UK Easter traditions

Easter in the UK is the second most popular Christian festival after Christmas. It is a fun festival for people of all ages, filled with activities, special religious ceremonies and culture.

Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the date of Easter changes each year. In the UK, Easter is celebrated with two bank holidays. One on Easter Monday and another on Good Friday. In addition, British schools celebrate Easter with a 2 week holiday. Before the school holidays however, schools participate in several Easter traditions. The most popular Easter Tradition is the egg and spoon race, where children must race each other whilst balancing an egg on a small spoon. If the egg falls off the spoon, the child must start again. Schools also have egg competitions. Here, children must prepare decorated boiled eggs as homework and bring them to school to be judged. the eggs can be painted in colourful paint or, more creative people may decide to recreate a religious scene decorating the eggs as people. The third tradition at school is the decoration of an Easter bonnet (a straw hat). Children can decorate their hats with eggs, flowers, ribbons etc and the most beautiful hat will win a prize.

Traditions out of the school are also important. many families, for example, may decide to have an egg hunt. Adults will hide small chocolate eggs around a house or garden and children then search everywhere to find them, placing any eggs they find in a basket.
Like all religious and non religious festivals in the UK, people send cards to friends and family wishing them a ‘Happy Easter’

The gift of chocolate Easter eggs is hugely popular nowadays too. about a month before Easter, supermarkets will start to sell dozens of variations of large, hollow, chocolate eggs. most eggs come in a box, and also contain loose sweets or a small toy.

Older Easter traditions include public street performances of Morris dancing which is a typical English folk dance and Maypole festivals where people dance around a tall pole holding long stips of material which then decorate the pole.

On Easter Sunday families will sit down to a big Easter lunch. Typically, the meal will include lamb. It is also tradition to have boiled eggs for breakfast and Hot Cross Buns for dessert or a snack. These cakes are only sold around easter time.

Of course there are many religious ceremonies in schools and churches throughout Easter. Churches will be decorated with hundreds of flowers and there will be special hymns and songs. Also many religious Easter documentaries and films will be shown on TV.