Easter Eggs and Traditions

Easter on the Calendar

1. 100 Easter always falls on which day of the week? Response: Sunday As Easter always falls on a Sunday, many countries in the world also recognize Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”
2. 200 What is the 40-day season of fasting, prayer and penance before Easter called? Response: Lent It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”
3. 300 What do Christians call the last week before Easter? Response: Holy Week Easter-observing Christians commonly refer to the last week of Lent, before Easter, as Holy Week. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”
4. 400 Which church council, held in 325, set Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring? Response: the First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea (325) established common Paschal observance by all Christians on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”
5. 500 The Easter season begins on Easter Sunday and ends at Pentecost. How long does it last? Response: seven weeks In both Western and Eastern Christianity, Eastertide—also known as the Easter or Paschal season—begins on Easter Sunday and continues for seven weeks, concluding on the 50th day, Pentecost Sunday. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”

Decorated Eggs

1. 100 In Orthodox churches, Easter eggs are traditionally dyed which color? Response: red In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, with further symbolism being found in the hard shell of the egg symbolizing the sealed Tomb of Christ—the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter egg”
2. 200 In England, eggs were boiled wrapped in which vegetable's skins to make them look gold? Response: onion Traditionally in England, eggs were wrapped in onion skins and boiled to make their shells look like mottled gold, or wrapped in flowers and leaves first in order to leave a pattern, which parallels a custom practised in traditional Scandinavian culture. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter egg”
3. 300 What are Ukrainian Easter eggs decorated with a wax-resist method called? Response: Pysanky Pysanky are Ukrainian Easter eggs, decorated using a wax-resist (batik) method. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter egg”
4. 400 What is the Easter game called in which players knock their eggs against each other? Response: egg tapping This is known as "egg tapping", "egg dumping", or "egg jarping". Source: Wikipedia, “Easter egg”
5. 500 Which firm made jeweled Easter eggs for the last two Russian tsars? Response: Fabergé The jewelled Easter eggs made by the Fabergé firm for the two last Russian Tsars are regarded as masterpieces of decorative arts. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter egg”

Chocolate and Candy

1. 100 Peeps marshmallow candies come in the shape of which baby birds? Response: chicks Peeps are a marshmallow confection sold in the United States and Canada in the shape of chicks, bunnies, and other animals. Source: Wikipedia, “Peeps”
2. 200 Which color of Peeps first went on sale in 1995? Response: lavender Peeps were manufactured in different colors, such as lavender starting in 1995 and blue in 1998. Source: Wikipedia, “Peeps”
3. 300 Which candy maker has produced Peeps since 1953? Response: Just Born They have been produced by candy maker Just Born since 1953. Source: Wikipedia, “Peeps”
4. 400 Which company made the first hollow chocolate egg, in 1873? Response: J.S. Fry & Sons In 1873, J.S. Fry & Sons produced the first hollow chocolate egg making a smooth paste that could be poured into egg moulds. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter egg”
5. 500 In which year did Cadbury make its first Easter egg? Response: 1875 Manufacturing their first Easter egg in 1875, Cadbury created the modern chocolate Easter egg after developing a pure cocoa butter that could be moulded into smooth shapes. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter egg”

The Easter Bunny

1. 100 What does the Easter Bunny carry in its basket? Response: colored eggs As part of the legend, the creature carries colored eggs in its basket, as well as candy, and sometimes toys, to the homes of children. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter Bunny”
2. 200 The Easter Bunny legend began among which Christians? Response: German Lutherans Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide, similar to the "naughty or nice" list made by Santa Claus. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter Bunny”
3. 300 Like Santa's naughty-or-nice list, the first Easter Hare judged whether children had been good or what? Response: disobedient Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide, similar to the "naughty or nice" list made by Santa Claus. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter Bunny”
4. 400 What name did Pennsylvania Dutch families give the egg-bringing hare? Response: Osterhase Protestant German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhase" (sometimes spelled "Oschter Haws"). Source: Wikipedia, “Easter Bunny”
5. 500 The first Easter Hare judged children at the start of which season? Response: Eastertide Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide, similar to the "naughty or nice" list made by Santa Claus. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter Bunny”

Easter Foods

1. 100 On which day are hot cross buns traditionally eaten? Response: Good Friday A hot cross bun is a spiced bun, usually containing small pieces of raisins and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. Source: Wikipedia, “Hot cross bun”
2. 200 Which meat, a New Testament symbol of Jesus, is a traditional Easter dish? Response: lamb Eating lamb at Easter has religious meaning, as the Paschal Lamb of the New Testament represents Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for the sins of humanity. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”
3. 300 What is the Mexican bread pudding usually eaten in the weeks before Easter called? Response: Capirotada Capirotada or Capilotade, also known as Capirotada de vigilia, is a traditional Mexican food similar to a bread pudding that is usually eaten during the Lenten period. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”
4. 400 In 1361, which monk at St Albans Abbey is said to have baked the Alban Bun, an early hot cross bun? Response: Brother Thomas Rodcliffe It is hypothesised that the contemporary hot cross bun of Christianity originates from St Albans Abbey in St Albans, England, where in 1361, Brother Thomas Rodcliffe, a 14th-century Christian monk, developed a similar recipe called an 'Alban Bun' and distributed the bun to the poor on Good Friday. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”
5. 500 Which Slavic Easter dish is made from the foods given up in the long fast before Easter? Response: Paskha Paskha is a Slavic festive dish made in Eastern Orthodox countries which consists of food that is forbidden during the fast of Great Lent. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”

Final round: Easter Names

The English word Easter may come from the name of which Anglo-Saxon goddess? Response: Ēostre The English term may derive from the Anglo-Saxon goddess name Ēostre. Source: Wikipedia, “Easter”