圖片來源

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152349627245535&set=a.253765640534.182396.190560895534&type=1&theater

Honoring the Spring and More

象徵重生與希望的復活節

Most of the world knows what Christmas is and the reason it is celebrated.

However, Easter, which is observed on a Sunday as early as March 22

or as late as April 25,

is probably less understood.

For Christians, it is an important time of year.

The holiday stresses the fact that Jesus came back to life

after he was crucified for people’s sins.

Easter celebrates this resurrection, which took place some 2,000 years ago.
In fact, Easter was once a pagan holiday that celebrated the arrival of spring

and honored its goddess --- Eostre.

The spring brought warmer weather and new growth in both plants and animals.

Thus, the season is often associated with rebirth.

What’s more, Eostre’s symbol was the rabbit,

which represented fertility and went on to become the legendary Easter Bunny.

大 部分世人都知道何謂聖誕節，以及要慶祝這個節日的理由。

然而，對於最早可於三月二十二日、

最晚可於四月二十五日當中的某個星期日來慶祝的復活節來說，

或許 人們就沒有那麼瞭解了。

復活節是基督徒一年之中相當重要的一個時節。

耶穌為洗刷世人罪惡而被釘死在十字架上，隨後又起死回生，

這正是這個節日所要強調的重 點。

復活節所慶祝的，正是發生在大約兩千年前耶穌的復活。
事實上，復活節曾一度是個異教徒的節日，用意是在慶祝春天的到來，

並同時尊崇春之女神 Eostre。

春季為動植物都帶來了較溫暖的天氣以及新一季的發育。

因此，這個季節常被人與重生聯想在一起。

更進一步的是，Eostre 的象徵動物正是代表繁殖能力的兔子，

而兔子也進而演變成傳奇著名的復活節兔。

生活必備字詞

observe　　vt. 慶祝（節日等）
Many people set off firecrackers to observe the start of Chinese New Year.
stress　　vt. 強調
Our teacher stressed the importance of discipline and studying hard.
be associated with...　　與……作聯想／有關
Jonathan’s failure was associated with his arrogance.
legendary　　a. 非常有名的；傳說中的
A legendary monster is said to have lived in this lake.

http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/international/20140421/35780171/HonoringtheSpringandMore

Honoring the Spring and More

象徵重生與希望的復活節

There are many traditions connected to Easter.

In modern society, children are given sweets, especially chocolate.

For some kids, Easter is almost as much fun as Halloween.

Another tradition is decorating eggs to celebrate the spring.

Eggs are painted, carved, or dyed with complex patterns and colors to celebrate Easter.

What’s more, decorating eggs has even become an art form in many countries.
Another custom is to hide Easter eggs in different places for children to find.

Parents tell their children that the Easter Bunny brought all the goodies

and hid all the eggs for them. Today,

Easter egg hunts involve chocolateor candy-filled eggs instead of real ones,

making the treasure hunt that much tastier.

許 多傳統都跟復活節有所關連。

在現代社會中，孩子們會在這一天得到糖果，特別是巧克力。

對一些小朋友來說，復活節幾乎就快要跟萬聖節一樣有趣。

另一項傳統就 是裝飾彩蛋來頌揚春天。

人們會在雞蛋上塗色、雕刻，或是染上複雜的圖案及豐富的色彩來大肆慶祝復活節。

更有意思的是，裝飾彩蛋在許多國家甚至成為一種藝術 形式。
另一個習俗就是把復活節彩蛋藏在各處讓小朋友去找。

父母會跟孩子說復活節兔不但會為他們帶來這所有好吃好玩的東西，而且還會幫他們把彩蛋藏起來。

如今尋找復活節彩蛋的活動都改用巧克力蛋或裝滿糖果的那種來取代真的蛋，

這也讓尋找寶物的遊戲變得更加美味。

生活必備字詞

◎carve (vt.) 雕，刻
→The artist carved a statue of his daughter out of marble.
◎custom (n.) 習慣，傳統，風俗
→One Chinese New Year custom is the giving of red envelopes filled with money.
◎treasure (n.) 寶藏，珍寶
→Teddy used to hide his treasures in a secret place when he was a child.
◎tasty (a.) 美味的，可口的
→Linda couldn’t wait to try the dessert because it looked really tasty.

文章來源

http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/international/20140422/35781775/HonoringtheSpringandMore

【復活節英文- Easter Egg】

Easter egg (n)- 復活節蛋
symbol(n) 象徵
grave (n) 墓穴
resurrection (n) 復活