So Semana Santa is nearly upon us! All around Ciudad Lineal kids are celebrating the beginning of the school holidays. But what is it called in English? Well, although it translates directly as ¨Holy week,” this particular festival is better known to all our native English teachers at the academy as “Easter.” Even though it is celebrated in many different countries the traditions still vary a lot. Today I’m writing about a traditional English Easter.
The Christian story of Easter is of course the same but while some English people go to church there are also many non religious traditions. One is to paint eggs and display them in baskets. We have decorations with images of chicks, flowers and little baby rabbits (bunnies.) But the most popular thing now… is chocolate Easter eggs! Many kids will have easter egg hunts, where they have to collect eggs that have been hidden around the school, or the house or garden. Or sometimes they are lucky enough to wake up and find them in their living room. And just who is it that brings the eggs to the children? The Easter bunny of course!
But where do all these traditions come from?? It all seems quite different from the Easter processions that we see here in Madrid.
Well, although Easter is known as a Christian festival, the origins of these images actually come from before that, in Paganism. The ancient tradition was to celebrate the spring. So images of eggs, chicks, flowers, little baby bunnies all represent new life, new beginings, springtime. And after the late winter we’ve had here in Madrid, celebrating the new season seems like a great idea to me!
Even though it is not a custom in Spain, I’ve noticed Easter eggs appearing the the shops of Madrid. Maybe someone could organise an Easter egg hunt here in Ciudad Lineal? If you’re lucky, you might even see the Easter bunny…
However you want to celebrate it, we at the Language Corner would like to wish a very happy Easter to all our students and the academies in La Elipa and San Blas. Enjoy the holidays!!