EASTER IN SCOTLAND

Easter is celebrated in Scotland much as it has been for centuries. The joyous welcoming of spring, and of course now, the certain promise of chocolate, brings merriment to all. Traditionally, Easter was known as Pasch with its voots in the Hebrew world pesach meaning Passover.

On Sunday people dress up for church. Then   there were the long awaited   Easter eggs, and Easter chicks and fluffy little chick toys.

In Scotland, at Easter people put Easter eggs on a high hill. The egg, that will not break and reach first in the finish, will be the winner. Most Scottish people celebrate by attending Church. They also relax, have fun, go out with their families, eat, drink and be merry. They visit friends and family at their homes and are always offered a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

In every Scottish home, small round bread/cakes are baked…Hot Cross Buns. They are filled with spices and decorated with a cross on the top.

A huge fire is lit in the village/town square as a symbol that Jesus Christ rose from the tomb and went to heaven.

Often new clothes and shoes are  bought and worn by family members as a sign of  hope  and renewal.

EASTER IN GREECE

On Holy Friday, church bells tall all over the country. In the Friday evening the women and children walk around the streets singing and decorating Epitaph with flowers and a lot of roses. Late in the evening of Holy Saturday a lot of people follow the service outside from the large microphones. Before the midnight bells starts to tall fireworks go off leaving spirals of smoke and this is the time we say ‘’ Christos Anestis ‘’. It is ready to eat the Mayiritsa in the house. On Easter Sunday people early to cook lamb and Kokoretsi. Loud music and singing complete a traditional Easter.

People celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Holy week people stay away from meat so that their soul is clean until Sunday the day of the resurrection. Every day of this week has a special meaning. Especially on Thursday traditional house wives dye the eggs in red color which symbolizes the rebirth of the life self. And then comes the Easter Sunday when all the Greek put a lamb to the spit or the oven.

The second week of Easter is called Eater week and beginning with Easter Sunday. The Christian Eater is a moveable feast. Also the meaning of love and a offer of ourselves for the benefit of many. It is the celebration because Christ him shelf was resounded the suffering of Christ. In the church read the 12 gospels while at home make sweets Easter buns and cookies and red eggs. Holly Saturday ends the fasting of Lent and returning home to eat the soup and click red eggs.

EASTER IN CYPRUS

 

Easter is the greatest holiday in the Orthodox Church. At seaside preparations for Palm Sunday can be seen from the previous Friday. In the coffee shops, fisherman sit and plait intricate ‘’ vanes ‘’ palm leaf flowers holders witch when finished, resemble little swallow nests perched on sticks. These and the young children fill them with flowers and take them to church in Palm Sunday when they follow the icon of Christ around the church a procession commemorating , Christ’s entry into Jerusalem .On Thursday most women do their Easter baking ‘’flounces’’ , a kind of cheese , egg and mint filling , formed into triangular shapes. ’’Koulouris’’ ‘’Tyropites ‘’. Traditionally they are dyed red with a special rood called ‘’ rizari ’’ , that is sold in bundles at the market during these days . Good Friday begins with everyone talking flowers to church so that the young girls can decorate the ‘’ Epitaph ‘’ Holy   Sepulcher. This in our church is a four – postured litter with a canopy which the icon of Christ is laid in state. At lunch the Traditional ‘’Faki Xidaki ‘’ – vinegar and lentil soup - is eaten, containing vinegar because it is said that when Christ asked for water on his way Caralgy he was given vinegar instead. From early afternoon you will see streams of cars and pedestrians going from church to church to play their last respects to Christ.

In the meantime along the ‘Epitaph’ will  pass in the solemn procession  later than night  are being  decorated  with  colored lights .Saturday is a  quiet day ,all   though  there  is a  sermon  towards  lunchtime  during  which  the  church  doors are  banged  and  candleholders   shaken  when  the  news is  brought  that         Christ  is no  longer  in His grave. On Sunday morning  most  people  who  have  not  taken  Holy Communion  during  the  Holy Week  take it now  and afterwards they  go  home, where red eggs are cracked, flounces eaten and the fast broken.

In many Usages it is also the custom on Easter Monday

The young people celebrate  by hanging up (souses) swings for this purpose young men and girls hang ropes from trees and white the girls swing ,they sing gay songs or love songs or teasing songs called (Tchatismata) rhymes These  rhymes are made up at every festive occasion and there are even professionals who sing them.

EASTER TRADITIONS IN CYPRUS

On Holy Thursday flavones are bake. Flavones are made of short crust with cheese, egg, raisins, and mint faying, formed into triangular and shapes.

On Holy Thursday eggs are boiled and dyed red to symbolize .Christies blood from the cross, with a special root called(rizari)

The real sermon of ressurredion happens at midnight. Everybody goes to church and celebrates the resurrection of Christ. During the midnight sermon, candles are lit by the holy light and people are costumed to take the Holy Light at their houses for blessing.

Judas, the Christ’s traitor, is burned in the church yard. This is a traditional we call ‘’ Lomratzia ‘’.  Kinds collect wood for weeks to set up an enormous burning spot for Judas.

After the midnight sermon the whole family gathers together for a feast. People eat a special kind of soup called ‘’ avgolemono ‘’

Holy Sunday on Sunday, people crack eggs again. They eat roastedlamd ‘’flounces’’ and drink wine. As they sit at the table one person start creating arhyme for a particular person either to tease him or to show his love to a woman at the table and is obligated to get an answer back on that. This whole process is called ‘’tchatis mat a’’.

On Monday after Easter traditional games are played . Some of them are mentioned below. ‘’Kamilos ‘’  Ziziros  Racing .

 

 

Here are some of  the ancient Irish Easter traditions Before Easter they clean  the house

Thoroughly inside  and out –whitewash applied .They  get new clothes.

Some devoutly Catholic will not eat until midday and even then will only have a piece of bread and three sips of  water  , honoring the Holy Trinity . Take off your shoes  when entering a Church. Remain quiet from noon until 3pm .Visit holy wells and  graveyards.All water  from holy wells have curative properties on Good Friday. They plant a small amount of crop seeds to bring a blessing on all your crops.Chicken’s eggs Good Friday are marked with a cross each member of the household eats on Easter Sunday.And chiks hatched on Good Friday will be healthy.A child born on Good  Friday and baptized on Easter Sunday will have the gift of healing it was thought that boys born and baptized on these days should enter the ministry.Those who die on Good Friday go straight to heaven 

They holy  water  blessed. They drink  three lips for good luck and sprinkle

Everything for good luck.

Alternatively, view the reflection of the sun in a bucket of water and then move it so the sun appears to dance. They celebrate with eggs as a highflier of life, either color them or give them as gifts .Have cludogcluideog. This is a ritual where children collect the eggs and cook them with other  food in a structure at the edge of the farm, essentially it’s roasted eggs. They have a cake dance. The best dancer gets the prize of a cake.

 

Easter Sunday is an occasion for Christians to celebrate Jesus Christ ‘s resurrection ,which occurred after his crucifixion according to Christian belief. Many people in Ireland spend the day with family and friends. Many Christians attend a special church service on Easter Sunday to celebrate the Jesus resurrection. Many churches have stained glass windows positioned to catch the early morning sun at this time of the year. Hence, the main church service may be timed to coincide with sunrise. People, especially children, receive and eat Easter eggs. This meal may be particularly festive ,as some people choose to eat no meat or sweets between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Public life is generally quiet on Easter Sunday. As on all Sundays, banks, post officer and many businesses and organizations are closed. Stores and pubs may be opened closed, even if they are usually open on Sundays.

NEW YEAR’S         

GREECE            

It is a common tradition to play cards or roll dices as people participate in games of chance on this day. Games are or gained in pubs coffee houses and homes throughout the. Even the State  Lottery  is played  with  much enthusiasms  during  this  time  of  the  year  and can  raisin millions  of  Euros  on New  Year’s  day. When change year we wish  happy new year , we as  to we cut the cake and finally all kids open their gifts that Santa Claus has brought then on January 1^st in the afternoon we eat with our families .  

SMASHING A POMEGRANATE

From the ancient times pomegranate has been considered to be a sign of fertility prosperity and regeneration. A little before the clock strikes twelve marking the ardent of the new year it is the custom to turn offal lights and for the family members to step out of the house . The family member’s then step in again with their right foot first after the first footer makes on entry at midnight. The person who enters immediately after the first footer rolls the fruit holding in the right hand with force against the door and smashes it open .It is believed that the number of seeds that gets scattered is directly proportional to the amount of food luck the family would be blessed with in the upcoming year.    

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

CYPRYS

Christmas in Cyprus is traditionally solemn, religious holiday .Throughout the festivities, there is no doubt Cyprus honors Christ at Christmas.

GREECE

Across the country the children wander from house to house to sing the carols on the eve of Christmas, New Year and Epiphany. Greeks decorate the Christmas tree and put on small (red) Christmas balls. Also women make Christopsomo bread which is served at the big Christmas meal. Some of the celebratory foods made at Christmas in Greece are Kourabiedes , Melomacarona and Dibbles . Some people decorate small Christmas boats, as Greek people did many years ago.   

Christmas in Scotland
Christmas in Scotland is celebrated in a similar fashion to the rest of Catholic Europe. Christmas Day only became a public holiday in 1958, and Boxing Day in 1974.The New Year’s Eve festivity, Hogmanay ,was by for the largest celebration in Scotland. The gift-giving, public holiday and feasting associated with mid-winter were traditionality between the 11th of December and 6th January.The department stories and buildings are seen to be decorated with of brilliant  Christmas lights . Multicoloured  ligh bulbs are up on big fire  trees in the centre towns.In the days leading to Christmas these lights are ashed up by young people so that only one one or two remain at the top of tree by Christmas Eve. Join in the countdown by making Advent calendars at home all by themselves. They also compose a letter mentioning all the presents they want for Christmas and send it to Santa Claus.One means of doing this is throwing the Christmas list into the fireplace.Families decorate their homes with Christmas lights, tinsel and other decorative items.The origins of Boxing Day, the  day after Christmas. Go back to when the rich of the Lord and  Lady the castle or Estate on the day after chrismas Day go thered together all their statf and  organised the distribution of gifts done according to the statigs  of the worker and the size of the family.Cloth eather goods new tools and supllies of salt and spices as food such as meat fish vegetables and some fruit and cereals grow on the estate for bread making . They were presented in BOXES day’’

Christmas       in       Ireland

Christmas   for   Irish  people ,who are Catholics, lasts from Christmas . Eve to the feast of Epiphani  on January 6^th ,which some Irish people call little Christmas .Epiphani isn’t now widely celebrated!

 adorned with greenery ,which they believe helps the Holy family or any poor to find its way!

The day after Christmas Day , St. Stephen’s Day is also very important in Ireland .One  very old tradition is the Wren Boys Procession that takes place ,but no wren is hunted or used .The Wren Boys Procession mostly died out in the early 20^th century although it still takes place in some towns including Dingle ,in Country Kerry in the south west of Ireland. An addition to turkey for Christmas dinner ,it is sometimes spiced beef. This can be served hot or cold. Dessert is commonly a Christmas pudding !

New year in Ireland

On New Year’s eve, families remember those who have passed  away  during  the  year  by  setting    a  place  for  them  at  the  dinner  table  and leaving the door unlocked.

 Many people go to dinners, parties or galas in private homes , pubs or hotels in the late afternoon or early evening. Many of these events feature some kind of countdown to midnight and the New Year. At the stroke of midnight, there may be fireworks, short parades of performances by traditional musicious .Many parties continue into the early hours of January  1^st.

Winter celebracion has been held in Ireland for thousands of years. These marked the end of the fall harvest  season and the darkest part of the year. People celebrated by holding feasts, social events and lighting fires to bring light into the dark. These customs are still in modern New Years Eve celebration in Ireland .Now ,December 31^st is also the last day of the tax in the Republic of Ireland.

Christmas in England

In England people decorate Christmas trees. Towns and cities are also decorated with lights and large pine trees .The most decorated street is Oxford Street in London. Many people spend Christmas with family members. They exchange gifts cards and eat roast turkey and vegetables. Dessert is often Christmas Padding.

Many children leave out mince pies and brandy for the Santa Claus to eat and drink when he visits them. When they wake up they go to find a sock which is usually hanged up by the fireplace filled with gifts for them. Nowadays the knitted pattern jumper is considered to be the worst. On Christmas Day they go to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Present you could find under the tree, followed by a dustpan and brush and the dreaded socks.

Christmas Crackers

In its simple from a cracker is a small cardboard table covered in a brightly colored twist of paper. The cracker is ‘’pulled’’ by two people, each holding one and of the twisted paper the friction creates a small explosive ‘’pop’’ produced by a narrow strip of chemically impregnated paper. Inside the cracker there is usually a tissue paper hat, a balloon, a slip of paper with a joke on it and a small gift. The family will pull each other’s crackers before the meal starts; this often involves crossing arms and pulling two crackers at once. The paper hats are donned and the jokes read out, accompanied by moans and grounds at how awful they are.  Then, and only then,  can the meal begin.

New Years traditions in England Children don’t mail their letters to Santa Claus but they throw them in the fireplace and if the letters are burnt and the usher go up throw the chimney them the wish will be fulfilled.

Children hang their Christmas socks in front of the fireplace or on their front door of the house so that Santa Claus will see them and throw their present down through the chimney.

The English decorate their Christmas tree, and wherever there is a green gee they exchange kisses. They sing Christmas Carols on the streets. Many people make a cardboard cylinder and fill it with small present’s sweets and anticipation for the future. Two people pull from each side of the cylinder and the person who pulls the hardest is the winner and wins the content .Of the cylinder. The Christmas dinner includes either roast turkey of beef or a meat pie. There is also a pudding with plums for good luck.