How do British and Irish celebrate their Easter?

Simnel Cake for Easter (Photo credit: Jessicastjohn)

Author: Adam Simonds
Often it is found that Easter in England and Ireland is celebrated in private parties and family gathering. During the hay days of Christianity, Easter was known as Pascha and the word derived from the Hebrew term Passover. Later on during the Anglo Saxon era the same celebration got a new name "Easter"; and this time it came from Eostre, the Anglo Saxon goddess of fertility during springtime.

Why Do We Celebrate Easter?

Easter eggs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Renee Goodrich


Easter is an ancient holiday that is celebrated in many countries. For Christians, it is the commemoration of the death and rebirth of Jesus Christ. However, Easter has deep roots and traditions that go back well before Christianity (which is 2000 years old).
The word Easter comes from Eostre, the ancient Germanic goddess of spring (popular from the 6th century BC). Eostre found a colorful bird that was too injured to be able to fly again, so she turned it into a rabbit. Amazingly, the rabbit kept the ability to lay eggs. To say thank you, the rabbit gave Eostre a basket of her colorful eggs as a gift. In kind, followers of Eostre honored spring with gifts of colorful bird eggs. This tradition spread throughout Europe and did not change until the mid 1800's when European manufacturers began to produce chocolate eggs. The chocolate was very popular and the custom evolved, so that today it is common to give baskets of chocolate Easter eggs. Migrants to the United States, Australia and other countries brought the folk tale and tradition with them.
If you look even further back than the legend of Eostre, you can find plenty evidence of ancient cultures decorating and giving eggs in Spring. For more than 3000 years, the Chinese have been painting eggs red for spring festivals, the Zorastrians (Middle East - 2500 years ago) offered colored eggs on their New Year's Eve which is at the start of spring, and the Druids (Western Europe - 6000 years ago) used them in ceremonies held on the spring equinox (when day and night are of equal length). Incredibly, a large stash of 60, 000 year old ostrich egg shells found at Diepkloof Rock Shelter in South Africa had detailed patterns scratched onto them.
Today, Easter is celebrated in many countries, in many ways.

The Feast of Saint Eulalia

Image via WikipediaBy Harriet Freeman


This party is also known as the Parades of the Giants.
The feast of Saint Eullia or "Las fiestas de Santa Eullia" is the biggest annual festival for children in Barcelona. The festival is held in the days around February the 12th. February the 12th is a special day, namely Santa Eullia's day. Over 100 activities are being organized for children during this festival. Typical for this festival is the Catalan parade of giants or "gegants".
In this festival music plays an important role. There are several performances of music schools, choirs and children orchestras. Also every year a photography competition for children is held, called "Foto Laia".

Ragusa, A City With Two Patron Saints

Image via Wikipedia

By: Michele de Capitani

In all the Italian cities there are always many celebrations dedicated to a given saint, whom the inhabitants of the city are notably devoted to as s/he is considered the protector of the city itself and of the people who live in it. In the day devoted to their patron saints Italian cities are enlivened with celebrations and many interesting events, which always attract not only the inhabitants of the city, who like to keep this ancient tradition alive, bit also tourists and visitors coming from other cities, regions and countries, who take the chance to take part in celebrations to enjoy a very special and typical feature of a citys culture.

Easter In Venice

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Author: sandhya jain

As with most parts of Italy, Easter in Venice is an important festival for reflecting and renewing faith and especially for families to come together.
The Easter holiday period is a time for the enjoyment of children and families visiting the city will find that kids take centre stage and are to be cherished. This is best illustrated at the Easter Monday fair on Via Alvise Pisani in the heart of central Venice. It features funfairs, sports and activities for children of all ages. A popular day out for locals, there are circus performers, street musicians and drama shows depicting biblical scenes all done with a sense of fun and freshness.
Church services and concerts across the city
Churches across the city welcome all visitors to celebrate the meaning of Easter from the famous St Marks Basilica to countless charming Gothic and Baroque churches that are themselves wonderful works of art. The old austere cathedral of San Pietro, the pretty 13th century Sant Elena or the spectacular San Rocco are just some of the churches that offer compelling Easter services. There is even an Anglican church in the heart of the city. The enduring sound of bells ringing out on Easter Sunday offers a melodic symphony across the city as streets are filled with solemn torch lit processions and music. Similarly a brightly illuminated flotilla of vaparetto boats leisurely cruise the waterways to St Marks filled with elegantly dressed local dignitaries prior to Easter mass. Everywhere at Easter one can feel the sense of cultural pride and faith that the occasion brings that makes it should an uplifting time of year for a visit.
Relaxation in the warm spring sunshine
Churches and museums open their doors at Easter for a series of choral and classical concerts often with free entrance and there is a special Easter proms season at the renowned Teatro Goldoni. Many cultural centres also provide children’s events such as the Scuola Grande di San Rocco which hosts a children's theatre during the holidays.
Easter in Venice is also a time for relaxation and there are several havens in the city where visitors can escape the crowds and enjoy a peaceful afternoon in the warm sunshine. The Papapodoli Gardens is a secluded park ideal for a picnic or stroll along the Riva di Biasio which is a picturesque promenade offering lovely views of the Cannevegio Canal. This time of year sees an increasing active cafe society with pavements filled with diners and coffee drinkers enjoying the fine weather and colourful Venetian street life.
Easter activities are just a way of having fun. Do not tax your brain too much and do not relegate Easter activities into some sort of a headache. Keep Easter activities simple and enjoyable. Let everyone enjoy Easter with the Easter activities you plan. And try to involve everyone in all the Easter activities. So, take special care of adults and old ones who generally feel left out in these Easter activities.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/easter-in-venice-1868943.html
About the Author

Sandhya jain is an online marketing expert for CityVacations, with a particular interest in travel and hotel reviews, also associated with the CityVacations a leading travel agent from UK provides Holidays in Venice and International Destinations around the world.

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The Catacombs of Paris

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By Pollux Parker

Not all of the attractions in Paris are found above ground, underneath the city streets is one composed of labyrinth-like tunnels and crypts called The Catacombs of Paris. Around 6 million people are buried in the catacombs and it occupies a portion of what used to be Paris' stone mines.