Easter traditions by Nelly Stancheva

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Poland

Jasło

Publiczna Szkoła Podstawowa nr 2 im. Marii Konopnickiej w Jaśle This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. It commemorates Christ‟s resurrection from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. In Poland people celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday, two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week. The week from Palm Sunday to Easter is known as Holy Week. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer, and penance. The first day of Lent occurs 46 days before Easter and is called Ash Wednesday. It derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered after the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. According to the Canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this forty day liturgical period of prayer and fasting. Palm Sunday always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The feast commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion. Many Polish towns and villages (the best known are Lipnica Murowana in Małopolska and Łyse in Podlasie) organize artificial palm competitions. The biggest of those reach above 30 meters in length; for example, the highest palm in 2008 had 33.39 meters.

Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of Holy Week. The Mass of the Lord's Supper initiates the Easter Triduum, the three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday that commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is normally celebrated in the evening, when according to Jewish tradition Friday begins.

Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. Based on the details of the Canonical gospels, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most probably on a Friday. The estimated year of Good Friday is AD 33.

Holy Saturday is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week, in which Christians prepare for Easter. This day commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body was laid in the tomb.

Ĺ&#x161;wiÄ&#x2122;conka, meaning "the blessing of the Easter baskets," is one of the most enduring and beloved Polish traditions on Holy Saturday. Baskets containing pisanki and sampling of Easter foods are brought to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is traditionally lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood, the typical Easter evergreen. Poles take special pride in preparing a decorative and tasteful basket with crisp linens, occasionally embroidered for the occasion, and boxwood and ribbon This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

woven through the handle. While in some older or rural communities, the priest visits the home to bless the foods, the vast majority of Poles visit the church on Holy Saturday, praying at the Tomb of the Lord. The Blessing of the Food is, however, a festive occasion. The three-part blessing prayers specifically address the various contents of the baskets, with special prayers for the meats, eggs, cakes and breads. The priest then sprinkles the individual baskets with holy water.

Pisanki (Easter eggs) are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter. The egg is a pagan symbol of the rebirth of the Earth in celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. Easter eggs are a widely popular symbol of new life in Poland and other Slavic countries' folk traditions. A batik (wax resist) process is used to create intricate, brilliantly-colored eggs., There are many decorating techniques and numerous traditions. When boiling hard-cooked eggs for Easter, a popular tan colour can be achieved by boiling the eggs with onion skins. A greater variety of colour was often provided by tying on the onion skin with different coloured woollen yarn.

Easter Day or Easter Sunday is a day commemorating the resurrection of Christ.

It is followed by Easter Monday which is called in Poland Ĺ&#x161;migusDyngus or lany poniedziaĹ&#x201A;ek. In Poland, traditionally, early in the morning boys awake girls by pouring a bucket of water on their head and striking them about the legs with long thin twigs or switches made from willow, birch or decorated tree branches.

Bulgaria

Stara Zagora

SOU â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Zheleznikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Easter in Bulgaria is a strongly celebrated holiday. Just like other festivities, Easter celebrations in Bulgaria are a variant of Orthodox Easter traditions followed through ages. According to Bulgarian Easter traditions, eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy.

Red, the predominant color of Bulgarian Easter eggs, is a part of pagan mysticism that pervades Bulgarian culture even today. The first egg is dyed in red which symbolizes the blood of Christ and after dying it is used to touch foreheads and cheeks of the children in the home. It is done for good health and luck. This egg is then kept aside either for the forthcoming year or buried in the fields. Red Easter eggs are baked into an Easter loaf, may be blessed at the church, or may be cracked against each other to see who will be the most successful, healthy, or happy during the following year.

On Good Friday, tables are set up on the church is such a manner so as to resemble the coffin of Lord Jesus. People are supposed to crawl under any of the tables. This act of theirs will lead them to good health and fertility. People gather on church before midnight on Saturday night.

Soon after the clock strikes twelve, candles are lit from a holy fire and parishioners go about the church thrice with the lit candles in their hands. This insures good health and fortune for the coming year.

After the candles are lighted, a couple of dyed eggs are cracked and this custom continues for the next few days. People crack eggs against each other and the person left with unbroken egg is believed to have a great year ahead. This ritual of cracking the eggs takes place before the Easter lunch.

This ritual of cracking the eggs takes place before the Easter lunch. A large feast and family gathering is held on Easter Sunday and lamb is generally served for the main course. For dessert, Bulgarian Easter sweetbread called â&#x20AC;&#x17E;kozunakâ&#x20AC;&#x; is served.A typical Bulgarian Easter remains incomplete without traditional hot Bulgarian pastries or banitsaâ&#x20AC;&#x;s. Some of the other popular Bulgarian Easter dishes are: Lamb drob sarma and wine kebap, which are prepared on the Easter Sunday and feasted by the whole family.

The orthodox Paschal greeting, "Christ is Risen!" is exchanged with a heat felt answer "Indeed He is Risen".Easter celebrations in Bulgaria are observed with great enthusiasm and fervour.

Coming Easter is a great event in our school life. We dye eggs and make Easter cards for our family and friends. Posters with information and pictures are exposed on the school walls.

There is usually an Easter concert at school and we often have an Easter charity bazaar.After Easter holiday we like to take our dyed eggs to school to give friends and teachers as a present and strike them. Also we bring special Easter cookies called â&#x20AC;&#x;kurabiykiâ&#x20AC;&#x; to treat our classmates.

This booklet was made by: Ilina, Graciela, Pavlina, Tsvetana and Desislava â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4th grade and Vladislav â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5th grade. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Romania

Petresti

Scoala cu clasele I-VIII Petresti

The greatest Christian holiday, the Resurrection of Christ, gives the occasion for people to live moments of holy joy with loved ones. Along with Christmas, Easter is the most important holiday for Romanians and it never has a fixed date. The Easter holiday is actually a sum of holidays, from the beginning of the Great Feast until The Descent of the Holy Spirit (“Rusaliile”). The Great Feast lasts 40 days and there are two steps leading to it: “Lasata Secului de carne”when people give up eating meat, but they can eat dairy products and eggs; and “Lasata Secului de branza” – when people give up eating any type of animal products. An important holyday during the fast is the day in which the 40 Holly Martyrs (“Sfintii 40 de Mucenici”) are celebrated. People make a special dish which is done only on this day – “Macinici”. They are a sort of small 8 shaped and sweet pretzels boiled in water and flavours (vanilla or rum flavour, lemon and orange zest). They are served with crushed walnuts and cinnamon on top.

The Annunciation (or The Annunciation of the Lord) is the celebration of the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ the Son of God. On this day people are allowed to eat fish (there are several days like this during the fast) – in order to be healthy and fast like the fish all year round. It is believed that who will sleep on this day will be lazy and sleepy all year. A week before Easter, Romanians celebrate Flowers‟ Sunday (“Duminica Floriilor”) which marks the moment in which Jesus entered in Jerusalem. On this day people take willow branches to churches in order to be sanctified, representing the palm leaves with which the crowd greeted Jesus.

It is said that the willow was chosen because, on her way to Golgotha, the Virgin Mary wanted to take to her son a wreath without thorns and the willow lowered its branches giving one to her. People put the sanctified willow branches, made a wreath, by the icons.

The branches are soaked in holy water before they are taken home on the Flowers’ Sunday.

For Romanians, the Great Fast is the most important and holy fast over the year and during this period all types of parties are forbidden. The last week of the fast, The Great Week (“Saptamana Mare”), is dedicated to the passions, the Crucifixion and the burial of Christ. It is the hardest week of the fast. In all the churches a special type of church ceremonies called “Denii” take place in the evening, reminding people about the real meaning of Christian life and the passions of Christ. On the Thursday of this week, called The Great Thursday”,

at the ceremony called “Denia celor 12 Evanghelii” the girls tie 12 knots on a string making a wish for every knot and untying it when the wish comes true. Also on the Great Thursday eggs are dyed red and “pasca” is made. The eggs are dyed red because it is said that Maria Magdalena put a basket of eggs under the cross on which Jesus was crucified and the drops of blood from his wounds made them red. Some people try to make the eggs more beautiful by sticking leaves on them before they are dyed.

An old Romanian custom is to dye the eggs in a traditional pattern; such eggs are called “oua incondeiate” and they involve a lot of work and talent.

This laborious process has many steps: choosing the right eggs (they must have a white and smooth shell), cleaning them, preparing the colours and the beeswax (which is used to draw the patterns) and the actual drawing. For this a special tool is used – it is called “condei”. The most common motifs are the cross, flowers and leafs, the star as well as some traditional Romanian patterns.

The Great Friday is a day of great mourning because on this day Christ was crucified and died. On the evening of this day takes place the ceremony called “Denia Prohodului Domnului”. In the afternoon people bring flowers to church to be sanctified (flowers which will be given back to them at the evening ceremony to be put by their icons) and in the middle of the church the priests put the Holy Epitaph (which illustrates Jesus dead, surrounded by the Apostles and the Virgin Mary) and people can pass under it until Saturday afternoon. It is said that the ones that pass three times under it won‟t have headaches and back pains during the year. The Great Saturday is the day of the burial of Jesus and his descent into hell from where he freed the human kind. It is the day in which all the preparations for the great holiday of The Resurrection are finalized; in the evening people rest in order to be able to take part in the midnight ceremony. During this Resurrection ceremony the priests give holy light to all the ones present at the ceremony (they light their candles from the one of the priest); during this the priest says: “Veniti de luati lumina” (“Come and take light!”) because it is said that when Christ came back to life all were filled with light, the sky, the earth and the underworld.

After the ceremony ends the people go back to their homes with the candles lit in order to bring the holy light into their house too. Great powers are attributed to this candle: people keep it and light it in case of great storms or great trouble. From this moment the usual greeting is changed with “Hristos a inviat!” (“Christ has resurrected!”); and the answer is “Adevarat a inviat!” (“He truly has resurrected!”). This greeting is kept until The Ascension. People return in the morning to receive The Eucharist. Before returning to church, people put in a jug cold water, a red egg and a silver coin – then they wash their face with this water; they do this in order to be healthy and wealthy. Also on this day people wear their best clothes (usually new clothes).This represents the end of the feast. On Easter day all the family members get together and eat traditional dishes. The dishes that have special meaning and that are always made for this holiday are: “pasca”, the dyed eggs and dishes made from lamb. “Pasca” is made from the purest flour, it is given the shape of the sun, it is filled with cottage cheese and raisins and dough cross is put on top.

The lamb has special meanings and it is mentioned several times in the Testaments. It illustrates the sacrifice of Christ for the redemption of the human kind: “Like a lamb to the slaughter he went…” (the Prophet Isaia). The most common dish made from lamb is called “drob” – it is made from the lungs, the This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

heart, the kidneys, the liver and the spleen of the lamb. The parts are boiled, minced and mixed with eggs, parsley and spices. Boiled eggs are put in the middle and then it is baked.

Romanians follow a certain ritual when eating the dyed eggs: two persons each hold an egg in their hand (facing up); the older one says: “Hristos a inviat!” and the other person answers: “Adevarat a inviat!”. After this the older person hits the egg of the younger one (but not too hard). The one whose egg

doesn‟t crack is the “winner” and he takes the other person‟s egg. This ritual takes place only during the three days of the holiday. Forty days after The Resurrection Romanians celebrate The Ascension of Jesus which represents the last of the Easter holidays. On this day people make pasca and dyed eggs again. Even though they are busier each year, people take great care in preparing for this special holiday and celebrating it according to the old Romanian customs. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The children at our school have prepared traditional dyed eggs.

Greece

Platykampos

1st primary school of Platykampos This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Easter in Greece is the biggest holiday of the year and is even more important than Christmas, with weeklong celebrations and traditions. The Greek Orthodox Church plays a large role in the Greek Easter 'Paska' or ' Pasha' celebrations. Greek Orthodox Easter usually falls one week after the Western (Protestant, Catholic) Easter, while approximately once every four years it falls on the same date. Greek Easter Traditions There are many traditions in Greece revolving around Easter and the week leading up to Easter plays a major role in these. This week is known as Holy Week or 'Megali Evdomada' (literally meaning the Big Week). Throughout Holy Week the churches hold services at least once a day. Traditionally the people fast and no meat, oil or dairy products are eaten until midnight on Easter Saturday, after the symbolic Resurrection. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Saturday of Lazarus

The last day of the Lent is the Saturday of Lazarus. Lazarus was a very good friend of Christ and his resurrection by Christ was a sign for His own Resurrection after a week. This day, in some villages, women bake small breads with the shape of human body, the "lazarakia" and children go from house to house, singing about Lazarus and his resurrection. On Friday before Saturday of Lazarus, school is closed for two weeks!

Holy Week (Megali Evdomada) Palm Sunday (Kyriaki ton Vaion or Vaioforos)

Palm Sunday is the start of the Holy Week. In the morning, all churches offer palm leaves reminding the triumphal entering of Christ in Jerusalem before the Passion. We are Allowed to eat fish. Just to find the strength to continue the fasting for another 6 days. The afternoon of Palm Sunday and every afternoon of the Holy Week, people go to churches to attend the "Akolouthia tou Nymfiou", special liturgy.

Holy Monday - Megali Deftera The first day of Holy Week. People go to church and kiss the icon of Christ. We start shopping for the goods we are going to prepare the next days. The lamp, the eggs, etc. In the evening we all go to churches. Holy Tuesday (Megali Triti) Preparations start and fasting goes on. In the evening at churches we listen the hymn of Kassiani. Holy Wednesday (Megali Tetarti) On Holy Wednesday, the service of Holy Unction is performed while the faithful kneel before the priests anointed with the Holy Oil to receive forgiveness. In the evening, at churches, the center of the ceremonies and services is the "Washing of the Disciples' Feet" that takes place at many areas. For example, at the island of Patmos, a platform is set up in the square of the main town, which is always crowded for the occasion. During the ceremony, which lasts about an hour and a half, the Bishop, who "plays the part" of Christ, washes the feet of twelve monks -the Disciples- in imitation of the action of Christ before His Crucifixion.

Holy Thursday (Megali Pempti) The preparations for the celebration of the Resurrection start on Holy Thursday. On that day housewives traditionally prepare tsourekia (sweet buns resembling brioche), avgokouloura (cookies with flour and eggs), ouzo (cookies with flour and the drink ouzo) and color eggs with special red dyes. Ever since antiquity the egg symbolizes the renewal of life and the red color symbolizes the blood of Christ. In the past, people used to place the first red egg symbolize the renewal of life and the red color symbolizes the blood of Christ. In the past, people used to place the first red egg on the icon stand of the house in order to cast out evil spirits. In some villages they used to mark the head and the back of small lambs with the red dye used for the dyeing of the eggs. They also used to keep one of the big round Holy Thursday loaves at the icon stand in order to protect the members of the family from spells. On the morning of Holy Thursday, groups of children visit all the neighborhoods of the town, carrying baskets, singing and collecting flowers to decorate the bier of Christ. The epitaphist procession takes place in the early morning hours, after the Crucifixion rite, after which it is also customary for women to stay in church to sing the traditional laments. In the evening at churches, the service of the Twelve Gospels and the enactment of Christ's Crucifixion are taking place. The faithful offer wreaths to Him .

Coloring the Red eggs At schoolâ&#x20AC;Ś..

Holy Friday - Megali Paraskevi On Good Friday or Holy Friday, this is a very holy day in the orthodox faith. It is a day of mourning and the church bells will ring slow and steady through the day. People will be flocking to the church at all times of the day for prayers. It is a day of no work (or cooking). In the evening, a procession will leave the church, headed by the priest and his close followers, going round the neighborhood streets to eventually return to the church. All the neighborhood will be out, lining the streets to watch as the procession passes by. Some will follow behind, once it has passed to return to the church. In some communities, at the head of the procession, the church leaders will be carrying a bier on their shoulders, which will be decorated with many flowers and in the centre will be a symbolic icon of Christ. This procession represents the path Jesus' followers took, removing his body off the cross and taking it to the grave. The people gathered along the streets are lamenting the death of Christ. This procession is called Epitafios.

Holy Saturday â&#x20AC;&#x201C;megalo Sabbato On Holy Saturday, a morning prayerful church service is performed. The priests dressed in white scatter balm leaves and rose petals while church bells ring happily and chanters hymn in praise of Lord. At many areas the custom of 'the earthquake' is carried out. This is a reenactment of the earthquake that took place after the Resurrection, as described in the Bible. The congregation beats the pews rhythmically, while outside chaos reigns, with gunfire, firecrackers and fireworks. This is a part of the 'First Resurrection' ceremony. Another custom is to close the doors of the church, and the priest, having made three circuits of the church while chanting, kicks open the central door and enters, singing the psalm "Arate pilas" that means open the gates. Another special tradition of First Resurrection is the 'Pot Throwing' custom that takes place at some Ionian islands, especially Corfu. Local people throw pots out of their windows, smashing them onto the streets below. Sometimes pots are filled with water to make a louder crash. They also hang a red cloth to their windows (red is the color of resurrection). Also in Corfu, the custom of the 'mastelas' (washtub) has been revived. A half-barrel decorated with myrtle and ribbons, is filled with water, and passers-by are invited to throw coins into it for good luck. When the first bell sounds for the Resurrection, someone jumps into the barrel and collects up the money. In old times the diver was not a volunteer but an unsuspecting passer-by, thrown in against his will. Late in the evening, at 11 o'clock, everybody gathers in the churchyard. All over Greece the ceremony takes place on a platform outside the church. Everyone holds a candle which will be lit from the holy flame. Before midnight all lights of each church are turned off and the priest appears at the Royal Door offering the Holy Light to everyone's candle. He says "defte lavete fos" that means come and take the Holy Light. This unique flame comes directly from the Holy Grave of Christ in Jerusalem and it lights miraculously without any human involvement. An airplane This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

goes to Jerusalem to brink the Holy Light to Greece. Once people receive the light, at midnight exactly, the Priest takes the holy icon of resurrection and steps on the special platform outside the church. The Second Resurrection happens and as soon as the priest says 'Christos Anesti' that means Christ is risen, a huge and magnificent bonfire starts. Everyone shakes hands and wishes a Happy Easter to everyone around them and the so-called "Kiss of Love". It is considered lucky to reach home with your candle still alight! With the "Holy Light" of the candles people thrice make the sign of the cross on the doorpost over the front door of their houses for good luck. When the family is back from church, is time to sit around the festively laid table and try one of the oldest Easter traditions, crack red eggs. Every member of the family has their own egg and tries to break the eggs of the other members of the family. Whoever's egg breaks all the other eggs without breaking will have a good luck all year round. Preparations for the festive dinner of the night of the Resurrection start on Easter Saturday morning and housewives cook the traditional "mageiritsa" (a strong tasteful soup made of innards and aromatic herbs). Holy Sunday or Easter Sunday (Kiriaki tou Pascha or Lampri or Paschalia)

On Easter Sunday morning, in many parts of the country lamb is prepared on the spit. In other regions, the meat for the Easter table - lamb or kid - is roasted in the oven. There is a festive atmosphere everywhere and people eat and dance usually until late into the night. Many people fast for the 40 days of Lent and This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

the final week is a very strict fast, no meat or even olive oil! So this day is dedicated to eating! Nothing is wasted from the Easter lamp, even the intestines, liver, lungs, lights and kidneys are packed with herbs and roasted to form a huge kebab called 'kokoretsi' the wine flows freely and don't be surprised if you are invited to join in the celebrations. Families exchange visits from one house to another, bringing egges, "kokoretsi" and cookies. On the afternoon of Easter Sunday "Second Resurrection" takes place, at which the Gospel of the Resurrection is read in seven languages. This is the "Service of Love" and expresses the fact that the message of Christ's Resurrection transmits its redemptive Power to the people of the world. Later in the afternoon, in many places, the custom is to burn an effigy of Judas. The young people make an effigy of Judas out of old rags, put into its hands the price of betrayal (a bag containing 30 pebbles) and hang it in the courtyard until the rags catch fire and go up in flames. The festivities continue with dancing, singing and eating! People crack red-dyed eggs one against the other and stick the shell on doors or throw it into the garden to bless the harvest.

The week following Easter is called "Evdomada Diakenissimou" that means new week. The days are called accordingly Easter Monday (national holiday in Greece), Easter Tuesday, etc. It is a very holy time and many events take place. On Easter Monday processions take place at many areas. Early in the morning, after the services, each church brings out its standard and its Cross. In other This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

places the main icon of each church is placed in another church for a period of time, during which daily prayer services are held. If Easter is celebrated after the April 23rd, then the Easter Monday is dedicated to Saint George, a beloved Saint for all Greeks. Many festivals take place on his memory and if his day that is the April 23rd, is during the Lent or the Holy Week, that no celebration can be performed, is moved on Easter Monday. A nice tradition of Saint George's day is horse-riding races. On Easter Tuesday an old tradition says that we have to light candles at three churches of countryside for good luck and health. Although Wednesday is considered not a good day for weddings, Easter Wednesday is the day that aged couples choose to get married. On the Friday after Easter the celebration of the Source of Life (Zoodohos Pigi) occurs, and festivals take place in many areas. During this time people go to liturgies and burn their Easter candles for three times. After that they can leave them to church or keep them near the icons of their house. The New Weekends on Easter Sunday, the Sunday of Apostle Tomas.

Next day school is openedâ&#x20AC;Ś

Turkey

Arpaseki

Arpaseki İlköğretim Okulu

RAMAZAN BAIRAM IN TURKEY

THE RAMADAN BAIRAM ( ALSO THE CANDY BAİRAM, ŞEKER BAYRAMI) This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The Ramazan Bairam is a three day holiday which takes place after at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month for the Islamic calendar. The bairam begins at the last day of Ramadan and lasts for three days. The aim of the bairam is to celebrate the completion of this holy month Ramadan, in which Muslims fast for thirty days. Especially, in Turkey; the bairam is a national holiday. The day before the beginning of bairam is called Arife, and many businesses and puclic offices close in the noon for the preparation of the bairam. So arife can also be considered as a half day holiday too. The features The bairam has three distinct features:  The Muslims accomplish the duty of alms  Muslims, after the bairam praying in the morning, visit the graves of their relatives  It is a time for exchanging gifts, visiting each other and making peace On the first day of the bairam, the men go to the mosques to perform the ritual prays. After the pray, the religious person give a speech about the importance of this day. During this time, the women do their preparations at home, such as preparing delicious cookies, cakes and special Turkish delights like “baklava”.

The main characteristics of Ramadan Bairam are that :  neighbours, relatives and friends visit each other, exchange gifts  Children kiss their parents‟ hands and receive best wishes and blessings from them. Then, it is a tradition to give money or little gifts to those children who kiss one‟s hands.  Candies and colognes and other sweets are served to the visitors during Ramadan. That is why another name for Ramadan the “Candy Festival”.  People organize lots of different kinds of entertainments. The most known and traditional one is Karagöz and Hacivat.  In rural areas, people gather in houses and in coffee houses called (kahvehane, kıraathane) where wandering minstrels play instruments and sing.

Hand kissing tradition This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Man telling jokes

HACÄ°VAT KARAGĂ&#x2013;Z SHOW

The Semazen show A man giving tradition sweet called macun

ABOUT THE MONTH OF RAMADAN The date for this month changes in relation to the Islamic lunar calendar, which is based on the movements of the moon around the earth. As an example, in 2011, the beginning of the month is 1 th of August (ending 29th) while in 2012 it is 20 th of July (ending 18 August) Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is the month for the fasting, in which Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn until the evening. The aim of fasting is to teach Muslims the patience and humility. PRACTISES IN RAMADAN  Fasting  Intensive worship  Reading the holy book  Sahur and iftar  Giving Charity  Purifying one’s behaviour and doing good deeds Fasting Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period. (from Wikipedia). God does not require you to stop eating and drinking, you are required to resist all temptation while you are fasting. Purity of both thoughts and actions is important. The purpose is to clean the inner soul and free it from harm. It also teaches to This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

practice self-discipline and control, empathy for those who are less fortunate. In other words, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence. Normally, it is a voluntary action to fast in other months,, during Ramadan it becomes obligatory. Some people are exempted from fasting, such as sick people, travellers and women in certain conditions, but they must make it up as they are able. SAHUR AND IFTAR

A daily fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. During this time, from dawn till evening, Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking, and marital sex. Sahur is the name of the meal eaten in the dawn. Before sahur a man, playing a big drum and singing loudly some traditional songs, walks in the streets to wake the people up for the sahur. İftar is the name of the dinner, eaten after fasting. İftar is the time to break the fasting. RAMAZAN DRUMMER This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Portugal

Martinlongo

Escola Bรกsica Integrada de Martinlongo

Easter History Before being called the party of the resurrection of Christ, Easter announced the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Easter has always represented the passage of a dark time for a time of lights, that long before it was considered one of the biggest parties of Christianity.

What is Easter? Long before becoming a Christian festival, Easter was the announcement of the end of winter and the arrival of spring. To the ancients, celebrate the spring (such as Easter) always represented the joy of passing a dark and sad time for an enlightened world. It was a kind of rebirth. The word "Easter" comes from the Hebrew "Passover" and means "passage", "change" refers to the Exodus (exit) of Moses in Egypt On This time of year, the ancient European pagan people honored the Goddess Oster, and Esther. Oster was the Goddess of Spring, holding an egg in his hand. The goddess and the eggs were symbols of the arrival of a new life. Ostara is equivalent, in Greek mythology, Persephone. In Roman mythology, Ceres was. The girl's name Esther is also related. These ancient people celebrated the arrival of spring decorating eggs. These ancient people celebrated the arrival of spring decorating eggs. The Easter party refers to Jesus' last supper with his apostles, his arrest, trial and death sentence, followed by his crucifixion and resurrection (Jesus came to life and ascended into heaven). After dying on the cross, his body was placed in a tomb, where he remained until his resurrection, when his spirit and his body were reunited. It is the most important holy day of the Christian religion, when people go to church and participate in religious ceremonies. The celebration begins on Palm Sunday (when Jesus enters in Jerusalem and is hailed with palm branches) and ends on Easter Sunday (the Resurrection of Christ) is called Holy Week.

What is the day we celebrate Easter? The Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after March 21 (the date of the equinox). This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

But the sequence of dates change from year to year, at least on 22 March and no later than April 24, making Easter a party "mobile". In fact, the exact sequence of Easter dates repeats itself approximately 5.7 million years in our Gregorian calendar.

Easter Dates until 2010: * 2000 - April 23 * 2001 - April 15 * 2002 - March 31 * 2003 - April 20 * 2004 - April 11 * 2005 - March 27 * 2006 - April 16 * 2007 - April 8 * 2008 - March 23 * 2009 - April 12 * 2010 - April 4

Easter traditions: During Easter people paint, arrange and clean, very well, the houses, because you'll pass the Compass (the Pascal Visit), the priest goes to every houses to bless the home and those who live there. All this relates to the Resurrection of Christ and the celebration of life. In addition to all celebrations and meanings of Easter in Portugal is also a special party to the godfathers (and bridesmaids). Traditionally, in addition to almonds (because they seem little egg) and eggs (symbolizing life), there is a sponge cake and â&#x20AC;&#x153;folaresâ&#x20AC;? that offer children (especially by godfathers). These sweets are in every home to receive the Compass. It is a sign of hospitality to the priest and his companions (who, lest they become full, they also have available a small glass of liqueur or a glass of Port wine). Before Easter, Lent is a time of fasting - avoid eating meat and the menu on Fridays must be fish out of respect because it was on Friday that Jesus was crucified and died.

But on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the party of the Resurrection (back to life, raise), is back to eating meat: lamb or mutton, as it was in ancient times. And the sweets that include all the traditional and â&#x20AC;&#x153;folaresâ&#x20AC;?. It also happens in many places to celebrate Holy Week (the week when Jesus was arrested, tried and convicted) with processions of candles at night, or theatrical performances (popular) of these events.

Palm Sunday It is the feast that celebrates the entry of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. It is also the opening of Holy Week. On this day processions are common in which the faithful can bring olive branches and palm, which originated the name of the celebration. The procession of Palm Sunday came after a group of Christians, the EtĂŠria, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and returning, made in their region just as it had in the holy places, remembering the times of Holy Week. The custom gradually came to be used by other churches and at the end of the Middle Ages, was incorporated into the rites of Holy Week.

Easter candy At Easter it is traditional to eat lamb or roasted lamb, roast lamb or kid stew stew with potatoes, soup and rice pudding kid. The traditional Easter cakes are “folares” and almonds.

“Folares”

Easter cake

Chocolate Eggs

Almonds

Sponge cake

Lamb Baked

Fish Baked

Cod “à Brás”

Roast lamb

At that time people also make almond sponge cake and “folares” the godchildren. Previously, on Easter Monday people went to the field to eat the traditional roast lamb or kid. In the morning, grab a snack and went to the field looking for a good shade to spend the day.