EASTER AROUND THE WORLD!

Keri MackieProud Participant of Snowblog CT

How My Family Celebrates

Lunch with Family

Baskets full of candy

Egg Hunt

Easter in United States of America

Easter in the US is celebrated in many different ways by many different religions. Mostly it is celebrated with traditional church services and family festive celebrations. On Easter Sunday in New York and other cities, large street parades are held where people show off their new clothes and Easter bonnets. The parade is often led by someone carrying a candle or a cross. American children play a game called Easter Egg Roll.

The world's most famous Mardi Gras carnival is held each year in New Orleans. It has parades, jazz bands and parties where everybody dresses up and joins in the fun. Groups of people called krewes prepare decorated floats with a Mardi Gras king and queen. Mardi Gras means 'Fat Tuesday' and only refers to Shrove Tuesday. The day after Mardi Gras is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

Easter is a time to eat special foods. In US it is baked ham, potatoes and vegetables.

In the US at Easter Hot Cross Buns are served as well.

Liz FemaleRhinecliff, NY United StatesPosition :Student Name of Institution : Mount Saint Mary College

Arianne Lake Female Newburgh, NY United StatesPosition : Student Name of Institution : Mount Saint Mary College

Easter in Ukraine Ukrainians decorate eggs in a special way called Pysanky. They make beautiful designs with beeswax on eggs. The beeswax is melted and a special stylus or pen is dipped in the wax. A wax design is painted onto the egg with the stylus. Then the egg is dipped in the dye. The dyed egg is carefully held over a candle flame and the wax melted off. Now, there is a beautiful white pattern on the dyed egg. The egg designs are very delicate and complicated. The patterns for the designs are passed down from parents to children over the years. During the pre-Easter period, the spring cleaning is done. The houses are plastered and whitewashed; everything is taken out of the house and washed or wiped; and all the rubbish is taken and burned outside the village. Palm Sunday is called Willow Sunday, and willow boughs are blessed in the church. Holy Week is called white or pure week. People try to finish all their work in the fields before Thursday, because from then on work is forbidden. On the evening of Holy Thursday, a special Passion service is held at the church, and people leave with lighted candles. They try to get home without letting the candle go out. This candle is kept until next year. On Good Friday nobody does any work. Until Easter Sunday the ringing of the church bells is replaced by the beating of wooden clappers or the striking of a mallet on a board. On Easter Day known as the Great Day, the church bells are rung at short intervals all day to remind people that this is the greatest feast of the year. Easter Sunday begins with a church service where the Easter cakes and Easter eggs are blessed. Butter, lard, cheese, roast suckling pigs, sausage, smoked meat, and little napkins with poppy seeds, millet, salt, pepper and horseradish wrapped in them are also blessed. After the service, people exchange Easter greetings and eggs, and then they hurry home with their "holy food".

CHECK OUT THE NEXT 2 SLIDES FROM 2 PARTICIPANTS OF SNOWBLOG!!!!

http://www.easterbunnys.net/ukrainianseaster.htm

Nagora Female Position: Teacher Name of Institution : Khmelnitskiy National University, Ukraine

ZheniaFemale Mykolayiv UkrainePosition: Student Name of Institution : MSU by Sukhomlynskyi

Easter Songs

Here Comes Peter CottontailHere comes Peter CottontailHoppin' down the bunny trail,Hippity hoppity,Easter's on its way

Bringin' ev'ry girl and boyA basketful of Easter joyThings to make your EasterBright and gay

He's got jelly beans for TommyColored eggs for sister SueThere's an orchid for your mommyAnd an Easter bonnet too. Oh!

Here' comes Peter CottontailHoppin' down the bunny trailHippity hoppityHappy Easter Day

Look at him hop and listen to him say,"Try to do the things you should"Maybe if you're extra goodHe'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way You'll wake up on Easter morningAnd you'll know that he was thereWhen you find those choc'late bunnies That he's hiding ev’rywhere, Oh! Here' comes Peter CottontailHoppin' down the bunny trailHippity hoppityHappy Easter Day.

The following Website lists Easter celebrations around the world.

http://www.easterbunnys.net/easteraroundtheworld.htm