EASTER CELEBRATION.
In church
The Lutheran Church has masses the whole Easter through. They start on
The Holy Thursday, with focus on the sacraments. On the end of the evening-mass
The Holy Thursday, it is usual to blow out the candles and carry all of the
objects from the Alter out of the church. The Alter is often covered with a dark
cloth.
On the Good Friday they dont light candles during the mass. And this is the only day in the church year where the priest can choose a dark colour as the liturgy colour.
On the Easter Sunday the mass begin with the lighting of the candles, so that the church will be full of lights. The Alters objects will be carried in to the church and put on place, and the alter will be decorated with white and yellow flowers. Many join the Lords Supper this day.
In the holidays
At Easter many people in Norway go to their cottages. A Cottage is a
small house on the mountain or close to a lake. Some old Summer farms are also
being used as cottages. People go there for recreation and outdoor activities.
When it is nice weather we go to boggan and skiing. On our ski trips we eat a
lunch pack, oranges, candy bars and drink cocoa. Many like to eat their lunch in
a sunny place where they can tan as well.
Back in the cottage we play board games. The
people who dont have cottages can rent one.
EASTER EGGS AND EASTER DECORATIONS.
Before Christianity came we didn`t celebrate Easter in Norway. But we celebrated the Coming of Spring. Its a celebration of new life. People could see that the grass and the trees became green. The hens who had not laid eggs in the winter began to lay eggs again. The egg was seen as the symbol of life. After Christianity came, the old celebration of Spring melted together with the Christian Easter celebration. We decorate our houses with eggs and chickens. We go Easter candy hunting in the house and the garden. Sometimes is it difficult to find the eggs with the candy inside. We take in branches in our houses. The daffodils begin to grow in our gardens.
