Common Easter Traditions

 

How many of these pictures can you identify? (See below for answers)

 

 

Here are some Easter Traditions you might come across:

Dying Easter eggs actually has roots in many cultures, including Jewish, Egyptian, Persian, and Greek cultures. For most cultures, eggs represent rebirth and the spring equinox. Eggs first became part of Easter in Medieval Europe. People were not allowed to eat eggs during Lent (the 40 days before Easter), so there were a lot of extra eggs. On Easter, people would eat these surplus eggs and also dye them to represent the blood of Christ.

The Cadbury Crème Egg is perhaps one of the most famous Easter candies. It has chocolate on the outside and a sugar crème (fondant) on the inside.

Jeweled or Fabergé eggs are very popular in Russia. Only 43 original Fabergé eggs exist today.

Easter Egg baskets originated from the custom of bringing baskets to church when Lent was over.  The baskets were full of food for Easter supper, which were blessed by the clergy. Now, we fill baskets with fake grass and candy.

The Easter Bunny: Comes from Eostra, the Germanic pagan goddess of spring and rebirth after winter. Now, Eostra is represented by a bunny. Many parents tell their children that they will receive a basket filled with chocolates, candy, and toys from the Easter bunny.

Hot Cross Buns originated long before Easter candy, and are usually eaten on Good Friday before Easter. The icing on top represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

The Easter Egg Hunt is a common American tradition that involves hiding eggs outside. Children run around and try to find as many eggs as they can. A popular trend is to fill plastic eggs with candy or coins.

Marshmallow Peeps, a chick-shaped marshmallow candy,  used to take 27 hours to create (in 1953). Thanks to technology, it now takes 6 minutes! Recently, Dunkin Donuts introduced a Peep donut!

 

LANGUAGE LUNCH SERIES: RELIABLE MEDIA SOURCES

People develop preferences for some “go-to” media sources over others, or just to look up a topic of interest and read stories with the most catching headlines.

However, when you want to make sure your sources are presenting accurate facts and necessary background information, where can you turn?

To make matters even more complicated, some sources might seem like news but are really parodies or biting social commentary.

Some people have even started doubting the relevance of all news sources! We need to feel like we can trust the sources to provide relevant and accurate information. So, which are considered the most reliable news sources?

Key Words to Know:

Bias or Slant

Yellow Journalism

Political Left

Political Right

Independent

Conservative

Liberal

Progressive

Alt-Right

Freedom Caucus

First Amendment

Skeptical

Parody

For Discussion: Have you ever read a news source that you found hard to believe or outlandish? What caused you to start doubting? How did you react to the information? Can you think of examples in which someone was clearly misinformed due to the information he or she received?

Here is a list of the most popular sources, priding themselves on their reliability:

Wall Street Journal

New York Times

BBC

NPR

The Economist

PBS

The Associated Press

And a few that are less-trustworthy:

The Onion

Sources with a known, pronounced or extreme political bent, like Breitbart

Activity: Choose a topic that is in the news today and do a Web search for news on that topic. Read 3-4 sources, using some from the list above, and some not listed. What similarities do you find? Any differences? What questions do you have after reading?

LANGUAGE LUNCH SERIES: EASTER AND SPRING HOLIDAYS

Happy Spring! With the weather slowly getting warmer, let’s take a break to discuss upcoming holidays.

For Discussion:

What spring holidays do you celebrate? How is the new season marked for you? What family and food traditions do you observe? What is your favorite memory about a spring holiday?

What do you know about how Easter is celebrated in the United States? What do you know about its history? What do you want to know more about? What other spring holidays celebrated in America have you heard of? What is your favorite spring holiday?