Explore the towns of England


Easter In England - A Family Affair

If you are a visitor to England at Easter,For the week preceding the holiday, the DIY
you would be forgiven for thinking that thesupply stores will be heaving with customers
English people have nothing much in the wayand taking more money than during any other
of Easter traditions apart from exchangingweek of the year. Then it will all go eerily
chocolate eggs. This is because the naturequiet while all the customers adopt a kind of
of Easter celebrations is low-key andsiege mentality and remain at home while they
private; Easter is a time for sober worshiptry to cram too much work into the
and quiet family gatherings without thelong-anticipated four day weekend.At Easter
razzmatazz and hectic atmosphere thatMorris dancers, who are not in the least
accompanies Christmas. Even the exchange offashionable except in spring, suddenly find
Easter greetings cards tends to be confinedthemselves in demand. These troupes of
to close friends and family.After the briefdancers are almost exclusively male, rarely
bright interlude of Christmas, we sink backseen outside of small villages and are
into our torpor and endure the dull coldnormally associated with a particular public
winter months until our first spring bankhouse. Many pubs in England will have a
holiday arrives and gives us a reason to comedarts team or a quiz team but there are only
wide awake. In England we greet Easter witha few that can boast their own troupe of
all the relief of dusty travellers arrivingMorris dancers. As with playing darts, the
at an oasis in a desert. Our desert might beavailability of beer is an important part of
grey and damp instead of sun-baked but wethis hobby. The amazing thing about Morris
find the green oasis with its promise ofdancers is not that there are so few of them,
spring and rebirth equally as welcome.Easterit is that they have survived at all: grown
is the most important event in the Christianmen dressed in silly costumes, skipping
calendar but in the multicultural society ofaround waving handkerchiefs and pigs'
England it is appreciated by both Christiansbladders to the accompaniment of ancient folk
and non-Christians for the two day Banktunes have limited appeal to most of modern
holiday it brings. Unlike the two days oursociety as a source of entertainment.
government allows us in which to celebrateHowever, they have survived and have spread
Christmas, the Easter holidays never bring usto places as distant as Canada and New
a disappointing mid-week break, they alwaysZealand.If you want to fully enjoy all the
provide us with a four day weekend. A causeold English Easter traditions, the best place
for celebration indeed!Easter arrivesto be is in a quiet village far from any of
quietly, no fanfare, no three month longthe big cities. The village church will be
advertising campaign like the one precedingbeautifully 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 anythingeggs for the local children to find during
at all too much. We are permitted to relaxthe traditional Easter egg hunt. The Morris
and enjoy family life. There is no pressuredancers will leap and prance at the slightest
to overspend on gifts for everyone from ourencouragement. 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 nameand Simnel cakes with home made marzipan.
of Christmas, the consumption of chocolateEaster 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 theChocolate will be guilt-free for a whole
gardeners' year and also the time when allweekend.Apart from the weather, which will
DIY enthusiasts, as if driven by somealmost certainly include showers, the
primeval urge, embark upon ambitiousexperience of Easter in a quiet English
projects. If you are not interested invillage couldn't be more idyllic. It is only
gardening or DIY, you have four whole daysin a friendly village at this time of year
free to enjoy as you wish.Easter is reallythat you can witness anything approaching a
too early for gardeners to be chancing thereturn to a more innocent time. There are
lives of tender plants but it is hard tonot many places I can think of where an adult
resist the lure of the first real sunny dayscan dress up in a rabbit costume and hand out
after the long grey winter. Amateurchocolate to children without having to worry
gardeners take bedding plants from theabout getting arrested, and men dressed all
hothouses and thrust them into soil that'sin white can skip and wave handkerchiefs at
far too cold to encourage growth. Theeach other without attracting the wrong sort
experienced gardeners won't gamble on frostof attention. The English village is
free conditions and content themselves withdefinitely the place to be for Easter. It is
planting the less decorative but frost-proofalso the best place to enjoy May Day
seed potatoes and onions. Gardening atcelebrations, but that's another
Easter is an anxious time because the Englishstory.Copyright 2006 Elaine CurrieElaine
weather is reliably unpredictable and evenCurrie  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 thatFull of Ideas, Programme Reviews, Articles,
have been in the planning stage sinceTips and Free Resources for everyone who
Christmas are lined up for the Easter break.wants to work at home.



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