Easter is a major festival in England. It is a four day long weekend with two Public Holidays, and although it is largely a secular holiday now, it is based around the major Christian festival of Easter, focused on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before the Easter weekend), the English Monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, will present 89 men and 89 women of pensionable age (chosen because of good work they have done in their community) with specially made Maundy money in white and red leather purses. The white purse contains silver Maundy coins matching the Queen’s age in pence, 89p, while the red purse contains ordinary money.
The Friday before Easter is known as Good Friday, and in the Christian calendar marks the death of Jesus on the cross. It is the first Public Holiday of the weekend and, amongst other things, this day is marked by the eating of hot cross buns; spiced sweet buns which are marked with a white cross on the top and which are delicious! They have become so popular that they are often available all year round. You can even find them on sale in Prague at Marks and Spencer if you would like to try them.
The Easter weekend is often a time for families to get together. Easter Sunday, which marks the day that Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead, is the only day of the year in England where shops and offices are not legally allowed to be open for business. It is often marked by the giving of chocolate eggs, mainly to children, but many adults enjoy them too. Eggs were originally given as symbols of new life, probably in pagan times, but have been adopted by many western cultures, including England. Eggs come in many sizes from small to huge, attractively wrapped in shiny foil or attractive boxes. Often, families arrange Easter egg hunts around their gardens for the children to find, and this pastime has become so popular that it has been offered commercially by other venues, like local country houses (English versions of zameks) which cater for large numbers of visitors every year.
Easter Monday is also a Public Holiday, as it is in many countries, and it is a day that sees many people working on their homes and gardens, making the most of the long weekend. Home improvement warehouses and garden centres (like Hornbach and Bauhaus here in the Czech Republic) tend to be very busy!
Children Love Easter Egg Hunting!
Egg hunting is a game where children fill their baskets with decorated hard-boiled eggs or chocolate eggs of different sizes, which are hidden around the garden or home. For many centuries, children have believed that the Easter Bunny hides these eggs. Happy hunting!
