Easter in the Uk: Holy Saturday marks the day when, according to the Christian Bible, Jesus Christ lays in the grave after death. His symbol is the Lamb of God.
Easter in the Uk
Many UK Christians participate in worship on Holy Saturday. In the evening of the Holy Sabbath, church services are held in complete darkness before the candles are lit, symbolizing the light of Jesus Christ, which he brings peace.
The English on this day is preparing Easter eggs. Children paint eggs with multi-colored paint, paste special labels with religious drawings. These eggs are placed in Easter baskets. Easter eggs, a symbol of spring renewing life, is a very old tradition that arose long before Christianity. On television and radio on Holy Saturday, many programs are devoted to explaining the religious meaning of Easter, classical music and songs are broadcast, performed by church choirs.
Easter week begins on Palm Sunday. On the first day of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated. People who regularly attend church often attend church services on the first day of Easter. For the rest of the British, this is a day of communication with their relatives and friends, fun games for children and adults, dance and other entertainment. People exchange gifts in the form of Easter baskets. Once they laid real chicken eggs, hard-boiled and painted in different bright colors, as a symbol of spring and light.
Nowadays, people give each other hollow chocolate eggs covered with decorative foil and filled with candy. It is believed that if the children behaved well, the Easter bunny left eggs in their home or garden. Therefore, British children are busy looking for gifts in the morning. This custom began to be used for promotional purposes. During Easter week, some tourist attractions and shops arrange competitions for collecting Easter eggs. Popular games with eggs. Just like with us, they hit the opponent’s egg with a sharp end, trying to break it. In some villages, eggs roll down the hill, whose egg rolls further, and he is the winner.
One of the symbols of Easter in the UK was the Easter Bunny. Previously, he was a companion of the ancient Saxon goddess Eostre and personified fertility. Maybe that’s why Easter in England is a traditional day for a wedding.
On the streets of cities, you can see dancers performing an old spring dance, designed to scare away the evil spirits of winter. This dance is called Morris. It is performed by men dressed in white shirts, red belts, black trousers with bells and straw hats decorated with red and green ribbons. Although the clothes of the dancers bear the imprint of the Middle Ages, the meaning of the performance clearly shows that the dance came from pre-Christian times. One of the dancers carries an inflated pork bladder on a stick. He tries to touch them on the head of young women on the street. This is supposed to bring them happiness.
In the Middle Ages, women for Easter wore special, ornate hats. Now there is only one place where you can show them in all its glory. This is a very popular Easter procession and parade, which is held in Battersea Park in London.
Roast lamb – the traditional meat for lunch on the first day of Easter. It is served with sauce and vegetables.
More Information About Happy Easter
For sweet, they are surely preparing Simnel’s cake. Simnel Pie is a fruit pie with a layer of marzipan on top. The tradition to treat Simnel for Easter for many centuries. The first mention of it is present in the verses of the 17th century. There is no single recipe for making a pie, each English mistress has her own version, of course, the most ancient and tasty in her opinion. Making the Simnel Cake was a difficult task until recently. Today, of course, you can just go to the store and buy it.
Simnel cake is always decorated according to Christian tradition. The marzipan balls, placed on top of the cake, represent 12 disciples of Christ. Sometimes in the middle of the cake, they spread an extra ball of marzipan, representing Christ himself.
Easter Day 2 is the last day of a four-day weekend. People who were on shore leave, or visited relatives, are returning home. For the rest, this is another free day when you can go about your business. Easter entertainment, parades, Morris dances, fairs or sports matches continue in some places. The next day, the holiday ends and weekdays begin.