复活节Easter celebrations.doc

Easter celebrations held across the world03-31-2013 19:28 BJT Easter Sunday is a celebration for Christians and chocolate lovers everywhere. Lets zoom around the globe to get a picture of how the holiday is being spent in different parts of the world.Saturday in Jerusalem. Hundreds of Catholic worshippers and pilgrims from across the world attended the Easter Vigil service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Led by Franciscan friars, the Easter procession enters the church at the spot where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried.Easter Vigil is held one day before Easter Sunday, a time to remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Here in Portugual, its a different scene with the procession of the flame.Street lights are turned off as hundreds of worshippers illuminate the streets with their candles.Its not known when the tradition was started, although documents indicate that the event is more than 200 years old.Saturday in Jerusalem. Hundreds of Catholic worshippers and pilgrims from across the world attended the Easter Vigil service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Cardinals hold candles as Pope Francis leads a vigil mass during Easter celebrations at St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican March 30, 2013. Led by Franciscan friars, the Easter procession enters the church at the spot where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried.Easter Vigil is held one day before Easter Sunday, a time to remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Here in Portugual, its a different scene with the procession of the flame.Street lights are turned off as hundreds of worshippers illuminate the streets with their candles.Its not known when the tradition was started, although documents indicate that the event is more than 200 years old.Girls paint eggs during Easter celebrations, in Abra March 30, 2013. Holy Week is celebrated in many Christian traditions during the week before Easter.Jorge Sousa, Sardoal resident, said, These religious ceremonies are very old. We know that this procession, this Holy Week celebration was started many years ago, at least 200 years ago.But the real meaning of Easter, like so many other traditions, is not immune to being lost over time.Ana Rita Passerim, worshipper, said, My friends say there are less people here these days. Its sad, because the procession is nice. It would be great if this tradition can go on.A perfect Easter holiday wouldnt be complete without Easter Eggs. While most children tuck into chocolate eggs. The nuns of St Vincent de Paul in southern Bosnia add intricate decorations to some real eggs.The eggs are wrapped with thread, lace, fabric and tin paper, carefully glued to their fragile surface. The nuns also use wax which is then melted off, as a special way of decorating them.Marija Miroslav Ljevar, nun at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Bosnia, said, Decorating eggs with wax is one of the oldest techniques in Bosnia. I recently heard that young people are showing an interest in it and are starting to do this again.Its not entirely known how eggs came to be associated with Easter and the death of Jesus. But for Christians the world over, its a time to celebrate and enjoy a tragic event that founded, and continues to define their religion.Sweet treats lead to tasty profits03-30-2013 17:23 BJT As people prepare for the Easter holiday, stores selling Easter commodities are enjoying increased sales. A day before the official start of the Easter holiday business is brisk and the chocolate bunny inventory is low at sweet shop Economy Candy in New York City.The Easter season is one of their busiest. The two week period leading up to Easter is equivalent to two months worth of their usual monthly revenue. And customers arent just coming into their store to buy goodies.Mitchell Cohen, president of Economy Candy, said, People go online-they order bunnies and have them shipped to their families, to their friends. Its great.According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an estimated 17.2 billion dollars on Easter-related gear this year, including candy, decorations, apparel and food. Last year, they spent 2.1 billion on candy alone last year. The most popular Easter sweet Chocolate bunnies. 90 million of them are produced every year for the holiday.One item that people seem to be particularly excited about over the Easter holiday are these sweet looking and tasting chicks called Peeps. The company says it manufactured a record one billion of them over this Easter holiday.Amy, who lives in London, is a fan. She says she was first introduced to them as a teenager by one of her American friends at boarding school.Cohen says peeps are popular for nostalgic reasons.Peeps are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year and Just Born, the company that makes them, has launched a TV and social media ad campaign to celebrate that milestone.Peep sales were stagnant until a few years ago when Just Born decided to spend more heavily on marketing. Its an investment thats paying off. Last year was the companys best financial year ever. Good Friday observed in Jerusalem03-29-2013 23:09 BJT Devout Christians in Jerusalems Old City retraced Jesus final steps as part of the religious holiday of Good Friday.The day observes the crucifiction of Jesus Christ. The faithful walked the Way of Suffering, saying a prayer at each of the 14 stations along the way. The march ended at the church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus is believed to have been buried and subsequently resurrected. Christians in the West Bank wanting to attend services in Jerusalem must obtain permission from Israeli authorities. Israels Tourism Ministry