Top 5 Easter Traditions Around The World
Published · Easter
With Easter right around the corner, every grocery and convenience store is drowning in pastel-colored bunnies, Cadbury eggs, Easter baskets, Easter gifts, and egg dying kits. In the Christian tradition, Easter is the day Jesus was resurrected after being crucified and buried. But many Easter traditions today are centered on the arrival of spring, and like every other holiday, different cultures have very different (and sometimes, peculiar) traditions. This list lays out the top secular celebrations of the first major holiday of spring.
Find: 11 Sweet Stuffers to Complete Easter Baskets for Kids
1.The Easter Bilby – Australia
Australians are not the biggest fans of rabbits so instead of getting their chocolate treats from a bunny, children get them from the Easter Bilby. A bilby is an endangered rodent with ears similar to a rabbit’s.
Another big part of Australia’s Easter tradition is celebrating “Pancake Tuesday.” This takes place the Tuesday before Lent, which many cultures observe as Mardi Gras.
Obviously, Australians eat a copious amount of pancakes on this day — and don’t forget the side of hot cross buns.
2. Easter Tree (Osterbaum), Coalfield-Germany
A single tree makes this German city famous during the Easter season. The tree is garnished with thousand eggs that are decorated with incredible detailing and colors. The yearly spectacle is carried out by a prominent family in the city. This is just one example of decorating an ornate Easter tree, called Osterbaum.
3. Water Fights! – Poland, Hungary
What started out as a tradition of playfully sprinkling holy water onto unmarried women has, with time, turned into an all-out water fight that takes place on Easter Monday. It’s a little strange that the water fights take place the day after Easter when families come together over a massive feast and wish each other health and happiness for the rest of the year. The Polish often have a lamb-shaped centerpiece for their Easter table, in the form of a cake or even butter. They also go all out with the eggs, passing around fried, boiled, halved, and stuffed eggs as an expression of good blessings.