition is still largely upheld, especially in villages and small towns,
although it may have lost its symbolism and romance and is now performed mainly for fun. Some boys and men seem to have forgotten that
the whipping is supposed to be only symbolic and girls don't always like
that. The reward has also changed - money and shots of plum brandy are
often given instead of or in addition to painted eggs and candy. So by early afternoon, groups of happy
men can be seen staggering along the roads... But despite all of that, Easter remains one of the most
joyful holidays on the Czech calendar.
Whipping Girls on Easter Monday Is Not a
Primitive Custom!
This year, Easter Monday falls on April 9. This
day is traditionally a
public holiday in the
Czech Republic since
there are many things
one has to do on this
day!
Everything starts the
day before – on Sunday. Czech girls decorate Easter eggs to give
them to boys on Easter Monday. Easter eggs
are painted hard-boiled eggs and then hand
decorated. Boys make a special handmade
whip, and decorate it with colored ribbons at
the end. This whip consists of eight, twelve, or
even twenty-four willow twigs, depending on
the skills of the boy. Surprisingly enough, the
more twigs, the more difficult it is to braid the
whip. They are usually from half a meter to two
meters long!
On Easter Monday it gets more interesting. In
the morning, boys walk from door to door to
spank the girls on the legs with their whip. It is
to say, that the whipping is rather symbolic. It
is believed that the freshness, youth and
4
strength of the twigs is passed to the women on this
day. Every woman thus wants to be whipped in order to keep her health and beauty during the whole
next year. Unvisited females can even feel offended. It is therefore almost a duty for all boyfriends and husbands to whip their loved ones!
The boys accompany the whipping with a special
Easter carol, usually asking for an egg or two. The
girls “reward” them with an Easter egg or tie a ribbon on their whip. The more eggs or ribbons boys
have the better.
For older boys or for men the treat, instead of eggs,
is a shot of a harder alcohol, mostly home-made
brandy (it is made from plums). And of course, the
point is to visit possibly all
girls in the town! So around
noon, groups of happy men
can be seen in the streets
singing Easter carols and
chasing girls. In the afternoon, girls can get their revenge by pouring a bucket of cold water on any
male.
Easter traditions are especially practiced in villages
and small towns.
HOW TO MAKE A PLAITED WILLOW CANE
We need willow twigs, the best quality are those from osiers which are used for
weaving baskets or any similar articles. Do not use weeping willow twigs or sallow tree twigs.
We cut long, slender, maximum one-year old shoots, which do not branch out.
Before the plaiting we soak them in cold water. They float in the bathtub, so we
have to weight them down.
The handle
This is the foundation of the plaiting. We choose the number of twigs, from
which we will plait. We select at least one meter long twig for this particular
part.
We try its flexibility and if it doesn´t crack at the end, cut off about half of the
twig at the length of 10 cm transversely. The end of this twig is thus halved. It
will serve as the wrapping around the handle.
We arrange the selected number of twigs of equal length and
strength and grasp them firmly in the hand.
About an inch from the end of the twigs we stick the cut off twig
between them. We hold them firmly, and then we start wrapping the twig
around them, doing this continually.
In the end we pull the pointed end of the twig between the other
twigs and tie them up properly.
EASTER WORD SEARCH
Find the hidden words pertaining to Easter.
5
Czech Easter Food
Easter eggs
The hand-painted or otherwise decorated hard-boiled egg is the most recognized
symbol of Czech Easter. Girls decorate Easter eggs to give them to boys on Easter
Monday. There are many Easter egg decorating techniques and the more elaborate
ones require a certain level of skill. Different materials can be used, such as bee's
wax, straw, watercolors, onion peels, stickers. There are no limitations to creating pretty, colorful eggs.
Easter bread
Easter bread, an egg-glazed loaf of bread, is a version of a typical Czech bread, but at Easter it has
sliced almonds and raisins in the dough. Its shape is round to signify the stone that was rolled away
from Christ‟s tomb. A cross slashed in the top before baking has a self-evident connotation as well.
Lamb sponge
Another traditional Easter sweet in the region is the lamb, a tasty sponge or pound cake made in a
mold shaped as a lamb, glazed with sugary icing and sometimes chocolate icing. Visitors can be somewhat disconcerted when they are invited and encouraged to cut its head off first.
Plum liquor
The requisite alcohol is usually homemade plum liquor.
The custom is to toast the Easter holiday on Easter Sunday morning with a shot of plum brandy. Additionally, women reward the men for whipping them on Easter Monday morning with a dose of this
drink.
Czech Easter Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar (or less, to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 large room-temperature eggs, beaten
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup golden or dark raisins
1/2 cup blanched sliced almonds
1/3 cup grated lemon skin
Topping:
1 large room-temperature egg, beaten
2 tablespoons blanched sliced almonds
Confectioners' sugar (optional)
Preparation:
Add butter, sugar and salt to scalded milk. Stir to combine and let cool down until lukewarm. Place
yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and, with the paddle attachment, stir until dissolved. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 2 eggs and mix together. Add 3 cups flour and beat with the
paddle until smooth. Add the raisins, almonds, lemon and remaining flour and mix 3 to 5 minutes until
smooth. The dough will be sticky. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Turn over and cover with plastic
wrap and let rise until double about 1 hour. Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured
board. Knead a few minutes and shape into a large round loaf. Place on a parchment-lined baking
sheet, cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade. Brush the bread with one beaten egg. Cut a cross in top of the loaf with scissors and sprinkle
the entire surface with almonds. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 175 degrees and bake 3045 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing. Dust with confectioners' sugar before cutting, if desired.
6
Easter in Finland
In Finland Easter is between 22nd
March and 26th April. The word
"pääsiäinen" (Easter) means getting
away from fasting. It also means
Christ getting away from the grave
and the people of Israel getting
away from slavery in Egypt.
Fast
The time of fast starts 40 days before Easter. During that period people should live in a simple way.
Some people eat only fish and vegetables.
The Easter week
All the days during the Easter week
have a special name.
On Sunday (palmusunnuntai) the
children walk from door to door and
wish everybody in the house good
health, youth and wealth. The word
for this in Finnish is "virpominen".
The children say a rhyme and give a
decorated twig of willow. Earlier they
went back to the house a week later
to get their reward. Nowadays they
get it right away. The reward is usually sweets, cookies or a few coins.
If you cut the wool of the sheep on
Monday (malkamaanantai) they
would grow a lot of wool next year. If
you cut the hair of girls on Monday,
it would grow faster.
On Tuesday (tikkutiistai) people
used to carve sticks for making the
fire. These sticks would guarantee
good luck.
On Wednesday (kellokeskiviikko)
people used to put bells hanging on
cows' necks to scare away the
Easter witches.
Thursday has been the cleaning
day. In the old days people made
smoke and a lot of noise in the
yards to scare away the evil. They
have Holy Communion on Thursday,
too. People used to think that if the
weather was good on "kiirastorstai",
the next summer would be good for
fishing.
Friday and Saturday (pitkäperjantai,
lankalauantai) are the worst days of
the whole year. Jesus was still in
the grave. The bad spirits are moving around. In the old times it was
not allowed to visit even the closest
neighbours. People didn't heat their
houses and they ate only cold food.
Milk and cream were forbidden and
you couldn't laugh so your teeth
would show. Nowadays many people go to church on Thursday and
Saturday.
Easter was the time of many
omens. For example, you got the
personality of the first animal you
saw on Easter morning for the
whole next year. If you saw a cow,
you would become lazy, if a horse,
you would be very strong for the
next year... People used to climb
on the roof to watch the sun dance.
On Easter Sunday people celebrated the end of fasting.
On Good Friday theaters are closed
and cinemas open late. TV
programs tend to be serious
and so does the music
played on the radio. Dances
can be held in the evening,
depending on the region.
Easter holidays are very
short. Schools finish on
Maundy Thursday and start
again the following Tuesday, which
means a 4-day holiday.
7
All the days during
the Easter week
have a special name:
palmusunnuntai
malkamaanantai
tikkutiistai
kellokeskiviikko
kiirastorstai
pitkäperjantai
lankalauantai
pääsiäissununtai
Finnish Easter Food
Easter is the time of many special foods. Mämmi was a traditional
Easter food as early as in the 18th century. It is made of malt, rye
flour and water. You eat mämmi with sugar and cream. It is still a
very popular dessert and snack during Easter.
The families often eat together on Easter Sunday or Monday. The
Easter menu often consists of roast mutton, mint sauce, garlic
potatoes, sweet bread, mämmi, pasha (dessert made of cottage cheese,
cream and spices, which gets its nice shape in a
wooden mold) and coffee. The menu can differ a
lot in different families.
Easter eggs are the symbols of the birth of life.
You were not allowed to eat eggs during the
fast, so there were quite a lot of eggs to eat at
Easter. In Finland they paint their Easter eggs with
beautiful colours and ornaments. Thy also decorate the Easter table with
grass that has been sowed earlier in small bowls.
Pasha - Finnish Easter Dessert Recipe
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Waiting time: 2-3 days for the flavors to develop fully
Ingredients
200 g (7 oz.) butter
750 g (1 lb. 10 oz.) milk curds
3 eggs
200 ml (3/4 cup) whipping cream
50 ml (1/4 cup) sugar
100 ml (6 tbsp.) raisins
Method
50 ml (3 tbsp.) candied citrus zest
Whip the cream with the sugar until it holds stiff peaks;
Melt the butter; when it is hot, combine it with the milk curds and
eggs; add all the remaining ingredients; let cool;
Gently fold the whipped cream into this mixture;
Line a pasha mold with thin gauze or cheesecloth; place the mixture into the mold; let drain for 2-3 days, pressing down on it from
time to time; keep in a cool place or in the crisper of the refrigerator;
Put onto a serving plate; keep refrigerated until serving time.
8
50 ml (3 tbsp.) slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. lemon juice
Easter in Poland
In Poland
they celebrate
Easter
with the
Blessing
Basket.
They prepare the
basket the
Saturday
before Easter. Inside the basket they place
beautifully colored eggs, bread, cake, salt, pepper and white colored sausages. With the basket they then go to church to have the basket
of food blessed. It is believed that Great Lent
which is the forty day feast before Easter is not
over until the basket has been blessed - hence
the reason why it is called
Blessing Basket.
All that is contained in the
basket is of certain meaning
such as the colored eggs
mean the risen Christ, the
bread and salt are for good
health and a prosperous life,
the sausages are supposed
to be a wish for enough food
and fertility for the coming
spring. There is also cheese
and marzipan which are another part of the Easter basket.
Another tradition is the tradition of Watering
which is where everyone splashes each other
with water as this is considered to bring good
health to all. No one is safe from this tradition.
In Poland for over 800 years Easter Monday
has
9
been "Switching Day". On this day boys swat their
girlfriends with a small willow branch. On Easter
Tuesday the girls get even by swatting the boys.
In Poland it is the custom to decorate the eggs with
rug yarn.
Dyngus or Smingus Dyngus is celebrated in Poland on the first Monday
after Easter. On this day
boys lie in wait to sprinkle girls with water or
perfume. It is said that
girls who get caught and
soaked with water will
marry within a year. This
may be the very reason
why some girls make feeble attempts to escape
the dousing.
This custom of dousing may be
of pagan origin since the pouring of water is an ancient
spring symbol of cleansing
and purification. Another theory is that this represents the
renewal of the sacrament of
baptism after Christ has risen.
Also, according to legend, the
Polish ruler, Prince Mieszko
the First was baptized in 966
on Easter Monday.
The first recorded account of
Dyngus dates back to the Middle Ages when the custom was known as
Oblewania. Evidently, the women were given ample
time to retaliate. The old chronicle says that "on
Tuesday and every day thereafter until the time of
the Green Holidays or Pentecost” when the women
doused the men.
In Poland, the food is set out ready all day long, so
that everyone can eat just when they feel like it.
The table is decorated with green leaves and a
sugar lamb may be placed as a centre-piece.
At the feast there are cold meats and salads and
plenty of eggs. Children take samples of food to
church to be blessed by the priest.
In Poland the kitchen table is covered with evergreen leaves and then Easter food is put on it. Before anything is eaten it must be blessed first by
the priest.
Polish Easter Recipe - Orange Mazurek
2 cups ground almonds
1 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon
Topping:
1 lemon
2 oranges
2 cups sugar
½ cup orange juice
Grease and flour a cookie
sheet. Mix the ingredients to
form a paste that will
spread. Place the
mixture evenly on the
pan and bake at 200F for 15 minutes. Grate both the pulp and the
rinds of the lemon and oranges, removing only the seeds, or chop
coarsely, and mix in a blender. Add
a few orange slices, unpeeled. Combine all ingredients and cook over
medium heat until the mixture
thickens. Cool, and then beat lightly
with wooden spoon until the mixture begins to take on a pearlized,
or frosted, coloration. Spread on
Easter Crossword
1
2
3
4
5
6
Across
2. Typical animal of Easter.
3. It is the most important annual religious feast in the Christian
liturgical year.
5. Symbol of Easter; girls paint it and give it to the boys.
7. The last week of Lent and the week before Easter.
Down
1.
7
4.
6.
It has been used for centuries by boys for symbolically whipping girls on the legs.
Color of Easter.
Friday in the Holy Week.
EclipseCrossword.com
Easter Cartoons
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Easter in Lithuania
The word for Easter, Velykos,
has been borrowed from BeyloRussian and means "important
day." The word is very accurate
because Easter was the year's
most solemn festival in Lithuania. On this holiday the Christian
elements (the Resurrection of
Christ) merges with pagan
Lithuanian traditions, the rebirth
of nature or its awakening from
winter's sleep.
The Holly Week begins on Palm
Sunday when all the Christian
world celebrates Jesus' noble
entry into Jerusalem on the last
Sunday before Easter.
A lot of people go to church that
day where
they bring
“verba”, special Palm Sunday bouquets
made of dried
flowers. They
serve the
same symbolic function
as palm branches do in Southern countries.
The early Easter morning, just
before dawn, abounds with
magical power. Much of this
magic is concentrated in flowing
water.
Bathing in such water before
sunrise prevents all boils, sores,
rashes and other skin ailments.
If it rains on Easter morning, it is
necessary to stand bareheaded
in the rain to ensure good
growth. Small children who
wanted to grow quickly were reminded of this.
Many believers go to church to
celebrate the resurrection of
Jesus. The Easter morning procession is the most solemn and
is quite often conducted around
the church. Church flags were
held high, girls strewed flowers,
the choir and all the people
sang, alternating with a brass
band, and the church bells
pealed loudly.
People normally bring food to
the church service to be
blessed, for example, Easter
eggs, salt, bread, cakes, ham,
bacon, sausages, butter and
cheese.
Blessing
eggs and
bread would
assure plenty
of food all
year round.
Butter and
cheese were
blessed to
make sure that cows would give
plenty of milk.
In all of Lithuania, the act of hitting Easter eggs is known and
practiced. The egg is placed in
the palm of the hand with the
thumb and the forefinger holding the pointed end of the egg,
which is the hitting area. The
cracked egg is taken by the person whose egg did not crack in
the process of hitting.
Painting eggs for Easter is a
special Lithuanian tradition. The
egg has been considered a symbol of life and rebirth of nature
since pagan times. The tradition
of egg dyeing is much older than
Christianity, and it was believed
that painting symbols on eggs
has magic power. In Lithuania,
there are different ways of dyeing eggs. Many use a thick needle and hot wax to make patterns, including blossoms,
snakes, stars, branches or
snowflakes, on a cooked egg.
Once the egg is colored and the
wax removed, the patterned areas stay white and stand out
against the color.
Easter Quotes and Easter Sayings
The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice.
Henry Knox Sherrill
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Lithuanian Easter Recipe
Preparation:
Cool scalded milk to 110 degrees. Place in a
large bowl or stand mixer. Add yeast, 1/4 cup
sugar and 3 cups flour. Mix well. Cover and let
rise until light and bubbly.
Add eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, raisins and butter to yeast mixture, mixing well. Add remaining
3 1/2 cups flour and knead until a smooth
dough forms. Turn out into a greased bowl.
Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
Punch down the dough. Shape into 2 loaves
and place in large loaf pans. Cover with
greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush with 1
egg yolk mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons water.
Bake 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees. Turn out onto
a wire rack to cool completely.
2 cups scalded milk
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup + 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups + 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large beaten eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white raisins
1/2 cup melted butter
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons water
Easter Cartoons, Easter Sayings and Quotes
The story of Easter is the story of God’s wonderful window of divine surprise
Carl Knudsen
Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless.
Charles M. Crowe: Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.S.D. Gordon
Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals
Charles M. Crowe
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Easter Festivals in Spain
Easter Week is called SEMANA SANTA and it is
the most important holiday in Spain as it commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
It begins with El Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) and ends with Lunes de Pascua (Easter
Monday).
The Roman Catholic Church organizes public
displays – parades and processions marking all
the events of Holy Week.
Each area, city and town or village has their
own Easter celebrations, its own accent and
they differ. The further south you go the more
elaborate and passionate the processions are.
In major cities those processions are of huge
proportions stretching for miles…
They start at first light each day and continue
until three or four in the morning.
Hundreds of men (members of parade) wear
pointed hoods that cover their faces. They are
said to represent penitent stooges shamed by
the crucifixion of Christ to show their faces).
They parade through the streets carrying huge
crucifixes or huge leafy palm or olive branches.
They carry religion icons and symbols of their
faith, huge statues of Jesus and Mary (usually,
but it also differ from place to place) on the
floats.
As the passion of the crucifixion gives way to
the celebration of resurrection on Easter Monday, the floats are covered with flowers and the
processions that start with one solemn beat of
a single drum on Good Friday culminate in joyous celebrations and triumphant music.
Traditional sweets and cakes as monas, torrijas
and pestihos are eaten.
During the whole week there are crowds of
onlookers, and cafes and restaurants are full of
people.
Spanish Easter Food
In Catalonia, the most important Easter tradition is the „mona“.
The origin of the word „mona“ probably comes from Morocco where it means a present. And this
probably originated in Latin „muna“, with the same meaning.
In Catalonia the mona is the present that the Godfather (or Godmother) gives to his Godson on Easter
Monday.
This is a tradition from the 15th century when the mona was a round cake similar to a doughnut with
some boiled eggs in it. The number of eggs was the same as the age of the Godson (not less than two
and not more than twelve).
During the Lent (40 days before Easter) the Catholic Curch prohibited to eat meat and eggs. People
kept all the eggs from hens until Easter and then put some of them on the mona.
Later, confectioners made monas more sofisticated and the eggs were substituted by various figures
made from chocolate. They are decorated with coloured feathers, fluffy chicks, etc.
13
The
French
word for Easter is Paques.
Easter
in France
To say Happy Easter you say Joyeuses Paques or
Bonnes Paques. In preparation for the period of
Easter a special day is Mardi Gras.
It actually means “Fat Tuesday“ and it is what is
known as Shrove Tuesday in English.
Why is it called “Fat Tuesday“? Well – probably.
Because it is the last day when you can eat everything you like before the fasting period of Lent (called
la Careme in French).
La Carem is another way of saying „forty days“ and
these are the days leading up to Easter Day when we
commemorate the death of Jesus and the events
leading up to his death.
On Mardi Gras French people traditionally eat
doughnuts called “les beignets“ or pancakes called
“les crepes“.
Les beignets and les
crepes are the traditional food of Mardi
Gras because they
are a good way to use
the extra flour, eggs
and bitter that should
not be used during
the fasting period of
La Careme.
Above – les beignets sprinkled
In the city if Nice, in
with sugar. You can eat them
the southern France,
made with vegetables or sweet,
there is a famous carif you prefer.
nival every year. In
fact, it is the oldest
and the original Mardi Gras.
During the two weeks before Mardi Gras there
are street parties, parades, shows, concerts, fireworks and general merry-making. People wear
fancy-dresses. The event attracts around 1.2 million
visitors each year!
Easter Week begins with Palm Sunday and
marks the beginning of Holy week – La Semaine
Sainte in French.
During La Demaine Sainte there are lots of processions and parades in towns and cities. They call
Easter processions En defile pascal.
„Les cloches volantes“ – The flying bells
On the evening of Easter Thursday (le Jeudi Saint)
something very special and strange happens. All the
church bells in France fly away to Rome!
How do they do this? Well, suddenly wings appear
on them. Why do they do this? They want to visit The
14
Pope (Le Pape) in the
Vatican and be involved and blessed by
the Pope. So, all the
church bells in France
remain silent until the
morning of Easter
Sunday!
Then the bells fly
back to France early in the morning on Easter
Sunday and as they fly back, they drop
chocolate eggs, bunnies and bells in the gardens of the French towns. When the children
wake up they have great fun collecting the
scattered goodies. And all the bells ring again
because they celebrate the Resurrection of
Jesus…
Another tradition on Saturday evening is
for children to prepare nests in their gardens
and houses. These nests (les nids) are for
the Easter Bunny who arrives during the
night, bringing chocolate eggs. Children leave
carrots for the Bunny. He is called Le Lapin
de Paques. In the morning on Easter Sunday
the children awake excited as it is time for
looking for the chocolate eggs in nests from
The Bunny.
There is something else that is very important in France at Easter. It just happens that
April Fool Day, 1st April, occurs around the
time of Easter. In France, the tradition is that
children
play a trick
on as
many
adults as
possible by
sticking
paper fish
onto their
backs and
running
away. They have a great day and every time
that they manage to trick a grown-up they run
away shouting out “Poisson d´avrill“ which
means “April fish“. There is a lot of fun and
they usually laugh a lot.
So, in France, April fish is also an Easter
symbol as well as flying bells and eggs and
you will find chocolate fish in the shops too.
Easter Food in France
The last thing to mention is Easter Food in
France. Well, on Easter Friday (Le Vedredi Saint)
they do not eat meat. You can only eat fish, vegetables, fruit and bread.
On Easter Sunday they traditionally eat roast
lamb with a lot of spring vegetables. Roast pork is
also a popular choice. They have a cake called La
Gache de Paques. It is a very rich bread mixture containing flour, sugar, milk, yeast, butter and eggs.
There is generally an enormous amount of delicious food. It is a very special and happy day.
French Easter Custard
Direction :
In a thick bottom pot bring the milk to the boil with the
vanilla pod split in half (do not forget to add a
teaspoon of water in the pot at first, it will make the
pot easier to wash afterwards).
In a large salad bowl, energically whisk the egg yolks
and the sugar until the mix takes a slight whitish color.
Pour the boiling milk over the eggs, while stirring. Put
this mixture back to your pot and put it back on the
stove. Take a spatula and constantly stir your custard
until cooked.
MAKE SURE THAT IT NEVER GETS TO BOILING POINT!
Ingredients :
This custard recipe is the base of several
recipes,from dessert accompaniment
sauces to ice-cream mixes for chocolate
ice-cream, plain ice-creams, coffee icecreams, etc.
Ingredients for Anglaise sauce:
5 Egg yolks
125g Caster sugar
1/2l Milk
1 Vanilla pod
This technique is very simple. When you take your
spatula out of the mixture, you must be able to make a
permanent mark through it. If so, it is cooked.
Take it immediately off the heat and pass it through a
fine sieve.
Let cool until lukewarm, then you can put it in the
fridge.
Our Chef tip: if it happens to be overcooked (grainy
texture, lumps), don't panic. Pour the whole thing into
a bottle of water and give it a good shake.
Normaly it should be "saved".
Easter Quotes and Easter Sayings
On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer.
Douglas Horton
Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.
Clarence W. Hall
15
Competition
Competition
T
he Czech tradition of whipping girls
and women on Easter Monday is
quite unique, and it is very often
considered by foreigners as a rather shocking and uncivilized habit. Of course everyone in this country knows the reason behind it; however, you could try to invent a
Write your narrative in about 150 words.
You can accompany your story or essay
with some illustrative pictures if you like.
The deadline for the competition is
28th February 2010.
Easter Competition Winners
A lot of students participated in the contest, and actually everyone who entered our writing competition is a winner. That‟s because they all had an interesting and hopefully fun time writing an original
story in English. 87 entries were submitted before the deadline, and some of the essays were quite
amusing and inspirational. The English teachers who judged the stories really enjoyed reading the dozens of entries, and it was rather difficult to narrow down the selection and decide on our winners. We
do hope the readers of our magazine like the top five stories.
Check out the best writers and their stories here.
Competition Results:
1st place prize: Michal Novák, 4.B
2nd place prize: Soňa Davidová, 4.L
Vojtěch Zeman, 1.B
3rd place prize: Kristýna Smítková, 4.A
Petr Struhovský, 1.B
Thanks to all the students who have taken part in the contest. We believe the competition has
sparked an interest in you, and you will keep on writing!
16
History of Whipping in Czech Republic
Do you know Czech Easter customs? Did you hear about whipping? It is the
most controversial Czech Easter custom. If you want to know everything about
it, I have got advice for you: google it. I want to let you know how this tradition
began.
Once upon a time, Czech girls were too lazy to do anything. They only were
couching all days and all men worked hard to support them. Most men were
really unhappy with this situation and one of them, Czech king Mladoslav XIII,
lost his patience with his girlfriend and got angry. It happened at the beginning
of spring and he took some pussy willow twigs and used them on her … behind.
Next day she woke up much earlier than usual and cleaned up the whole castle.
When she looked into a mirror after that, she saw that she looked younger and prettier. When the
other men heard about it, everyone took some pussy willow twigs and used them on their girlfriends,
wives and sisters. This old and not a very familiar story is the only true explanation of this custom.
Since this „revolution„ the situation has changed. All men are lazy now, spending their days watching
football and drinking beer, but every Easter they
Michal Novák, 4. B
The Reason behind Whipping
Welcome to the first visit to the past. My name is Custus and we will be tackling why in your time
you whip women and girls on Easter Monday.
I‟ll start explaining how you get to Central Europe. Now you are near your capital city Prague. A great
magician who carried you there through time has done so because of the explanation for this holiday.
We started this tradition because of the infidelity of our women. Many times we men drove into a war
defending our country. We had left our wives at home of course. Woman in a battle is a burden. But
when we returned to our homes with honor, we found that our wives had been unfaithful to us. We
were very angry. We drove all the wives out of the houses and picked twigs of willow and plaited them
into braids. Our wives were smacked on their bottoms for disobedience. We thought that it would
change their minds for future but we were wrong.
Men from France came up with an idea. “We are all equal.” The women started to fight for their
rights. Suddenly we faced a rebellion. We had to come to terms with it. Men were expendable, but our
women were not. We didn‟t want to hurt them. No life is possible without women and we loved our
wives and daughters too. So we went back to the old habit of whipping women and girls across their
bottoms with willow twigs. You should have seen the speed, as our wives and daughters calmed down
and stopped thinking about equality. We have never had such problems since. They learned from their
mistakes and now they know who the head of the family is. However, our habit has gradually taken
root and as I can see today in your time on Easter Monday you whip your wives and daughters with
twigs from willow trees too. Your reason for whipping is different than ours. Your reason is only traditional. You explain the habit that women will be healthy next year.
And that is end of our story about the beginning of whipping women and girls on Easter Monday.
Now that you know that, the Great Magician will return you to your time. Have a good time and
live like in paradise.
May God Virtus bless you.
Vojtěch Zeman, 1. B
17
The Princess of Westborough
Everybody knows Easter tradition. Guys come to girls‟ houses to spunk them
and to get some candies. But not everybody knows where this tradition
started. Everything began in 15th century in Great Britain. The princess of
Westborough was the only child of the King of Westborough. She was born
at Easter, her mother died when she was born and so she lived just with her
father. He really loved her and so he would do everything to make her
happy. Unfortunately he pampered her. She was a beautiful but selfish
young lady and everything had to be exactly as she wanted. There lived a
prince in her neighborhood who was supposed to marry her. It‟s easy to understand that he didn‟t like the way she was but he knew he had to marry
her. One day, when the princess turned eighteen her father invited the guy
to their house to talk about their marriage. When they met she acted like a
small child, she was mean to him because she thought she was a better
person than the others. He didn‟t mean it, but he couldn‟t help it: He
grabbed her and spanked her. Everybody stood like a statue not able to believe that this young guy
had spanked their princess. He knew that he could get into trouble and he needed some excuse for
his behaviour and so he said: “This is an old tradition in my country. If you want a girl to be healthy and
happy the whole year, you have to spunk her at Easter.” Fortunately everybody believed him and the
princess of Westborough started to behave better. This was the beginning of this tradition which soon
started spreading all over Europe.
Soňa Davidová, 4. L
Happy Easter
Many years ago Adam and Eve lived in a small village. Their life was wonderful. They went on
walks every day, picked flowers and went to church. They did everything together.
However there was something missing. Both of them wanted a baby, they wanted to be a family.
As the time went by they started to lose hope. One day a woman came to them. Since they were
very generous, they offered her something to eat and drink. She wanted to award them for their generosity, and so she gave them a magical rod which she called “pomlázka“ She advised Adam to gently
beat Eve with the rod. A miracle happened- Eve had a baby.
The magical rod, called the “pomlázka“, brought new life, health and joy into their family.
Since that time boys beat girls with this rod so that their lives will be full of happiness.
Kristýna Smítková, 4.A
Easter
I will tell you how the tradition of whipping girls started. There was a girl who was very sad because she had no friends and other girls were laughing at her because she was not beautiful. One day
she went to school and saw a handsome dark-haired boy who she instantly fell very much in love with.
But she still was very sad. She knew that he would not like her other than his friend. She stopped going to school and was at home crying all days. One day she walked in the woods and there appeared a
cute little elf. He was sorry for her and so he gave her and magical whip which was decorated with colored bows at the end. He gently whipped the girl´s buttocks a few times. He told her that she had become very pretty by that. The girl looked into the water and saw how beautiful she was. She thanked
him and went immediately to school where she saw her favorite little boy and the two fell in love. The
other girls just wondered how beautiful and happy she was. They asked all the boys in the village to
whip them on Easter Monday, which has become a tradition in our country. Therefore nowadays each
year at Easter boys whip girls so that they may be beautiful.
Petr Struhovský , 1. B
18
Glossary
No.
English
Czech
Finnish
French
Lithuanian
Polish
Spanish
1
Easter
Velikonoce
Pääsiäisenä
Pâques
Velykos
Wielkanoc
Semana Santa
2
Easter egg
velikonoční vejce
Pääsiäismunien
Oeufs de Pâques
Velykos kiaušinis
Wielkanoc jaja
Huevos de Pascua
3
lamb
beránek
lampaanlihan
agneau
ėriena
Jagnięcina
cordero
4
holiday
svátek
juhla
Fête
Atostogos
Wakacje
Fiesta
5
Spy Wednesday
Škaredá středa
Keskiviikko ruma
Mercredi laide
Trečiadienis Ugly
Środa brzydki
Miércoles feo
6
Maundy Thursday Zelený čtvrtek
Kiirastorstai torstai
Jeudi saint
Didysis ketvirtadienis
Wielki Czwartek
Jueves Santo
7
Good Friday
Velký pátek
Pitkäperjantain
Vendredi saint
Didysis penktadienis
Wielki Piątek
Viernes Santo
8
Holy Saturday
Bílá sobota
Lankalauantai
Samedi de Pâques
Velykų šeštadienį
Wielka Sobota
Sábado Santo
9
Easter Sunday
Boží hod velikonoční Pääsiäissununtai
Niedziela Wielkanocna
Domingo de Pascua
10
Easter Monday
Velikonoční pondělí Pääsiäismaanantai Lundi de Pâques
Poniedziałek Wielkanocny
Lunes de Pascua
Dimanche de Pâques Kalėdos
Velykų pirmadienis
Religious Songs
How does this night differ from all other nights?
On all other nights we may eat
leavened and unleavened bread, and on
this night only unleavened.
On all other nights we are permitted to
eat any kind of herbs, and this night better herbs.
On all other nights we are not required
to dig even once, and on this night we
are required to do so twice.
On all other nights we eat either sitting
upright or leaning, on this night we all lean.
Who knows one? I known one; one is our
God, in heaven and on earth.
Who knows two? I know two, two are
the tablets of the covenant, one is our
God in heaven and on earth.
Who knows three? I know three; three
are the patriachs, two are the tablets
of the covenant, one is our God in
haven and on earth.
Christ is Risen
Christ has risen from death
Through death he defended death
And he gave life
to the dead in the graves.
19
Bunny Songs
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Easter's on its way
Look at him hop and listen to him say,
"Try to do the things you should"
Maybe if you're extra good
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way
Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy
A basketful of Easter joy
Things to make your Easter
Bright and gay
You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those choc'late bunnies
That he's hiding ev’rywhere, Oh!
He's got jelly beans for Tommy
Colored eggs for sister Sue
There's an orchid for your mommy
And an Easter bonnet too. Oh!
Here' comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day.
Here' comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day
Easter Songs
Hot Cross Buns
Easter Parade
In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.
I'll be all in clover and when they look you over,
I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade.
On the avenue, Fifth Avenue, the photographers will snap us,
And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure.
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet,
And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter Parade.
Greek Easter Song
Easter has come again, Easter, Easter,
With love, with kisses, Easter, Easter,
With eggs and with lamb, Easter, Easter,
With lamb, Christians are happy.
What lovely clothes, Easter, Easter,
What plentiful sweets, Easter, Easter,
What song and voice, Easter, Easter,
Christians are happy.
Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters
Give them to your sons
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
Carnival Song
The carnival came to us with happiness and joy,
Masqueraders came out again and Joum pa-ra-pa-pa
Masqueraders came out again and Joum pa-ra-pa-pa
Forget poverty and troubles, stop complaining my
friends!
Troubles do not fit in with carnival time.
This issue has been compiled by 4B2 class under the guidance of PhDr. Zdenka Machačová.