Презентація на тему «Easter in England and Ukraine»
Easter in England and Ukraine
Karina Bortnik 8-B
Easter is the feast of Christ's resurrection, which in its observance combines both pagan and Christian elements. Easter is preceded by seven weeks of Lent and celebrated on each first week after vernal equinox and full moon. It is the most cheerful holiday for orthodox believers.
Easter in Ukraine
In Ukraine Easter is called Velykden (The Great Day). In Ukraine Easter has been celebrated over a long period of history and has had many rich folk traditions.
Ukrainian Easter is a historical combination of heathen and Christian traditions. Velykden was celebrated thousands of years ago as the victory of the Light over the Dark, Day over Night, Spring over Winter. The Resurrection was celebrated only from 988 when Kiev Rus was baptized. For some time these two systems coexisted, for some time it was forbidden for people to follow heathen traditions, but later the church decided to use in its Easter ceremony the heathen customs like painting eggs and backing Easter cake.
The last Sunday before Easter is called Willow Sunday (Verbna nedilia). On this day pussy-willow branches are blessed in the church.
Easter in England
Easter in the UK is all about age-old customs, mind-boggling folklore and traditional feasts. The observance of Easter in the UK is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, it has been in vogue even before the pre-Christian times. In order to honor the Anglo Saxon goddess, Eostre, Easter was observed in England even before Christianity spread its roots all over the continent. Easter is a day, which is celebrated to commemorate the rising of the Christ. The Easter celebrations in England are quite unlike the way it is celebrated in other parts of the world. Lent marks the beginning of Easter celebrations in England that falls on Ash Wednesday. The last three days before the beginning of Lent is known as Shrovetide, which is marked by huge celebrations. The Easter celebration, which extends over a period of 40 days, is a low-key affair here since the British people like to limit their celebrations to extensive prayer sessions. Nevertheless, feasting, games, fun and egg-hunt does make for an important part of their Easter observance too.
Ukrainian Easter Traditions
The last Sunday before Easter is called Willow Sunday (Verbna nedilia). On this day pussy-willow branches are blessed in the church.
The week before Easter, the Great (Velykyi) Week (Holy Week), is called the White (Bilyi) or Pure (Chystyi) Week. During this time an effort is made to finish all field work before Thursday, since from Thursday on work is forbidden. Pure (Maundy) Thursday is connected with ritual of clarification by water.
On Passion (Strasna) Friday—Good Friday—no work is done. In some localities, the Holy Shroud (plashchanytsia) is carried solemnly three times around the church and, after appropriate services, laid out for public veneration.
Saturday evening people gather in the church for the Easter vigil till the very morning when priests bless the food believers brought. After that people go home to celebrate Easter with their families. If they meet other people on the way they say: “Christ is risen!” and these people should reply “Risen indeed”. All the people exchange Easter greetings and give each other painted eggs (krashanky).
Easter cake ('Kulich') and painted eggs ('Krashanki') are the symbols of Ukrainian Easter and obligatory food on the table this day. Kulich is baked from yeast dough in the form of cylinder. Krashanka is a boiled and painted egg. On this Day Ukrainian kids play their favorite Easter game: knocking the eggs. If you knock somebody's egg and you egg is not broken than you are the winner.
The krashanky and pysanky (Easter eggs) are an old pre-Christian element and have an important role in the Easter rites. On this day they are given as gifts or exchanged. There is also the rite of sprinkling with water, which is still carried on in Western Ukraine on the next day afrer Easter (Wet Monday, Oblyvanyi ponedilok). It is practiced by young people, the boys usually splashing the girls with water.
Easter customs and traditions in UK
As a part of Easter tradition, there is a trend among British people to eat yummy hams, in order to commemorate the Easter Sunday.
Morris Dance is the biggest attraction of Easter jubilation in England. This trend of holding dances is not new, rather it is a century old tradition. This dance is always staged by professional male troupes who observe old spring dances to frighten away the evil spirits of winter. The attire of the dancers is extremely traditional wherein they wear white shorts, red sashes, black trousers and straw hats. Red and green ribbons along with flowers and streamers are also added to their attire to make their look all the more colorful
Churches are beautifully decorated with different color flowers. White lilies are placed on the altar and these gorgeous flowers are also displayed on the graveyard.
For offering prayers in the church, men and women dress up in their special outfits and as a part of their wardrobe, colorful Easter bonnets embellished with flowers is like a must.
Special Easter parades are held in Britain and the parade conducted at Battersea Park in London is a very popular one.
The Easter celebrations commences with great zeal and vigor before the Palm Sunday. According to the legends, on this particular day Jesus Christ had arrived in Jerusalem and had been welcomed by the city by laying a carpet of Palm leaves and waving Palm branches. This custom is still observed in UK even and on the day of Easter, the entire city parades on the city streets with people carrying palm branches.
The Easter celebrations commences with great zeal and vigor before the Palm Sunday. According to the legends, on this particular day Jesus Christ had arrived in Jerusalem and had been welcomed by the city by laying a carpet of Palm leaves and waving Palm branches. This custom is still observed in UK even and on the day of Easter, the entire city parades on the city streets with people carrying palm branches.
