Easter all around the world (Part 1)

When the shelves are bending everywhere in the shops and there is no chance of escaping all the rabbits and colourful eggs, then Easter is no longer far away. Being originally a Christian custom to celebrate Jesus‘ resurrection after his crucifixion, now Easter is on everyone’s lips – and not only because these days are official holidays in many countries around the world. Over time, indigenous customs have been developed around the theme of Easter, the practices in some countries of these may seem pretty crazy. Check them out for yourself!

Easter in Germany & FrankfurtRheinMain

Like Christmas, Easter in Germany traditionally puts the family on top of the list. The whole family comes together. It’s the time for the kids to go egg hunting. Apart from that special tradition of great importance in our region, are the Easter bonfires. In almost every corner people get together to celebrate.

Fun and games are the main Easter themes in Wald-Michelbach on Bergstrasse, in the South of the region. The town is known for its Easter egg throwing on Easter Sunday, where teams compete against each other: One player throws the raw eggs over a barn, the other has to catch the coloured eggs on the other side. The winner is the one who brings his egg without breaking it. How about you, would you dare?

Another custom, a little more aesthetic in nature, is particularly followed in the eastern part of FrankfurtRheinMain, belonging to Bavaria, is the decoration of Easter wells. In former times, this happened mainly because the Easter water was said to have a magical effect. According to popular belief, drinking Easter water protected children from illness and those who sprayed the Easter water in their own homes kept vermin away. After the decoration was done, people cheerfully sung and danced around the well.

Easter is pretty happening in the region, isn’t it? Also in other countries, there are some interesting traditions. Other countries, other customs… Let us check a few of them here:

Easter in the USA

Probably you are looking forward to the Easter customs of the USA. May be because it is widely known that the United States hosts exclusive celebrations in the most iconic manner. One of the biggest and most famous traditional Easter Parade takes place on the 5th Avenue in New York. Everyone is dressed in colourful costumes with flower-decorated ‘Easter Bonnet’ (a type of hat is particularly common for girls and women) marching with the bands and decorated Easter wagons.

In Washington, something special has been considered as part of grand celebrations. Since 1878, the White House has been organizing the Easter egg roll, in which children have to roll a hard-boiled egg down the hill as quickly as possible using a wooden spoon.

Not to forget the mouth-watering baked ham which is the traditional meal cooked in the oven and then refined with a spicy marinade adding extra spice to the celebrations.

Easter in Bulgaria

As with us in FrankfurtRheinMain, eggs play an important role during Easter in Bulgaria although in a slightly different way. The first part of this practice is common around the world: Boiling eggs and colouring them. Eggs are coloured mostly with natural colours like beetroot for red eggs, with blueberries for violet ones or with cornflowers for blue ones.

Now, something unique comes up: Instead of simply eating all the eggs during Easter, the Bulgarians do something different with their eggs. On Easter Sunday, after the mass people start with this funny game called, “Egg Tapping”. Opponents smash their eggs into each other. The person with the egg left unbroken is announced as the winner of the game. This egg is kept until the next Easter and is a sign of good luck.

That simply doesn’t mean that the ones who don’t get an egg should consider themselves un-lucky. It is just part and parcel of this fun-filled tradition as Bulgarians are known to enjoy every phase of life.