With Easter Sunday on 17th April this year and the clocks going forward on 27th March, it was a good opportunity to have a CST session themed on 'Springtime and Easter'.
Spring lasts from the vernal equinox (equal day and night) on 20th March to the summer solstice (midsummer day) on 21st June. However, most people view spring months as March, April and May.
We asked members ...
- Who likes the Spring? Is it anyone's favourite season? What do you like about it?
- What are the signs of Spring arriving? (See below)
- Who celebrates Easter?
- Does anyone have an Easter egg or make an Easter bonnet?
- What are peoples' favourite chocolate bars?
Can anyone think of any symbols of Easter?
- A palm formed in the shape of a crucifix
- Hot cross bun (crucifix on top of the bun)
- Easter egg (in the shape of the stone which rolled away from Christ's tomb)
IDIOMS ABOUT SPRING AND EASTER Next, we asked members to complete the following phrases ... He's no spring - CHICKEN (A person who’s not exactly young anymore.) He's got a spring in his - STEP (Someone who looks as if they are happy and full of energy.) Spring to - MIND (To appear suddenly in your thoughts, immediately think of someone or something.) Like a coiled - SPRING (Someone who is wound up or highly strung.) As clean as a - WHISTLE (Describes something which is fresh and new, or has been cleaned to such a high standard it looks as if it is.) Wipe the slate - CLEAN (Have a fresh start or a new beginning.) Like a rabbit caught in the - HEADLIGHTS (A person so surprised or frightened that they can’t move or think.) Pull a rabbit out of the - HAT (Come up with an unexpected solution to a problem.) Don’t count your chickens before they’re - HATCHED (Don't make plans that depend on something good happening before you know that it has actually happened.) Don’t put all your eggs in one - BASKET (Keep your options open.) Have egg on your - FACE (Look stupid because of something you’ve done.) Don't teach your grandmother to suck - EGGS (Don't offer unnecessary advice to someone who’s older and more experienced.) Walking on - EGGSHELLS (Be very diplomatic so as not to offend.) You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few - EGGS (In order to achieve something, something has to be sacrificed.) Mutton dressed as - LAMB (An older woman dressed in clothes more suited to a younger woman.) A wolf in sheep's - CLOTHING (A person with a pleasant and friendly appearance that hides the fact that they are evil.) Black sheep of the - FAMILY (The undesirable or disreputable member of a group or family.)
Full of the joys of - SPRING (To be very happy and enthusiastic.)
THINGS THAT REMIND US OF SPRING
Longer days, warmer days, spring flowers, lambs, bird nests and chicks, sorting the garden out, planting the beds, mowing the lawn for the first time, smell of cut grass, Easter, Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and Easter bonnets. We commented on the argument going on currently about re-branding of 'Easter Eggs' as 'Good Eggs', so as to remove religious connotations. Members felt that traditional words should be used for things associated with this ancient Christian festival. We reminded ourselves of the Welsh word for Spring - Gwanwyn.
Happy Easter in Welsh is - Pasg Hapus And the French word for Spring - Printemps. We remembered that the clocks 'Spring Forward' in March and 'Fall Back' in October. We thought about the meaning of 'Spring' and how it features in the English language. Spring symbolises rebirth, fresh starts, new beginnings.
MUSIC & PICTURE QUIZ
PART 1. Spring (38 questions)
You might like to split the Spring & Easter quizzes, as there's a lot of material here and it is presented in two distinct parts.
ROUND 1. Spring Has Sprung
1. Who is the Roman Goddess of Spring?
2. When do the clocks 'spring forward'?
3. When is the 'vernal equinox'?
4. What are 'spring' and 'neap' tides?
5. What is this tidal wave associated with spring tides called (near Gloucester)?
6. Who composed 'The Four Seasons'?
(What is your favourite season and why?)
7. What do people generally do when 'spring cleaning'?
8. Name this spring meat dish?
9. Name this spring bird?
SONG. 'Morning Has Broken', Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rifby1tVE8 10. Which bird in this song has 'spoken, like the first bird'?
What is his name now?
ROUND 2. Spring Flowers
Name these spring flowers ...
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
SONG. 'Tulips From Amsterdam', Max Bygraves - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm31Lni60LU
20. This was a huge hit for Max Bygraves. What was his catchphrase?
ROUND 3. Other Spring Associations
21. Name this salad item?
What do Americans call them?
22. Name this dog?
23. Name this structure, which was built to welcome the spring sun?
24. Where would you find 'Palm Springs'?
25. What is a Springbok?
Or a member of which national rugby union team?
26. Who is this US chat show host (there is a musical named after him)?
27. What is rock singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen's nickname?
28. Name this BBC 'Springwatch' presenter?
29. Which BBC Radio 4 soap opera is set in Ambridge?
30. Name the ventriloquist and the puppet?
31. What was the name of the rabbit puppet mascot of 'Westward TV', later 'Television South West', from 1961 to 1992.
32. The character 'The March Hare' comes from which story? Published in 1865, who was it written by?
33. Which author created 'Peter Rabbit' in 1902?
34. Why would you count sheep?
SONG. 'Little April Shower', Disney - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saa98l0yDYQ
35. What was the name of the rabbit in this 1942 Disney movie?
36. 'The Ugly Duckling', Danny Kaye - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elg8EBIr2jA
Which Danish author wrote this fairy tale?
SONG. 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning', Gordon MacRae - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5APc0z49wg
37. Which musical is this song from?
38. SONG. 'Annie's Song', John Denver - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1wsNd6N5Yw
In which US state would you find the capital city Denver?
PART 2. Easter (22 questions)
You might want to save this section for another day?
39. What are the 40 days before Easter called?
(Did anyone give anything up?)
40. What is the proper name for 'Pancake Day'?
(What are peoples' favourite toppings?)
41. What is the following day called?
42. What is the Sunday before Easter called?
43. What does the Queen do on the Thursday before Easter?
44. Which artist painted 15th century painting 'The Last Supper'? (It is on display in the 'Santa Maria Del Grazie Monastery in Milan)
What is his most famous painting? (It's in 'The Louvre' in Paris)
Here she is ...
45. What do Catholics do in Church on Good Friday afternoon?
46. What do Christians traditionally eat on Good Friday?
True or False. The McDonald's 'Fillet Of Fish' meal was developed for Catholics?
47. From where does The Pope give his Easter Blessing on Easter Sunday?
What's his name? Where is he from?
48. Does anyone remember Pope John Paul 11's visit to the UK?
What year was it?
SONG. 'I Don't Know How To Love Him', Yvonne Elliman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS2nX4fuzqc
49. Which musical is this song from?
Which character sang the song?
FACTOID. The Shroud Of Turin
The 'Shroud of Turin' is a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man believed to be Jesus Christ. The fabric was said to have been the shroud Jesus was wrapped in after crucifixion. However, in 1390 a local bishop wrote that an unnamed artist had confessed to it being a forgery, and radiocarbon dating of a sample of the fabric undertaken in 1988 is consistent with this. The Catholic Church has neither formally endorsed nor rejected the shroud, but in 1958 Pope Pius XII approved of the image in association with devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. Pope John Paul II later called the Shroud "a mirror of the Gospel". Whilst science has largely confirmed the 'Shroud Of Turin' to be a medieval hoax, the mystery remains that the image on the shroud is much clearer and more lifelike in black-and-white photographic negative, which was not available until 1898.
50. Which 1970s rock opera album is this picture from?
Here's a clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1SiaCV26aQ
51. Who starred as Jesus in the 'Jesus Of Nazareth' TV series in 1977?
52. Who starred as 'Ben Hur' in the 1959 film of the same name?
What disease did touching Jesus's robes cure in his mother and sister in this movie?
53. Which 1979 Monty Python film mirrored the life of Christ?
Who played him (pictured here)?
Link to song 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life' (lyric video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_-q9xeOgG4
54. In the hit UK sitcom 'The Vicar Of Dibley', what did Dawn French dress up as on Easter Sunday morning?
Here is a clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4aZ7aCb3-w
SONG. 'Bright Eyes', Art Garfunkel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo-cp1270eQ
55. What 1972 book is this song associated with and who was the author?
56. How much is a Cadbury's Creme Egg these days? (Nearest guess)
57. According to 'BBC Good Food Guide', how many minutes do you boil an egg to have a runny yolk?
58. Do members recall the 1984 book entitled 'Conundrum: Cadbury Creme Egg Mystery'? Don Shaw was the author and Nick Price the illustrator. Ten golden eggs were buried around the UK and puzzlers had to solve the riddles, visual clues and red herrings to find them. Each egg was 22 carat gold and worth £10,000
What TV quiz show has a round called 'CONUNDRUM'?
59. What was the title of Kit Williams's 1979 book which revealed a 'Golden Hare' prize within its pages?
(Worth £5,000 at the time, but sold for £31,900 in 1988 and is probably worth a lot more than that now!)
(For both treasure hunts, there were masses of people digging up ground in places they believed the treasure to be, leading to hunters being banned from National Trust land. Reader, I was one of them!)
60. Recite the nursery rhyme together ... (A point for each remembered verse)
What signifies that this is an Easter bun?
Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns,
Hot cross buns,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
If you have no daughters,
If you have no sons,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
If your sons don't like them,
They're the only ones,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
I don't tell jokes
and I don't tell puns,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
Get them while they're hot
and eat them by the ton,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
SONG. 'Easter Parade', Judy Garland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKt54TFrxMc
Whilst listening to this song, list as many different types of hats as you kind (a chance to boost your points)?
FINAL HYMN. 'Jesus Christ Is Risen Today' (Lyric video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6sj9ljVsfk
PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES
Maybe try painting blown eggs.
There is a useful how to guide here ... https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/9cc4fa93-cc6f-3cac-b9ef-4fcbc43c6c8c
Or you could buy a couple of straw hats for members to decorate with spring flowers, easter chicks and rabbits and mini chocolate eggs. Perhaps when complete members would like to try it on, or take one home?
ANSWERS
1. Primavera
2. 27th March
3. 21st March this year (equal day and night as the sun crosses the equator)
4. Highest high tides & Lowest tides
5. Severn Bore
6. Antonio Vivaldi
7. Cleaning windows, polishing floors, moving furniture to vacuum, polishing the brass etc
8. Roast lamb & mint sauce (a sheep in it's first year is regarded as a lamb)
9. Blue Tit
10. Blackbird / Yusuf Islam
11. Snowdrop
12. Daffodil
13. Primrose
14. Magnolia
15. Bluebell
16. Cherry blossom
17. Crocus
18. Catkin
19. Pansy
20. "Let me tell you a story"
21. Spring onions / Scallions
22. Springer Spaniel
23. Great Sphinx Of Giza
24. California
25. Antelope / South Africa
26. Jerry Springer
27. Bruce Springsteen
28. Chris Packham
29. 'The Archers'
30. Shari Lewis & Lamb Chops
31. Gus Honeybun
32. ' Alice's Adventures In Wonderland' / Lewis Carroll
33. Beatrix Potter
34. To help you get to sleep
35. Thumper
36. Hans Christian Anderson
37. 'Oklahoma'
38. Colorado
39. Lent
40. Shrove Tuesday
41. Ash Wednesday
42. Palm Sunday
43. Maundy Money
44. Leonardo Da Vinci
45. Stations Of The Cross
46. Fish / True
47. The Balcony Of St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican, Rome / Pope Francis (named after Francis Of Assisi / Jorge Mario Bergoglio / Buenos Aries, Argentina
48.1982
49. 'Jesus Christ Superstar' / Mary Magdalene
50. 'Godspell'
51. Robert Powell
52. Charlton Heston
53. 'Life Of Brian' / Graham Chapman
54. Easter Bunny
55. 'Watershed Down' / Richard Adams
56. Cheapest 50p at Sainsbury's & Second cheapest 58p at Waitrose
57. Boiled egg
58 'Countdown'
59. 'Masquerade'
60. A cross on top signifies the crucifixion
