VOA慢速英语2021--复活节，逾越节，其他春天的庆祝活动

This weekend some Americans celebrate the Christian¹ holiday of Easter. Others observe the Jewish holiday of Passover. And many are looking to the arrival of spring.

Easter is when Christians² celebrate the life of Jesus and what they believe was his return from the dead. For most Christians, Easter this year is on Sunday, April 4. For Eastern Orthodox³ Christians, May 2 is Orthodox Easter Sunday.

You may wonder why the date for Easter changes every year. It is one of the "movable feasts⁵" that change each year. In English, the word "feast⁴" can mean a religious festival as well as a large dinner. We have both of these on Easter and Passover.

Date tied to the Moon

In the early days of Christianity, leaders decided⁶ to set the date of Easter for the first Sunday following the first full moon of the Spring season. It usually happens on or shortly after the vernal equinox, or spring equinox. The equinox is a date when day and night are the same length.

Many Christians in America attend religious services on Easter Sunday. Some of these services take place at sunrise.

Children are often told stories about the Easter Bunny. He is said to hide eggs, chocolates and other sweet treats, for children to find on Easter morning. The Easter Bunny tradition probably developed from a German celebration of spring. Germans first settled in North America in the eighteenth century.

Individual families and groups also organize Easter egg hunts for children. The best-known egg hunt in America is the event called the White House Easter Egg Roll. The president and the first family usually join children in hunting for eggs, playing games, and reading stories. However for a second year, the White House has cancelled the event because of COVID-19.

Passover

American Jews observe Passover around the same time as Easter. Passover began this year on the evening of Saturday, March 27 and ends on the evening of Sunday, April 4. Passover celebrates the Jews' escape from slavery in Egypt, called the Exodus⁷. The Jewish holy book, the Torah, tells about how Moses led the Jews to freedom. A special dinner, the seder, begins the celebration of Passover.

Jewish families get together and eat foods that represent the Exodus story. One food is matzoh, a flat, crisp bread. It represents the hurry linked to the slaves' escape. They did not have time to let their bread rise before baking it. Another special food on the seder table is maror, bitter herbs. They represent the pain of slavery.

Easter around the world

One of our French readers tells VOA about an Easter tradition in France, where many Roman Catholics live. Churches in France do not ring their bells on the two days before Easter Sunday. The bells are silenced in honor of the death of Jesus. They ring again on Easter Sunday, the day Christians believe he came back to life.

French children are told a story about why the bells are quiet. Parents say the bells have flown to Rome to see the pope⁹, the leader of the Roman Catholic⁸ Church. But on Sunday morning, the bells return and ring again.

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Easter on May 2 this year. Orthodox Christians in America celebrate by blessing¹⁰ food baskets. In Greece, people color hard-boiled eggs and play a game by knocking them together. They eat lamb and party into the late night.

Other spring celebrations

In Japan, spring is marked with a cherry blossom¹¹ festival, known as hanami. The tradition dates back more than a thousand years. People gather under the blooming trees to eat, drink tea, celebrate and enjoy the cherry blossoms¹², known as sakura in Japanese. Artists and poets celebrate the short-lived blooms as a symbol of beauty.

For many countries in Central Asia and the Middle East, the beginning of spring also marks the beginning of a new year. The celebration is called Nowruz. The words "now" and "ruz" means "new day" in Farsi. The International Day of Nowruz was on March 20 this year.

During Nowruz, people visit family members and friends and exchange gifts. Iranian families set up a "haft seen" - a presentation of seven special items that represent spring and new beginnings. They include eggs, a live goldfish, a vegetable, and other foods.

Many in India and Nepal mark the arrival of spring with the Holi festival, also known as the festival of colors or festival of love. Holi was on Monday, March 29 this year.

Many Indians ignored social distancing restrictions¹³ in the big cities of New Delhi and Mumbai. They celebrated¹⁴ the festival by covering each other in -- you guessed it -- colors!

No matter what your culture or religion, it seems we all love spring. Spring weather is a welcome change for many people this year. Thanks to vaccines¹⁵, families can once again meet and enjoy their "movable feasts."

Words in This Story

seder - n. a Jewish religious service and dinner that is held on the first or first and second evenings of the Passover

matzoh - n. a dry, thin bread eaten especially by Jewish people at Passover

bitter – adj. having a strong and often unpleasant flavor that is the opposite of sweet

bless – v. to make (something or someone) holy by saying a special prayer

basket - n. a container usually made by weaving together long thin pieces of material

bloom - v. to produce flowers

haft seen - n. specially prepared holiday table that includes at least seven basic items, each beginning with the letter s (seen in Persian)

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 orthodox   

adj.正统的，传统的，惯常的

参考例句：

• They are orthodox Jews.他们是正统的犹太教徒。
• His ideas are very orthodox.他的思想非常合乎规范。

4 feast   

n.盛宴，筵席，节日

参考例句：

• After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.大吃了一顿之后，她花了一周时间节食以安慰自己。
• You shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare such a feast!你不该准备这样丰盛的饭菜，这样太麻烦你了！

5 feasts   

n.盛会( feast的名词复数 )；宴会；宗教节日；使人欢快的事物（或活动）

参考例句：

• There were feasts and drinking and singing by the bards. 他们欢宴狂饮，还有吟游诗人的歌唱作伴助兴。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The fruit was often served at wedding feasts. 婚宴上经常有水果供应。 来自辞典例句

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

8 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

9 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

10 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

11 blossom   

n.花，开花；vi.开花，发展

参考例句：

• The blossom on the trees looks lovely in springtime.春天树上的花很漂亮。
• Let a hundred flowers blossom,let a hundred schools of thought contend.百花齐放，百家争鸣。

12 blossoms   

n.（尤指果树的）花( blossom的名词复数 )；花丛，花簇v.（植物）开花( blossom的第三人称单数 )；发展；长成；变得更加健康（或自信、成功）

参考例句：

• It was springtime and the slopes were ablaze with almond blossoms. 时当春季，怒放的扁桃花使那片山坡鲜红似火。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The spring comes and peach blossoms [flowers] are all open. 春天了，桃花都开了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

14 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

15 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。