Episode 165
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Hi, everyone! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
Today I'll talk about something more festive.
I'll talk about Easter and how Americans celebrate this holiday.
Before we get started, I just wanted to say hi if you are new here.
And if you are a long-time listener, I want to thank you for supporting this show by sharing it with your friends and family.
Ok, let’s start!
Whenever Easter comes, everywhere I go, I see chocolate eggs and Easter bunny cakes.
But what do we celebrate on Easter?
Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The New Testament describes the resurrection occurring on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans on Calvary around 30 AD.
Americans spend this holiday with friends and family, and some attend special services held in churches on Easter.
And while not all Americans observe the holiday from a spiritual point of view, Easter is certainly one of the most celebrated holidays in the States.
And if there's one thing people love doing during the holidays, it's eating. Let's take a look at the 3 most popular dishes at Easter.
Hot Cross Buns
These are a typical Easter food. It is a sweet bread seasoned with nutmeg, flavored with currants and apricots, and covered with a lemon glaze.
Stuffed Leg of Lamb
Americans also enjoy a stuffed leg of lamb. A delicious recipe, yet very easy to make. With parsley, garlic, bacon, and red wine.
Honey Butter Ham
Another very representative dish for this holiday is the honey butter ham. This recipe is simple and is prepared in the oven or a slow cooker.
And how about the colored eggs and the Easter Bunny tradition?
Typically, people start dying hard-boiled eggs in a variety of colors the night before Easter Sunday. These eggs are left for the Easter Bunny on Saturday night. The Bunny comes and hides them all over the house. So when the children wake up on Easter Sunday, they get excited looking for the eggs and the Easter baskets filled with goodies.
The idea of the Easter Bunny giving candy and eggs is said to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. Pennsylvania Dutch settlers brought the rabbit to the United States in the 18th century.
Another fun fact about the Easter holiday is that Easter and Halloween often compete for the highest candy sales every year. Some years, Americans buy more candy the week before Easter than the week before Halloween.
How interesting. Right?
If you want to tell us how you celebrated Easter this year, you can leave a comment on my website SpeakEnglishPodcast.com.
Let’s continue with a mini-story.
Now, let’s practice.
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IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING
Mini-Story: Speaking Practice
Answer the questions aloud with short and quick responses. Repeat the Mini-Story several times to improve your speaking and listening.
The Easter Bunny was bored of always hiding colored eggs at Easter.
Was the Easter Bunny excited?
No. No. The Easter Bunny wasn’t excited. He was bored.
Who was bored? Cinderella?
No. No. Cinderella wasn’t bored, she worked all day. The Easter Bunny was bored.
Was the Easter Bunny hiding something?
Yes. He was hiding colored eggs.
Did he hide colored eggs in the summer?
No. No. The Easter Bunny hid colored eggs in Spring. We always celebrate Easter in Spring.
Santa was also bored of giving presents at Christmas to all the children in the world.
Was Santa happy?
No. No. Santa wasn’t happy. He was bored.
Who received presents?
All the children in the world received presents. Santa gave presents every year to all the children in the world.
When did Santa give presents? In Spring?
No. No. Santa gave presents at Christmas. We always celebrate Christmas in Winter not Spring.
So one day, the Easter Bunny and Santa had a nice cup of tea and decided to swap jobs.
Were the Easter Bunny and Santa enemies?
No. No. They weren’t enemies. They were good friends.
Did they have a big party?
No. No. The Easter Bunny and Santa only had a cup of tea.
Did they have a fight?
No. No. They didn’t have a fight. They were good friends. They actually decided to swap jobs.
To swap what?
To swap jobs. They decided to switch jobs.
That year, things were different. The Easter Bunny hid some colored eggs under the Christmas tree.
Were things different that year?
Yes. Things were different that year.
Did he hide the colored eggs at Easter?
No. No. He didn’t hide the colored eggs at Easter. He hid them at Christmas.
Where did he hide the colored eggs?
Under the Christmas tree. The Easter Bunny hid the colored eggs under the Christmas tree at Christmas.
And Santa had to fly in a helicopter to deliver presents at Easter because there was no snow.
Did Santa fly?
Yes. Santa flew in a helicopter.
Why did he fly?
He flew because there was no snow and had to deliver many presents.
When did Santa deliver presents? In Winter?
No. No. He didn’t deliver presents in Winter. He delivered them at Easter in Spring.
While people were shocked by the change, they found the situation amusing as well.
Were people indifferent to this change?
No. No. People were shocked by the change.
Did people get angry?
No. No. People didn’t get angry.
How did people find the situation? Amusing or alarming?
Amusing. People found the situation amusing.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
Resurrection
Returning to life after death; Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Burial
The act of placing a dead person in a grave.
Crucifixion
Execution by being nailed or tied to a cross; the episode mentions the crucifixion of Jesus.
Hot Cross Buns
A traditional Easter sweet bread flavored with ingredients such as currants and apricots.
Glaze
A sweet coating put over food; the episode mentions a lemon glaze on Hot Cross Buns.
Hard-boiled eggs
Eggs cooked in their shells until the inside becomes firm.
Easter basket
A basket that children may find filled with Easter treats and goodies.
Originate
To begin or come from somewhere; the Easter Bunny tradition is said to have originated in Germany.
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