POLAND

Catholic Primary School

in Gdynia

by Edyta Kukułowicz

Easter traditions in Poland

Easter is preceded by Holy Week. It starts on Palm Sunday, when the Christians go to the church with small palm branches in memory of Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem. On Holy Thursday we take part in the mass, which commemorates Jesus Christ's Last Supper. On Good Friday we celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is a very solemn day and no one is allowed to eat meat. On the next day the Christians prepare baskets full of coloured eggs, a piece of sausage, some bread and cakes .They go to the church to get the food blessed.

 Palm Sunday (Niedziela Palmowa)

The Easter “palm” is a symbolic twig prepared before Easter in memory of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The palms are blessed in churches during the celebration of Palm Sunday (Niedziela Palmowa, in 2021, Palm Sunday falls on March 28)

Blessing of the Easter baskets

Święconka is a small basket 

decorated with lace napkins

 and boxwood twigs. 

Inside you will find eggs

(pisanki- boiled eggs painted in various colors and patterns), ham or sausage, bread, salt, cake, horseradish, Easter lamb (baranek in Polish) made of sugar or butter. People bring baskets to be blessed to the church on Saturday for a short ceremony. The basket content is kept home until Easter morning breakfast the next day.

Easter Sunday

On the morning of Easter Sunday - the most important day of the entire 'Wielki Tydzień' (Great Week) - families gather together for the Easter feast. It starts with sharing food samples from the święconka basket  and exchanging wishes .Some Polish families will serve e.g. żurek  (Polish rye soup) with hard-boiled eggs, bread, horseradish, and sausage or  hunter’s stew (bigos).For dessert we have   'mazurek' (a decoratively iced dessert pie), 'makowiec' (poppy seed cake) or cheesecake.

makowiec

żurek

bigos

mazurek

Wet Monday

Śmigus-Dyngus, also known as lany poniedziałek (Wet Monday) is a Polish tradition,which involves people throwing copious amounts of water at each other.

Easter Cards Exchange Project

 GREECE

           4th Primary school
                      C class
                    KATERINI

                        

by  Evi Zougouridou

                                                         March 2021   

            Easter Traditions                                        in Greece. 
                Πάσχα    "Pascha" 
 

               "Pascha" Easter 

       is celebrated in a very special way              

       in my country. People go to church

                  every evening during 

                       Passion Week.

On Maundy Thursday we dye eggs and   make τσουρέκια "tsourekia" brioche. 

Late at night the Epitaph is decorated with flowers by girls and women.

Ο Επιτάφιος                          The Epitaph

On Good Friday 

                   in the evening 

 the procession 

                  of the Epitaph 

takes place.

On Holy Saturday night at 12 o’clock  church bells ring to announce that                  "Christ is Risen".   

At that moment people light their candles with the "Holy light" which          has been brought from 

Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem,and  sing "Christ is Risen"

             "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ"
    "CHRISTOS ANESTI" 3 times.

      At the same time fireworks 

              light up the sky. 

After that people kiss each other saying 

     "Χριστός Ανέστη! - Αληθώς Ανέστη!"

 "Christos Anesti!– Alithos Anesti!"         "Christ is Risen!-Truly He is Risen!",

crack their Easter eggs together and                 everyone goes home by carrying 

                 the " Holy Light "

to enjoy the special food μαγειρίτσα "magiritsa"   which has been prepared for the occasion!!! 

 Μαγειρίτσα - Magiritsa                                                                                                                                                                                          

On Easter Sunday 

              in almost every neighbourhood,

especially in towns and villages, 

             you will see lambs,goats and kokoretsi  being roasted on spits . 

             All the member of the family 

 are there singing,dancing and

             drinking of course. 

     Κοκορέτσι

      Kokoretsi

  Αρνί - Lamb Κατσίκι - Goat 

EASTER WORDS IN GREEK LANGUAGE.

 Καλό Πάσχα!   Kalo Pascha!                                               Χρόνια Πολλά!   Chronia polla! 

Χριστός Ανέστη! - Αληθώς Ανέστη!                         Christos Anesti! – Alithos Anesti! 

         .

     Making Easter cards

       on line through    

      distance learning

             for the  

EXCHANGE  PROJECT!!!!!                                    

   These are       

our Easter cards                  

from our children!!!!!                                    

     That’s how we celebrate                            "Pascha" Easter                          in our country, Greece.
             
       
         

                   FROM ALL OF  US 

              ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ!!!

Teachers :

            Kiki Lazaridou                                                                            Magda Seitaridou 

 Teacher of English:             

                                    Evi Zougouridou