A long, long time ago there were no coloured Easter eggs. They were as white as the chickens they had laid them. The Easter Bunny hid them in the gardens and in the fields in the night before Easter. But then it happened that it was snowing in the night before Easter. It snowed and snowed and did not want to stop. When the children looked out of the window on Easter morning, everything was white. And when they went out to look for the Easter eggs, they couldn´t find a single one. How could they find the white eggs in the snow? The children went home with red noses and frozen cold feet. They were very disappointed and very sad. A little rabbit sat at the roadside and thought, "We should paint the eggs with colour, so that they can also be found in the snow!"
Easter parade
Women make and wear special Easter bonnets.There is a popular belief that wearing three new things on Easter will bring good luck in the year. Throughout the UK there are also East parades. Adults and children wear special Easter bonnets, decorated with lots of spring flowers.
A Tick off – true or false! 1. Many, many years ago the Easter eggs weren´t coloured, but white. true
false
2. It was easy for the children to find the Easter eggs in the snow. true
false
3. The children went home with lots of eggs. true
false
4. A little rabbit had the idea to colour the eggs. true
false
He ran home and told the other rabbits about his idea. "That's a good idea!" said rabbit Charlie, who was an awesome landscape painter. And he painted some blossoms on a few eggs. The bunny children wanted to have brushes and paints, too. They practiced and practiced. They painted the eggs red, blue, yellow, green, violet, they painted dots, flowers, leaves, blossoms and many more things on the eggs. And the eggs really looked fantastic. They put ribbons around them and hung them on trees. There they were swinging in the wind. Everybody who passed by and saw them, loved it. Today you can find such colourfully decorated Easter trees in some areas of the world. Finally next Easter came and early in the morning the bunny children hid their colourful eggs. They hid them in the grass, behind bushes and fences, in letterboxes, little nests, in the park and around the houses. Since then the children have found all the Easter eggs. Even if it has snowed at Easter.
Egg hunts
In many countries, there is an egg hunt – eggs are hidden in the yards and the children have to find them. Little children believe the Easter rabbit comes and leaves the eggs for them. Easter chocolate is usually made in the shape of eggs, chicks, lambs and rabbits.
Hot cross buns In the UK, hot cross buns are very popular at Easter. These delicious loaves of bread are made with fruit and spices and they have a cross on the top, symbolizing the 4 quarters of the moon – the hot bun. They are best eaten hot.
KEY B Answer the questions! Where did the rabbit run?
It ran home. What did Charlie paint?
Landscapes. What did the bunny children want to have?
Brushes and paints.
A Tick off – true or false! 1. Many, many years ago the Easter eggs weren´t coloured, but white. true
false
2. It was easy for the children to find the Easter eggs in the snow.
What did they paint on the eggs?
They painted dots, flowers, leaves, and blossoms. Where did they hang the eggs?
On trees.
When did the bunny children hide the eggs?
Early in the morning.
3. The children went home with lots of eggs. true
false
4. A little rabbit had the idea to colour the eggs. true
false
Where did they hide them?
They hid them in the grass, behind bushes and fences, in letterboxes, little nests, in the park and around the houses.
C Fill in the correct preositions! in – at – on in the morning on the eggs in the park at midnight at Easter in the grass at 2 o´clock in the evening on the tree at the roadside in the garden on the table in the house on Sunday
D Fill in the past form of the verbs! The Easter Bunny hid (hide) a lot of eggs, but the kids couldn´t (cannot) find them. So the bunnies got (get) bruhes and painted (paint) the eggs with colours. Then they hung (hang) them on trees, put (put) them behind bushes and in the grass. The kids found (find) all the eggs and they were (are) happy.