| If you are a visitor to England at Easter, | | | | For the week preceding the holiday, the DIY |
| you would be forgiven for thinking that the | | | | supply stores will be heaving with customers |
| English people have nothing much in the way | | | | and taking more money than during any other |
| of Easter traditions apart from exchanging | | | | week of the year. Then it will all go eerily |
| chocolate eggs. This is because the nature | | | | quiet while all the customers adopt a kind of |
| of Easter celebrations is low-key and | | | | siege mentality and remain at home while they |
| private; Easter is a time for sober worship | | | | try to cram too much work into the |
| and quiet family gatherings without the | | | | long-anticipated four day weekend.At Easter |
| razzmatazz and hectic atmosphere that | | | | Morris dancers, who are not in the least |
| accompanies Christmas. Even the exchange of | | | | fashionable except in spring, suddenly find |
| Easter greetings cards tends to be confined | | | | themselves in demand. These troupes of |
| to close friends and family.After the brief | | | | dancers are almost exclusively male, rarely |
| bright interlude of Christmas, we sink back | | | | seen outside of small villages and are |
| into our torpor and endure the dull cold | | | | normally associated with a particular public |
| winter months until our first spring bank | | | | house. Many pubs in England will have a |
| holiday arrives and gives us a reason to come | | | | darts team or a quiz team but there are only |
| wide awake. In England we greet Easter with | | | | a few that can boast their own troupe of |
| all the relief of dusty travellers arriving | | | | Morris dancers. As with playing darts, the |
| at an oasis in a desert. Our desert might be | | | | availability of beer is an important part of |
| grey and damp instead of sun-baked but we | | | | this hobby. The amazing thing about Morris |
| find the green oasis with its promise of | | | | dancers is not that there are so few of them, |
| spring and rebirth equally as welcome.Easter | | | | it is that they have survived at all: grown |
| is the most important event in the Christian | | | | men dressed in silly costumes, skipping |
| calendar but in the multicultural society of | | | | around waving handkerchiefs and pigs' |
| England it is appreciated by both Christians | | | | bladders to the accompaniment of ancient folk |
| and non-Christians for the two day Bank | | | | tunes have limited appeal to most of modern |
| holiday it brings. Unlike the two days our | | | | society as a source of entertainment. |
| government allows us in which to celebrate | | | | However, they have survived and have spread |
| Christmas, the Easter holidays never bring us | | | | to places as distant as Canada and New |
| a disappointing mid-week break, they always | | | | Zealand.If you want to fully enjoy all the |
| provide us with a four day weekend. A cause | | | | old English Easter traditions, the best place |
| for celebration indeed!Easter arrives | | | | to be is in a quiet village far from any of |
| quietly, no fanfare, no three month long | | | | the big cities. The village church will be |
| advertising campaign like the one preceding | | | | beautifully decorated with fresh flowers. |
| Christmas. We aren't urged to eat too much, | | | | The village Easter Bunny will hide Easter |
| drink to much, party too much, or do anything | | | | eggs for the local children to find during |
| at all too much. We are permitted to relax | | | | the traditional Easter egg hunt. The Morris |
| and enjoy family life. There is no pressure | | | | dancers will leap and prance at the slightest |
| to overspend on gifts for everyone from our | | | | encouragement. The village bakery will offer |
| nearest and dearest to the neighbour's dog. | | | | fragrant hot cross buns warm from the oven |
| Compared to the excesses promoted in the name | | | | and Simnel cakes with home made marzipan. |
| of Christmas, the consumption of chocolate | | | | Easter Sunday dinner will be roast lamb with |
| eggs seems a small indulgence.In England, | | | | mint sauce and all the traditional trimmings. |
| Easter is the official start of the | | | | Chocolate will be guilt-free for a whole |
| gardeners' year and also the time when all | | | | weekend.Apart from the weather, which will |
| DIY enthusiasts, as if driven by some | | | | almost certainly include showers, the |
| primeval urge, embark upon ambitious | | | | experience of Easter in a quiet English |
| projects. If you are not interested in | | | | village couldn't be more idyllic. It is only |
| gardening or DIY, you have four whole days | | | | in a friendly village at this time of year |
| free to enjoy as you wish.Easter is really | | | | that you can witness anything approaching a |
| too early for gardeners to be chancing the | | | | return to a more innocent time. There are |
| lives of tender plants but it is hard to | | | | not many places I can think of where an adult |
| resist the lure of the first real sunny days | | | | can dress up in a rabbit costume and hand out |
| after the long grey winter. Amateur | | | | chocolate to children without having to worry |
| gardeners take bedding plants from the | | | | about getting arrested, and men dressed all |
| hothouses and thrust them into soil that's | | | | in white can skip and wave handkerchiefs at |
| far too cold to encourage growth. The | | | | each other without attracting the wrong sort |
| experienced gardeners won't gamble on frost | | | | of attention. The English village is |
| free conditions and content themselves with | | | | definitely the place to be for Easter. It is |
| planting the less decorative but frost-proof | | | | also the best place to enjoy May Day |
| seed potatoes and onions. Gardening at | | | | celebrations, but that's another |
| Easter is an anxious time because the English | | | | story.Copyright 2006 Elaine CurrieElaine |
| weather is reliably unpredictable and even | | | | Currie has a Work At Home Directory |
| the most dedicated gardener is likely to | | | | |
| encounter showers heavy enough to dampen his | | | | |
| enthusiasm and drive him indoors for a | | | | |
| chocolate egg break.All the DIY jobs that | | | | Full of Ideas, Programme Reviews, Articles, |
| have been in the planning stage since | | | | Tips and Free Resources for everyone who |
| Christmas are lined up for the Easter break. | | | | wants to work at home. |