Easter
Task 1 – Easter in the UK
Listen to your teacher and draw what she / he describes in the box.
Task 2- Easter quiz
Are these statements True or False?
1. Easter day is always on a Sunday.
2. Easter is on the same date every year.
3. Easter eggs symbolise rebirth.
4. Lent lasts for the 50 days before Easter.
5. The Easter rabbit is a symbol of fertility.
6. The name Easter comes from an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, Eostre.
Task 3 – Easter egg hunt
At Easter in Britain, some people do Easter egg hunts. You are going to do one in your classroom. Listen
very carefully to your teacher’s instructions.
Task 4 – Easter: Reading task
Read the text and then do the tasks below.
CHOCOLATE, EGGS, EASTER AND…MORE CHOCOLATE: EASTER IN THE UK
For a lot of people in the UK the Christian festival of Easter means the opportunity to eat chocolate
eggs.
A)
As soon as 2 January arrives, shops remove the Christmas product lines from their shelves and the
Christmas decorations from their windows. What fills the empty spaces? Chocolate Easter eggs, Easter
bunnies and Easter chicks, despite the fact that Easter itself doesn’t come along until a few months
later. This year Easter Day is on Sunday 16 April. Easter also means we have public holidays, Good
Friday and Easter Monday, it’s the longest public holiday after Christmas and people sometimes take
the opportunity to take a short break away from work by extending their leave. Cheryl from Liverpool
said, ‘I use the Easter break to visit relatives and socialise with friends, the chocolate giving and
receiving is a good bonus!’
B)
Easter is a spring festival. In the Christian festival, it celebrates the resurrection of Christ. In the
European pre-Christian tradition, it celebrates the return of nature and greenery after the cold, snowy
winter. Both the Christian and pagan versions of Easter celebrate life and rebirth. The Easter chick
symbolises new life, the rabbit represents fertility and the egg symbolises both. That is why painted
eggs or chocolate eggs are given as gifts at Easter.
C)
Chocolate Easter eggs are sold in larger numbers every year in the UK. Confectionery companies
make chocolate eggs for every type of chocolate bar available throughout the rest of the year. The
British people consume more confectionary than any other country in the world! That's not even per
head; that's per country! Of course, it depends on the amount of givers, but the average child in the UK
receives 6 – 10 large chocolate eggs and that’s not including the small ones.
D)
Not only are the British eating more and more chocolate, but they are also demanding chocolate of
better quality. European Union law means that British chocolate-making companies have to put more
cocoa solids in their 'chocolate' than they used to. British companies that fail to do so are not allowed to
say they make 'real' chocolate! New chocolate has come onto the market that is slowly educating the
British palate and changing consumer patterns.
When you have read the task, put the paragraph headings in the right place.
1. What it means
2. A matter of taste?
3. Modern Easter in the UK
4. Chocolate eggs
Now answer these questions:
• What did you find out about Easter in the UK?
• Would you like to spend Easter in the UK? Why / not?
• Are there any special times of year in your country when you eat special sweets or chocolate?
Task 5 – Easter lunch menu
Have a look at the items on the menu. First, decide if they are starters (S), main courses (M), or desserts
(D), and mark them with the letter.
Hot cross buns / Roast chicken / Smoked salmon / Roast leg of lamb / Asparagus soup /
Lemon cake / Chocolate eggs / Lamb curry / Spring vegetable salad
Now choose the menu for your Easter lunch with your group. Imagine you will eat Easter lunch together, so
you should agree on the menu. If you don’t like the options above, invent your own Easter lunch.
Starter:
Main course:
Dessert:
Task 6 – Write a poem about Easter
Use the letters in the word EASTER to write a short poem
E
A
S
T
E
R
