Easter in England is a favorite holiday that is celebrated with special solemnity. Great Britain has had its own Easter traditions and customs for a long time. Some of them are very different from Russian traditions. But the meaning of this holiday for all Christians, regardless of the country in which they live, is the same: believers rejoice in the resurrection of the son of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
When is Easter in England?
Easter is a holiday with a fickle celebration date, and each year it can change, depending on the lunar and solar calendars. The date of Easter is calculated according to the formula that was adopted at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.
On a note! In 2020, England will celebrate Easter, like the entire Catholic and Protestant religious world, on April 12.
The history of Easter in England has its roots in antiquity. Easter is considered one of the most ancient religious holidays. In English, Easter is called Easter. Before the adoption of Christianity, the holiday was pagan, and even now there are many traditions from those times.
In England, Palm Sunday is celebrated, which begins Holy Week - the most difficult and responsible period before the great holiday. The Bible says that on Sunday Jesus Christ came to Jerusalem, and there he was greeted, waving the branches of a palm tree.
The Thursday of Holy Week in England is called Alms Thursday. The royal lady of England distributes alms in the form of gold coins. Coins are received by as many Englishmen as the age of the queen at the moment. It is an old English tradition that is over 500 years old. Previously, instead of coins, items of clothing were distributed to those in need.
Good Friday is the day of remembrance of the torment of Jesus Christ. In England, baked goods with the image of a cross are eaten on this day.
On Sunday, the British celebrate Easter. The celebration is bright, fun, on a large scale.
Features of the celebration of Easter in the UK
Easter in the UK essentially starts on the Friday before the holiday. Good Friday is the name of the day of mourning in English. Good Friday is also called Long or Long. The British have a tradition of drinking tea with specially prepared pastries on Good Friday morning. It consists of round buns with raisins, spices and candied fruits, on which the image of a cross is carved on top. English pastries symbolize the ascent of Jesus Christ to Calvary. On Good Friday, the British recall the biblical story of how Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of men.
Easter is celebrated on Great Sunday in Great Britain, starting in the morning. British believers go to churches, taking with them a basket of food: painted eggs, meat delicacies, bread to bless them. After the service, the British return home, because in the UK this is a real family holiday.
As in all Catholic countries, in the morning after a festive breakfast, children go to the garden to look for Easter eggs. The day before, parents hide chocolate and colored eggs, as well as various sweets in the garden, so that the next day the children will find them. Little English people believe that the Easter bunny hides gif.webpts. The child who is the first to find a gif.webpt receives a souvenir.
Read also: Traditions and date of Catholic Easter
On a bright Sunday, the British visit each other, bringing chocolate eggs with nuts and caramel as a gif.webpt. Also be sure to exchange rabbit figurines.
Symbols and traditions of English Easter
Children have Easter holidays at this time, and they gladly participate in festive events dedicated to the great holiday. Adult English are closed from Good Friday to Bright Monday.
On Great Sunday, according to tradition, the British wear new clothes, which is a symbol of the rebirth and awakening of spring. Houses in England are decorated for the holiday in pink, blue, white and pale green. In the center of the festive table, there is always a basket with white lilies, and colorful eggs are placed along the edges.
The main symbols of Easter are colored eggs and the Easter bunny. Eggs are usually painted in two colors: red and green. Red means the blood of Christ shed for our sins, and green means holiness and sinlessness. Recently, the British have developed another tradition: they give each other chocolate eggs with caramel or nut filling. On Bright Monday, children are handed out treats, Easter eggs and toys on the street.
The Easter bunny symbolizes abundance in the home. A wide variety of rabbit figurines can be found everywhere, and chocolate bunnies appear on sale long before the holiday.
Easter traditions in England are fun and colorful. Organ concerts, lively dances, all kinds of parades and processions are held in all cities and towns of England.
Easter eggs
An obligatory festive symbol in England is colored eggs, which are a symbol of the beginning of a new life. From the old days, the tradition of relatives to exchange colored eggs has come down. They are painted in bright colors, mainly red and green. Easter eggs are used to decorate the house, beautiful wreaths are made of them, and placed in stylized baskets. Another tradition is that on Saturday nights Easter eggs are hidden around the house and in the garden so that children can find them on Sunday mornings.
See also: How to paint eggs for Easter
Easter bunny
Not a single Easter holiday in the Kingdom of England is complete without a rabbit. The rabbit is considered a symbol of success, luck and well-being in the family. The image of the Easter bunny can be found everywhere: on postcards, napkins, Easter decor, in pictures, etc. Sweet rabbit figurines are sold in all stores: made from chocolate, marzipan mass, marshmallow, marmalade. The British decorate their gardens with plaster rabbits, and put plush bunnies in all the rooms in their houses.
Children love this character the most. They look forward to a great Sunday so they can run in search of the sweet gif.webpts and colored eggs that the Easter bunny brought for them the day before.
What is cooked for Easter in England?
The main Easter dish is, of course, colored eggs. They must be present at the festive meal. Another important dish is the marzipan muffin. By tradition, the Easter menu should be like this:
- Meatballs in honey-garlic sauce;
- Smoked ham baked in sauce;
- Spring salad of fresh vegetables and herbs;
- Sausages;
- Bacon;
- Baked lamb stuffed with herbs;
- Potatoes in oil with rosemary and garlic;
- Various rabbit dishes.
Also, the British love to bake all kinds of dough products: pies, buns, cookies, gingerbread.
See also: What to cook for the Easter table?
Easter souvenirs in England
The main souvenir for English Easter, as in many other countries, is eggs. Previously, each other was given colored eggs, now chocolate eggs with a sweet surprise inside are presented as souvenirs. Also, the British love to give souvenirs in the form of Easter eggs made of wood, plaster, plastic, ceramics, etc.
What else do the British give for Easter:
- Figurines of Easter bunnies;
- Greeting Cards;
- Easter baskets.
For the British believers, Easter is a great holiday in the religious year, for the rest it is an excuse to have fun and relax.But Easter traditions are honored by every English family, regardless of whether they attend church or not.
