Easter Traditions in the USA

Easter Traditions in the USA

Easter, Easter, Easter…. Who does not like it? The trees and flowers are blooming. Warmer days are coming. This is a truly nice time to enjoy the company of family and friends. We witness longer days, and we can spend more time outdoors.

In the USA this festival is very commercialized. The sales of candies, chocolate and toys are hitting sales records. Parents and communities organize Egg Hunt and Egg Hunt activities for children. The Americans organize colourful parades, and White House Easter Egg Roll. They gather at the table for dinner after the religious service.

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Egg hunt around or at Easter in the USA is a must! The idea of bunnies, giving gifts, chocolate and candies was brought to the United States of America by the German immigrants in the 18th century to Pensylvania.

Egg hunt is a treasure hunt for children organized by parents and different communities, such as schools, sport clubs, church, etc. The children look for clues and try to find Easter eggs. The more, the better! These can be decorated hard boiled eggs or plastic eggs full of chocolate, candies, small toys or stickers. Originally, eggs were a symbol of new life, Christ resurrection, but now it is so popular that even non-Christian communities do Egg Hunt as well.

Mostly, the Easter egg hunt is organized outdoors and depending on the age of the children, there can be challenges and games added to the game, which make the Egg Hunt more interesting.

Another interesting fact is that the largest Egg Hunt was in Florida, in the USA. They hid 501,000 eggs that was searched by 9,753 children.

Annual Easter Parade In New York City

This event has been taking place since 1800. It began after the Civil War as a fashion promenadę. This idea came from the Sunday walk after religious service. People would stroll along the Fifth Avenue and dine at the hotels that were located close by. The Sunday stroll was popular on Easter Sunday as this was the occasion to show others the latest trends in fashion. Women and men wore the most beautiful and expensive clothes at that time. Hats were decorated with birds’feathers and artificial flowers. The fashion has changed, but the over-the-top hats remained as tradition in the Easter Parades. The annual parade is held on Easter Sunday on the Fifth Avenue in New York City. Bonnet Festival, which is associated to the parade calls participants to wear vibrant costumes, elaborate hats and bright bonnets, umbrellas and dancing bunnies. If the owners have pets, they dress up their pets to the occasion.

White House Easter Egg Roll Event

This tradition dates back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes issued an order that any children should come to the White House to roll their Easter eggs, they would be allowed to do so.  This is an event organized by the Government for children aged 12 and under. Whoever wants to attend this event, they must win a lottery to get in! The event is always held on first Monday after Easter. There is life entertainment, storytelling, arts and crafts, appearances by costumes characters, famous Egg Roll and Egg Hunt. During Egg Roll children are using plastic spoons to roll hard boiled eggs to the finish line.

American Easter Dinner

After the religious service, the Americans meet their friends and family at the Easter dinner. A typical traditional Easter dinner consists of honey-glazed ham, slow-roasted Easter lamb, hot cross buns, boiled eggs, potatoes and vegetables, simnel cake and Easter biscuits.

Happy Easter Students of Akademos!

Vocabulary

egg hunt – looking for hidden eggs during Easter time (szukanie jajek wielkanocnych)

roll – to cause to move along a surface by revolving or turning over and over, as a cask, a ball, or a hoop  (toczyć się)

treasure hunt – a game in which players search for hidden objects by following a trail of clues (poszukiwanie skarbów)

sticker – an adhesive label  (naklejka)

parade –  (parada)

bunny – Informal. a rabbit, especially a small or young one (zajączek)

stroll – walk in a leisurely way (przechadzka)

bonnet– a woman’s or child’s hat tied under the chin and with a brim framing the face (czapeczka, czepek)

issue an order – command (wydać rozkaz)

storytelling – the activity of telling or writing stories (opowiadanie historii)

honey-glazed – covered, coated with honey (polane polewą miodową)

simnel cake – a rich fruit cake, typically with a marzipan covering and decoration, eaten especially at Easter or during Lent (angielskie ciasto wielkanocne z marcepanem przypominające keks)

hot cross buns – a bun with a cross of frosting on it, eaten chiefly during Lent (tradycyjne angielskie bułeczki tradycyjnie wypiekane w Wielki Piątek w wielu krajach chrześcijańskich; lekko słodkie, z dużą ilością koryntek i kandyzowanej skórki pomarańczowej, pachnące przyprawami korzennymi)