Reader Edie has written an eye-opening blog on how Easter is celebrated around the world... trust me, it's not all fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs!
Edie says:
We celebrate Easter in the UK in a variety ways. We might go to church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, or paint hard-boiled eggs, or hunt around the garden for chocolate eggs left by the 'Easter Bunny.' We might have a special family meal, bring spring greenery into the house and if we have spent Lent abstaining from a food like chocolate, cake or sugar, it will be back on the menu now. But what about Easter in other countries?
In SWEDEN, Easter is celebrated on Easter Saturday and the celebration is VERY different. It is believed that witches plan trouble in the run up to Easter and so children dress up as witches with painted red cheeks and painted on freckles and go from door to door handing out drawings and getting sweets in return, a bit like our Halloween!
In EASTERN EUROPE Easter eggs are ultra important and hard boiled eggs are dyed with onion skins and natural dyes and decorated with a variety of methods, including batik. Intricately painted eggs are an important decoration, and bonfires are lit for family and friends to celebrate together in an echo of old pagan rituals thought to bring light and protection to crops and people alike after a long, hard winter.
In ISRAEL, Easter is a very special occasion and pilgrims holding crosses follow the path taken by Jesus on his journey to his death on Calvary. The procession is known as the Way of The Cross. In the PHILIPPINES public whippings and mock crucifixions take place, while children dress as angels to walk through the town at dawn to celebrate the resurrection. COSTA RICA, MEXICO and SRI LANKA all stage dramatic recreations of the crucifixion and resurrection.
Lastly, in POLAND and SLOVAKIA, Easter Monday is a traditional day for water fights! Nobody is safe on 'wet Monday' and the tradition is thought to be linked to old pagan fertility rites. And of course, many countries around the world are not Christian and so do not celebrate Easter at all, but they often have spring festivals of their own!
Cathy says:
This is great... something to think about while munching your way through all that chocolate, anyway! Do YOU have a favourite Easter tradition? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!
We celebrate Easter in the UK in a variety ways. We might go to church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, or paint hard-boiled eggs, or hunt around the garden for chocolate eggs left by the 'Easter Bunny.' We might have a special family meal, bring spring greenery into the house and if we have spent Lent abstaining from a food like chocolate, cake or sugar, it will be back on the menu now. But what about Easter in other countries?
In SWEDEN, Easter is celebrated on Easter Saturday and the celebration is VERY different. It is believed that witches plan trouble in the run up to Easter and so children dress up as witches with painted red cheeks and painted on freckles and go from door to door handing out drawings and getting sweets in return, a bit like our Halloween!
In ISRAEL, Easter is a very special occasion and pilgrims holding crosses follow the path taken by Jesus on his journey to his death on Calvary. The procession is known as the Way of The Cross. In the PHILIPPINES public whippings and mock crucifixions take place, while children dress as angels to walk through the town at dawn to celebrate the resurrection. COSTA RICA, MEXICO and SRI LANKA all stage dramatic recreations of the crucifixion and resurrection.
Cathy says:
This is great... something to think about while munching your way through all that chocolate, anyway! Do YOU have a favourite Easter tradition? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!
Awesome, I love learning about other cultures traditions (not just for Easter ) it's so interesting. Another one is the Greek (and Polish i think) tradition of knocking red eggs with another person to see who's cracks first. I like eating chocolate Eggs and crafts :)
ReplyDeletei like the water fight thing!
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