Easter Traditions Around The World

Procedure
P. 1 Dear guests!
Winter has passed, the birds return,
There is the end of winter’s reign.
There is a way to the light!
Easter is a festival of hope and joy,
It’s a way of awakening life!

Song “Spring”

Out of cave! Out of hole!

Bear, rabbit, little mole,
Hatch from egg in nest in trees!
The birds are back and so are bees.
The flowers are in blossom,
The leaves are green,
How do they know and do you know
When it is spring?
Build your web! The buds are back!
Little spider dressed in black,
Bears, rabbits, bids and bees,
Flowers and grass, leaves and trees,
Just like me they all have fun,
That’s how they know spring has really come!

P. 2 No matter, what a person’s religion is Easter for everybody is a great festival.

Come and join our festival saying together
Christ has risen! He has truly risen!

P. 3 Poem “Easter”.

The brightest of the holidays,

The sweetest Easter day
Is hurrying to people
Who welcome it and pray.
We purified the souls
And filled the hearts with love.
Great Lent was before Easter
And Jesus Christ above.
He rescued sinful people
And rose from the dead
We worship God in heaven,
We thankful are and glad.
So try to be sincere
And merciful to all
God blesses, it’s quite clear,
Only those, who come to a call.
P. 1 Easter is much fun for children as there are egg games and egg contests. Players may role hard-
cooked eggs down a slope, each trying to have his/her own egg reached the bottom unbroken.

P. 2 Though the egg itself has a deeper meaning the games are played mostly for fun. They express
the joy of Easter. In families with children parents hide chocolate eggs on the front lawns or in the
garden, and in the morning it’s always much joy for children to find and put them into their Easter
baskets.

P. 1 Besides Easter eggs other Easter symbols are chickens, rabbits, lambs, beautiful flowers—lilies
and hot-cross buns. Have you ever tried them? Surely, you wonder why rabbits are other Easter
symbols. Let’s listen.

P. 4 Little rabbits are usually called bunnies. As you know rabbits have large families. Certainly
you know how fast little bunnies grow up and then have babies of their own until there are more
and more and more. And most people believe that the hare or rabbit of Easter is a symbol of new
life as it probably was in religions far older than Christianity.

P. 5 Poem “Funny Bunny”

Little Easter, the comedienne bunny,
Tried too hard at being funny.
He juggled and he dropped the eggs
They fell and smashed between his legs.

Poor Easter left the stage in shame

And thought that he might change his name.
But then that bunny read this ad,
“This Sunday we need help real bad.”

So Easter bunny kept his name

And through the years has gained much fame,
When Easter’s Sunday comes each year,
He delivers eggs and we all cheer.

(Somebody is knocking at the door.)

P. 2 Can you hear it? Somebody is knocking at the door. Let him in, please. Wow! How lucky we
are! How happy we are! Look here! We are having a special guest today! Who is this?- This is
Easter Bunny. Welcome, dear friend! Let’s invite Easter Bunny to our festival! Kids, say together
once more – Welcome, Easter Bunny! Glad to meet you!

Easter Bunny: Hi, guys! How are you? I am so happy to meet you too! I see you are celebrating
Easter, a great holiday! I have brought you a magic basket full of different things: presents and hot-
cross buns, delicious spicy buns with raisins inside and shiny brown tops decorated with crosses of
white icing. My dear friends, help yourselves!

Children: Thanks a lot, Easter Bunny! They are really fantastic and smell so sweet! Please, tell us
more about Easter.

Easter Bunny: OK, with great pleasure! Easter is the time for giving and receiving presents.
Traditionally these presents take a form of an Easter egg, a new hat for Easter Parade or a hot-cross
bun. Children usually get chocolate Easter eggs or Easter rabbits. They are either hollow or have a
filling and are usually covered with brightly coloured silver paper. One can buy them at any sweet
shop in the weeks before Easter. Kids, do you know the colours most often used in Easter
decorations are different? They are white, yellow or gold, green and purple, they are wonderful!
P. 1 Please, show us a new game.

Easter Bunny: Then let’s play the game which is called “Guess what symbol I am”. The symbols
are written on the slips of paper. I want you to come up to me, pick one of the notes, read it silently
and then show the symbol through your gestures. The rest of the pupils should guess what symbol
you are trying to show.

(Easter Bunny presents the participants with sweets and prizes.)

Easter Bunny: Do you have the same Easter traditions in Ukraine

P. 6 In Ukraine Easter has been celebrated over a long period of history and has had many rich
traditions. The last Sunday before Easter is called Willow Sunday (Verbna Nedilia). On this day
pussy-willow branches are blessed in church.

P. 7 It should be said one of the traditions is particular. Tapping each other with the branches of
willow people repeat the wish. It sounds like that, “Be as tall as the willow, as healthy as water and
as rich as the earth. Not I am tapping, the willow is tapping. Easter is in a week.”

P. 8 Traditional Easter breads- pasky, pysanky and krashanky (decorated or coloured Easter eggs)
are blessed in church. People exchange Easter greetings, give each other krashanky and then hurry
home with their baskets of blessed food. Easter is a feast of joy and gladness, it is celebrated for
three days and spring songs (vesnianky) are often sung.

(A group of people dressed in national clothes sing Ukrainian vesnianky).

Spring Has Come Again

Spring has come again

The sun is all aglow
It’s melting all the snow
For spring has come again

Уже прийшла весна

І сонце засвітило
І сніг весь розтопило
Бо вже прийшла весна.

Spring has come again

The trees are dressed in green
And pussy-willows are seen
For spring has come again.

Уже прийшла весна

Зелені дерева
І розцвіла лоза
Бо вже прийшла весна.

P. 1 Now, friends, get ready to take part in a special contest “The best painter”. Some volunteers are
needed. We’ll blind you and then you’ll try to paint Easter symbols as nicely as you can.

(Pupils are engaged in this activity, after that they are given some sweets and prizes).
P. 2 There are different ways of celebration Easter in European countries and in the USA. They
differ and have something in common at the same time. Certainly we invited some of our pen
friends from Italy, Greece, Sweden, Australia, the USA, Norway, India, Mexico, Poland, Portugal,
Scandinavia, France and Germany. They are all smart with speaking English and are happy to visit
our festival. They are going to share some information about their traditions with you. Let’s greet
them, kids!

(The guests introduce themselves and tell their stories).

P. 9 In Italy Easter fireworks represent light coming out of darkness, bringing with it new hope and
life. Italian families have several traditions and unique cultural customs. Like most countries, Easter
starts on Good Friday, when the entire family comes together for a meatless meal of seafood misto
—a combination of jumbo shrimps, scallops, calamari and mussels—on the table. Easter Sunday the
typical Italian family gathers again for a feast of lamb, a special stuffed or layered pasta dishes.

P. 10 In Greece people eat a round, flat loaf of bread, marked with a cross and decorated with
Easter eggs. The preparations for the celebration of the Resurrection start on Holy Thursday. On
that day women traditionally prepare coloured eggs with special red dyes. On Easter Saturday
morning preparations start for the festive dinner. On Easter Sunday it’s traditional to prepare lamb.

P. 11 In Sweden people light bonfires, shoot fireworks into the sky, paint crosses, stars and other
holy symbols on their doors. In western provinces of Sweden there is still a competition of the
biggest Easter fire.

P. 12 In Australia Easter is celebrated too. They play the game called “Egg Knocking Game”. In
Sydney the agricultural show known as “The Royal Easter Show” is held every year.

P. 13 In the USA one interesting tradition is that every year in Washington DC children roll eggs
down the grassy slopes of the White House lawn in an Easter contest. A band plays, there are
prizes, and the President of the United States is there.

P. 14 In Norway yellow chickens are everywhere at Easter time. Drawn chickens, plastic chickens,
cotton ones, chickens made of all sorts of materials can be seen in private homes, shop windows,
newspapers and magazines, on television. It’s no wonder, yellow has become the colour of Easter in
Norway.

P. 15 In India Christians all over the country make elaborate arrangements for Easter festivities.
Worshippers throng the churches for special prayers and rituals. During Easter, Easter eggs and
bunnies are sold in stores, and people exchange these items with each other. Good Friday is a
compulsory public holiday declared by the government of India.

P. 16 Easter in Mexico is the most important day of the entire year. With church attendance at all-
time highs, the Mexicans do not celebrate with bunnies, jelly beans but take vacation during this
time.

P. 17 Holy Week begins on Easter Thursday, and at Cracow’s Cathedral bishops wash the feet of
twelve elderly men in an echo of Christ’s gesture towards the apostles at the last supper. Easter
Saturday is a festive occasion, there will be a constant trail of families coming to and from many
churches.

P. 18 Easter in Portugal is celebrated with sweet bread called Folar da Pascoa. The bread is usually
served at breakfast on Easter morning but more often as a dessert after Easter dinner. On Easter
Sunday Portuguese serve a meat plate at the dinner table as the feature dish. A popular sweet served
during Easter is a candied almond dish. Our traditional greeting is Boa Pascoa—Happy Easter!
P. 19 Sweden’s Easter Traditions indicate that the family feast is on Easter Saturday not on Sunday.
According to Swedish folklore, during Easter the witches fly to the Blue Mountain to meet the devil
which has a big influence on today’s Easter traditions in Sweden. Norway’s Easter traditions are
always good news for Norwegians: they have the longest Easter weekend in all of Scandinavia.

P. 20 In France Easter is one of the most important holiday celebrations for French children. They
receive colorfully decorated eggs. The French begin their Easter several weeks before. Shop
windows are decorated in a festive collection of white and dark chocolate rabbits, chickens, bells
and fish. In keeping with the tradition, French church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter
morning.

P. 21 German Easter traditions are very important, Easter along with Christmas is the most
important holiday in Germany. On this sacred day all Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ
from the grave. This is the greatest and most joyful event of the year for the believers, when the
tragedy of Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday was healed by the message of the angel at the empty
tomb “He is not here. He has risen!” “Easter” originates from Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn
named Eastre” or “Ostara”.

P. 1 We would like to add some more information about Easter traditions in other countries. For
example, in Hungary painted eggs are hung from the twigs of trees, like decorations in a Christmas
tree.

P. 2 In Iraq families make their homes beautiful decorating them with wild tulips called lilies of the
field.

P. 1 In Panama children believe that a painted rabbit called the conejo brings them Easter eggs.

P. 2 In Spain mostly every city or town has its own traditions and there are thousands of
processions throughout Spain.

P. 1 Now, our painters have finished their task and are ready to show their masterpieces to us.

(Students show their works).

P. 2 You were trying hard and we think that all of you deserve being awarded.

(Students are being awarded).

Poem “Easter”.

P. Its Easter
And people all enjoy
The God’s Son’s resurrection
And wish each other joy
P. It is Easter
And we all glorify
The wonders of the nature,
The life, the world, the sky.
P. It is Easter.
And people all exult
For Easter is a holiday
For children and adults.
P. 1 Look! Such pretty girls are wearing lovely hats, unusual amazing hats! Oh, it seems I guess
what it means. Do you guess too? Some women and girls in Britain decorate their hats, called
bonnets. They put lots of spring flowers on them and wear them during Easter bonnet parades.

P. 2 Now we are having our Easter bonnet parade just here. Welcome, dear guests, join the parade
and enjoy yourselves! Let’s greet our participants!

(Music is playing and all are dancing).

Easter Bunny: Have fun, everybody! Easter is a festival of hope and joy!