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Easter

Easter

Date: Apr 10 2009

Themes: Holidays

Grammar: Gerunds vs. Infinitives

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

For Christians, Easter is one of the most important holidays of the year. But for non-Christian and secular Americans, it’s kind of a weird one. This Sunday, people all over the US are going to hunt for colored eggs in their yards that were left there by a rabbit. You read that correctly.

People celebrate Easter with an Easter egg hunt. They dye eggs and then hide them so that other people can try to find them. Children like Easter because they usually get a basket full of chocolate eggs, which a giant bunny supposedly delivers to them. For college students, Easter means spring break, a week of no school and lots of partying. Now, just don’t ask what all this has to do with Jesus Christ and the resurrection!

Devan loves Easter, but Mason isn’t a fan. Listen to them discuss this unique holiday.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Devan

Devan

Mason:  So Easter is coming up, which is, you know, lame.

Devan:  Lame, what do you mean lame?

Mason:  I have a very conflicting relationship with Easter because it falls on my birthday one every three years.

Devan:  Oh, when’s your birthday?

Mason:  April 16th. So you know, I have these bad memories of none of my friends being able to come to my party because they had to go do lame Easter things.

Devan:  Like Easter egg hunts or dyeing Easter eggs?

Mason:  Yeah, all that crap. Totally lame.

Devan:  Yeah, I don’t know. I think Easter’s great. I love getting an Easter basket, and you always have your chocolate Easter bunny in your basket, and I love doing the Easter egg hunt. One year I found the golden egg and I won a prize.

Mason:  See this is another thing, I mean, as a bunny-owner in my older years, bunnies don’t lay eggs. Just another inaccuracy.

Devan:  Do you know how they celebrate it in France? It’s a giant bell that drops off the baskets.

Mason:  A bell?

Devan:  Like a Liberty Bell. So if you think a rabbit laying eggs is weird, try having a bell.

 

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Discussion

This Sunday is Easter, and Mason isn’t looking forward to it. His birthday sometimes gets ignored because it falls on the same day as Easter, which is always on a Sunday in the spring.

Mason also thinks that the way we celebrate Easter is weird. Unlike Devan, he doesn’t enjoy dyeing Easter eggs or going on Easter egg hunts. He doesn’t understand the connection between bunnies and eggs. But as Devan points out, other countries have their own interesting ways of celebrating this holiday.

One reason bunnies and eggs are a part of Easter celebrations is that the holiday is associated with spring. Do you have a spring holiday or festival in your country? How do you celebrate it?

 

Comments

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thisisbenmo

China

Happy Easter!! This is my first time experiencing Easter in Australia~ I got a chocolate bunny and a colorful egg Love Lindt~! And amazing holiday for me to take a break from study stress Oh, and enjoy chocolate! And hope you good luck in Easter egg hunt!

03:04 AM Apr 11 2009 |

thisisbenmo

China

Happy Easter!! This is my first time experiencing Easter in Australia~  I got a chocolate bunny and a colorful egg Love Lindt~! And amazing holiday for me to take a break from study stress Oh, and enjoy chocolate~!

03:03 AM Apr 11 2009 |

Abe Choi

South Korea

How do you do?  I'm Korean. I'm sixty four years old. I want to speak English, but I'm baby in English. I'll try to study English hard. help me! How do I learn to speak English well? Thank you for receiving me as a free member of English Lesson.

02:53 AM Apr 11 2009 |

tiagon85

Brazil

Happy Easter to everybody!! In Brazil it´s a very nice holiday, I really enjoy it.

12:47 AM Apr 11 2009 |

chief_wang

chief_wang

China

Thank you Vini. I checked the page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter, so much information there.

 Happy Easter to everyone!

10:48 PM Apr 10 2009 |

chief_wang

chief_wang

China

With Easter around, I could enjoy a long weekend of 4 days, Good Friday followed by Easter Monday.

By the way, I was lucky to see the Liberty Bell with my naked eyes in the StatesCool

So any comments on that?_

10:43 PM Apr 10 2009 |

Vini_rock

Vini_rock

Brazil

Happy Easter for everybody  !!!

 

Here in Brazil, it`s a tradicional festival.

 

The people go to church celebrate the ressurection of Jesus Christ.

The festival is more older than christian culture.

In Ancient  times, in Roman empire,  the peolple celebrate easter as the festival of the begging of the spring.

They prayed for their gods to give good crops.

 If you wanna know more about this festival enter in this link on Wikipedia …

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

 

09:56 PM Apr 10 2009 |

Vini_rock

Vini_rock

Brazil

Happy Easter for everybody  !!!

 

Here in Brazil, it`s a tradional festival.

 

The people go to church celebrate the ressuraction of Jesus Christ.

The festival is more older then christian culture.

In Ancient Roman times, the peolple celebrate easter as the festival of the begging of the spring.

The pareyed for their gods to give good crops.

 If you wanna know more about this festival enter in this link on Wikipedea …

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

 

09:55 PM Apr 10 2009 |

zeus2006

zeus2006Super Member!

Turkey

Study your homework e-baby :)Catholics celebrate Easter this weekend, Orthodox celebrate it next friday !!!

09:46 PM Apr 10 2009 |

zeus2006

zeus2006Super Member!

Turkey

By the way, Happy Easter to all Catholichs :)

09:44 PM Apr 10 2009 |

zeus2006

zeus2006Super Member!

Turkey

This sunday is faster for just Catholics not for all Christians. It is  next Friday for Orthodox. This info is just  for English baby.Christian doesn't mean just Catholics or just USA !!!

09:39 PM Apr 10 2009 |

nada

nada

Saudi Arabia

great lesson i love it

Smile i never heard about easter

09:18 PM Apr 10 2009 |

Tusik

Tusik

Uzbekistan

Great! Very informative lesson about Easter!

06:46 PM Apr 10 2009 |

ramesh.sinha1

India

Happy Easter!

05:58 PM Apr 10 2009 |

silvia_cristina

Spain

In Spain is more or less like Kozmaedit say but in general all catholic celebrations have their origin in other religions or secular celebrations.

Some Mediterranean ancient cultures were celebrating in these dates the spring beginning. Easter Jewish conmemorates the flight of Egipt…

05:28 PM Apr 10 2009 |

silvia_cristina

Spain

There  are a

03:52 PM Apr 10 2009 |

silvia_cristina

Spain

There  are

03:52 PM Apr 10 2009 |

silvia_cristina

Spain

There 

03:52 PM Apr 10 2009 |

Dani Tomeh

Dani Tomeh

Brazil

Yes, 'cause I'm christian…

Yesterday I ate my egg @;

03:35 PM Apr 10 2009 |

SANYliance

SANYliance

Russian Federation

I love chocolate bunnies more than eggs!!!It's so spring holiday!YAHOO!!!!LaughingMy congratulations with this lovely day)))

02:49 PM Apr 10 2009 |

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