(学生版)2.Easter

Understanding the United States Chapter Four Society and Culture Section 5 Holidays and Special DaysEasterEaster Good WishesThe Easter BunniesEaster eggs and Easter basketsJesus "Christ" is known as the founder of "Christianity". At Easter, Christians celebrate their belief that Jesus came back to life after his death (called "resurrection"). Easter is a joyous holiday for Christians.When Is Easter?Easter is always celebrated on a Sunday, the day of Jesus Christ’s resurrection or rebirth. But the exact date of the holiday changes from year to year. Today, most Christians celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring. So Easter became a "movable" feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.The Origin and History of EasterThe meaning of many differentcustoms observed duringEaster Sunday has been buriedwith time. Their origins lie inpre-Christian religions andChristianity. All in some way or another are a "salute to spring," marking re-birth. Protestant settlers brought the custom of a sunrise service, a religious gathering at dawn, to the United States. The white Easter lily has come to capture the gloryof the holiday. The word "Easter" is named after Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A festival was held in her honor every year at the vernal equinox.Why Do Christians Celebrate Easter?The Friday before Easter, called Good Friday, marks the day that Jesus was crucified (nailedto a cross). Crucifixion was a common death penalty in the ancient Roman world.Christians believe Jesus was sacrificed to pay for the sins of humankind.According to the Bible, Jesus’ followers placed his body in a tomb the day he died. On Sunday, several followers visited the tomb and found it empty. Two shimmering angels appeared before them. The angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.Jesus then appeared before his followers and spoke with them. For Christians, Jesus’ resurrection offers hope for everlasting life in heaven after death. They commemorate Good Friday as the day that Jesus Christ died and Easter Sunday as the day that He was resurrected.Most Christian churches observe the Easter holiday with special services. In 16 states Good Friday is a federal holiday, many schools and businesses throughout the U.S. are closed on this Friday.Top Viewed Images from Church请播放视频1视频2 视频3 视频4Popular Traditions of EasterMany Easter traditions beganlong before Christianity. TheEaster holiday is rooted inolder festivals that celebratedthe arrival spring. The Easter of bunny and Easter eggs are very old traditions that symbolize spring and new life.◆Easter EggsEaster eggs are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday or springtime. The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with candy such as jellybeans, which come in more than 50 flavors, each one marked by a different color.Originally Easter eggs werepainted with bright colors torepresent the sunlight of spring or the colors of spring, including early spring flowers like daffodils, crocuses, and lilies. They were used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were colored and etched with various designs the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines.In medieval time eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants. In Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts.Different cultures have developed their own ways of decorating Easter eggs. Crimson eggs, to honor the blood of Christ, are exchanged in Greece.In parts of Germany and Austria green eggs are used on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday). Slavic peoples decorate their eggs in special patterns of gold and silver.The egg was a symbol of rebirth in pagan times before it was adopted by Christians to represent the rebirth of man. The Romans believed that "All life comes from an egg." Christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.Over time, people added Easter baskets, Easter egg hunts, and candies to the festivities.In 1997, a man named Charlene Dickenson ever wrote a poem about Easter eggs as follows:Red is for the blood He gave.Green is for the grass He made.Yellow is for the sun so bright.Orange is for the edge of night.Black is for the sins we made.is for the grace He gave.Purple is for His hour of sorrow.Pink is for our new tomorrow.An egg full of jelly beans,colorful and sweet, is a prayer,a promise, a loved one's treat!◆The Easter Bunny"Here comes Peter Cottontailhoppin' down the bunny trailHippity hoppityEasters on its way!"Today on Easter Sunday children wake up to find that the Easter Bunny has left them baskets of candy.The Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit and has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. Long ago, he was called the "Easter Hare." The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the spring season.The bunny as an Easter symbolseems to have it's origins inGermany, where it was firstmentioned in German writings in the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s and were made of pastry and sugar.The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the "Oschter Haws" was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure" next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve. The children believed that if they were good the "Oschter Haws" would lay a nest of colored eggs.The children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or the garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests. The use of elaborate Easter baskets is also popular.◆Easter Egg GamesEggs play animportant part inEaster sports. TheRomanscelebrated theEaster season byrunning races on an oval track and giving eggsas prizes. Two traditional Easter egg games are the Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Roll.Easter Egg HuntOn Easter morningthe children of thehouse join in asearch to locate theeggs that theEaster Bunny had hidden while they where asleep. The searching might continue through out the house with the older children helping theyoungest. Sometimes prizes of candy are awaiting the child finding the most eggs.Easter egg hunts can arealso part of community'scelebration of holiday.The eggs are hidden inpublic places and thechildren of the community are invited to find the eggs.The custom of an Easter egg hunt began because children believed that hares laid eggs in the grass.Easter Egg RollThe rules of an Easter Egg Roll are to see who can roll an egg the greatest distance or can make the roll without breaking it, usually down a grassy hillside or slope.In England, Germany and some other countries, children rolled eggs down hills on Easter morning, a game which has been connected to the rolling away of the rock fromJesus Christ's tomb when he was resurrected. British settlers brought this custom to the New World.Rolling eggs on the Monday after Easter was a tradition observed by many Washington families, including those of the President. Some historians believe Dolly Madison， the wife of the fourth American President， first suggested the idea of a public egg roll, while others tell stories of informal egg-rolling parties at the White House dating back to President Lincoln's day.It is said that in the early nineteenth century, Dolly Madison organized an egg roll in Washington, D.C. She had been told that Egyptian children used to roll eggs against the pyramids so she invited the children of Washington to roll hard-boiled eggs down the hilly lawn of the new Capitol building! The custom continued, except for the years during the Civil War. In 1880, the First Lady invitedchildren to the White House for the Egg Roll because officials had complained that they were ruining the Capitol lawn.It has been held there ever since then, only canceled during times of war. The event has grown, and today Easter Monday is the only day of the year when tourists are allowed to wander over the White House lawn. The wife of the President sponsors it for the children of the entire country. The egg rolling event is open to children twelve years old and under. Adults are allowed only when accompanied by children!That day hundreds of children come with baskets filled with brightly decorated eggs and roll them down thefamous lawn, hoping thePresident of the U.S iswatching the fun.President Reaganand First LadyNancy Reaganwatch as childrenroll eggs at the1982 White HouseEaster Egg Roll.President Clintonand First LadyHillary Clintondeliver remarksat the at the 2000Easter Egg Roll.First Lady Laura Bushreads a story to agroup of childrenduring the annualWhite House EasterEgg Roll on the SouthLawn of The WhiteHouse, in Washingtonon April 9, 2007. TheWhite House EasterEgg Roll has been an annual tradition since 1878, when it was started by President Rutherford B.Hayes.Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival Traditionally, many celebrants bought new clothes for Easter which they wore to church. After church services, everyone went for a walk around the town. This led to the American custom of Easter parades all over the country. Perhaps the most famous is along Fifth Avenue in New York City.The New York City Easter Parade has been an annual tradition since Civil War days and features marchers in elaborate Easter finery, including some of the fanciest Easter bonnets imaginable.Unlike other parades, there is no procession during the Easter Parade. The Easter Parade is a far less organized event. From 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. the area along Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets is closed to vehicular traffic, and folks wander the street admiring various Easter Bonnets，Easter outfits and costumedpets during the festivities. Video clips 5. 6. 7.5th Ave Easter Parade1880's5th Avenue in New York City on Easter Sundayin 1900。