Easter

Easter started as a religious holiday in much of the world, and in some other places as a holiday to honour certain pagan deities. (божества)

From this origin hundreds of years ago to its present day celebration, the holiday has been associated with a variety of festivals and special events. For Christians, this is the most important holiday of all, as it marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.

For non-Christians, Easter represents a day to celebrate the coming of spring in the northern hemisphere. As the holiday is relative depending on the days of the calendar, Easter is held on different days over the years.

Good Friday

Good Friday is a public holiday in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. On Good Friday, Christians remember the day when Jesus was crucified on a cross.

Jesus was arrested and was tried, in a mock trial. He was handed over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten and flogged with whips. They also thrust a crown of long, sharp thorns upon his head.  Jesus was forced to carry his own cross on the trek from the city to Skull Hill. He was so weak after being beaten that a man was pulled from the crowd and made to carry Jesus' cross up the hill.  Jesus was nailed to the cross and two other criminals were crucified with him.  Their crosses were placed on either side of him. A sign above Jesus read "The King of the Jews."

Since the early nineteenth century, Good Friday and Christmas Day were the only two days of leisure which were almost universally granted to working people. Good Friday today is a public holiday in much of the UK. Many businesses are closed on Good Friday.

Many churches throughout the UK hold a special service. This may be a communion service in the evening or a time of prayer during the day, especially around 3 o'clock as that is about the time of day when Jesus died.

It is traditional to eat warm 'hot cross buns' on Good Friday. Hot Cross Buns with their combination of spicy, sweet and fruity flavours have long been an Easter tradition. The pastry cross on top of the buns symbolises and reminds Christians of the cross that Jesus was killed on.  It is also traditional to eat fish on Good Friday instead of meat.

Easter Monday                                

 Easter Monday is a public holiday in much of the UK, and while it has little religious significance, it is the occasion for numerous secular customs.

Christian Celebrations

As mentioned, Easter is one of the most important celebrations for Christians around the world. The very idea of Christianity is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified and buried on Good Friday, three days (by sun up and sun down standards) before Easter Sunday. Easter can refer to Easter Sunday, the specific day. However, sometimes it can also refer to the period of time before Pentecost. This period of time was traditionally forty days, but it was changed to fifty days after some time.

The life of Jesus in Israel is one marked by greatness and love. His mission was to spread love, compassion, truth, and salvation for people. Those who believed his message often became followers of Jesus and his disciples. Unfortunately, approximately thirty-three years after Jesus was born, he was killed by the government and buried. After three days, according to the sun’s rising and setting, Jesus was resurrected and walked among the people for a short period of time. It is this event which makes Christianity different than other religions and faiths. The fact that Jesus came back to life brings salvation from the populations from sin and suffering.

It is these events which have become the basis for the Christian side of celebration of Easter. On this day, most Christians attend church and partake in certain traditions. One of these traditions is the taking of Communion. This tradition involves consuming a small piece of bread and a small vile of wine or grape juice. The bread is meant to stand for the body of Christ which was sacrificed on Good Friday. The wine or juice represents the blood of Christ as it pertains to the events of Good Friday.

Obviously, the events of Good Friday do not seem to instantly appear to be good at all as one of the great religious leaders of the world was killed by an unfair government. However, from the Christian perspective, the life of Christ ending equates to the salvation of millions of people. Thus, this day, which had many bad events on it, became known as Good Friday.

In modern times in the UK, Easter is celebrated by church attendance and family togetherness. Typically families will get together with a large meal in order to celebrate the holiday. Also, certain passages are often read aloud in order to commemorate the special events of the day. Typically, these verses come from the gospels, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Non-Christian Celebrations

For those who do not celebrate Christian holidays, Easter is still a very large and important special day. From the secular traditions which have arisen, Easter consists of a few large traditional activities. These include the following:

Having an Easter Egg Hunt

Having Someone Dress Up Like the Easter Bunny

Wearing Spring Like Colours

Cleaning One’s Residence

The Easter Egg Hunt is one of the most celebrated and best loved traditions of the entire Easter holiday. This involves people, usually children, who search for Easter eggs which have been hidden around a yard or a room by others. The eggs are plastic moulded eggs which have been split in half and have one hinge which holds them together. Inside, the eggs typically hold some sort of candy or other snack. The candy is kept by the one who finds that particular egg.

Having someone dress up in a costume is one of the other main elements of a proper Easter celebration in the UK. There are some people who hire their services out for children’s parties, dressing up as the Easter bunny. The rabbit is a sign of spring, since the animals begin their mating seasons, and baby rabbits are often seen. In addition to the Easter bunnies seen around town, there will also be an onslaught of Easter bunny stuffed toys and such found at all the toy stores and even the supermarkets around the UK. The Tesco will have mountains of Easter themed toys, and these will quickly be sold by those who want to purchase them.

For those who enjoy a bit milder Easter, not going with Easter bunnies and Easter egg hunts can be a good idea. Instead, many people in the United Kingdom and elsewhere decide to dress in spring colours instead. Typically these colours include but are not limited to the following: Spring green, Yellow ,Peach, Pink, Lavender

There are others included, but for the most part these are the main Easter colours.

Finally, another tradition in the UK for Easter celebrations is the act of performing a Spring Cleaning. This refers to cleaning out someone’s house extensively. Those who take the Easter holidays to do this have a fresh start on the warm seasons of late spring and summer, some of the best times to be in the United Kingdom.