Easter Traditions from Around the World

Happy Easter!

Each country has a different history, a different culture and thus – different traditions. While these traditions make everyday life so colorful, they can also be very confusing to outsiders sometimes. One of the best representations of culture is the holiday celebrations and since it’s Easter already, we thought we can dive deep into the amazing world of Easter traditions!

When we think about Easter, what come to mind in the first place are usually egg hunts, chocolate bunnies and festive colors. But did you know that not everyone celebrates the Easter just like that? There are  all sorts of different – and sometimes fascinating – Easter celebrations across the globe and we put together a list of the top 7 Easter traditions from around the world just for you!

7. Haux, France

Every year in the French town of Haux, people come together in the town square to cook a giant omelet for Easter celebrations. And when we say giant, we mean giant. Almost 15.000 eggs are used for the dish and it feeds up to 1000 people! The legend says, when Napoleon was travelling with his army in Southern France, they stopped in a small village for omelets. And he loved the omelet so much that he ordered the villagers to gather every egg they had and cook a giant omelet for his army the next day. We can easily see why this became a tradition. After all, who doesn’t like a delicious French omelet?

6. Australia

Bunnies are such cute animals – unless you live in Australia. Although the general opinion on bunnies is that they are tiny and harmless, in Australia they are actually treated as pests since they jump into the fields and destroy the crops! The Australian farmers are so sick of these hostile attacks that they decided to take a silent stand against the bunny population in the continent in 1991. And ever since then, Australian companies have been producing chocolate bilbies instead of bunnies during Easter. We have to admit that it looks rather adorable!

5. Finland 

Finland may have one of the most colorful Easter celebrations around the globe as Halloween comes early to this Scandinavian country! Every Easter, Finish children dress up as witches and go from door to door asking for chocolate. So, don’t be surprised if you see a lot of tiny faces covered with paint and a scarf around their heads walking along the street one April morning!

4. Norway

We must say that Norway has a very specific way of celebrating Easter. Every year during Easter, people of Norway go to mountain resorts or ranches and spend the whole weekend skiing and reading crime novels. Yes, that is correct. It’s believed to have started in early 1920’s when a book publisher decided to promote its new crime book on the cover of a newspaper and the whole deal received a huge attention. Although it started off as a publicity stunt being widely misunderstood, reading a good crime novel during Easter is a tradition going strong in Norway ever since and we don’t see a single logical reason why it should go away any time soon.

3. Corfu, Greece

To welcome the spring and symbolize the new crops, people of this Greek island throw pots filled with water out of their windows every Easter! And not just pots – pans, containers and all sorts of breakables as well. No one knows exactly where this tradition derives from but the chances are, it comes from Venetian traders who threw their old items out the window as a preparation for new year’s. No matter how it started, we are pretty sure that people don’t really particularly enjoy walking the streets of Corfu during Easter.

2. Florence, Italy

Easter celebrations in Florence is the bomb – literally. Locals of Florence have a 350-year-old tradition to welcome the Easter. People of Florence dress up in festive 15th century costumes and carry a wooden cart filled with tons of fireworks through the streets of the city. Then they park the cart outside Duomo where the Archbishop of Florence lights a fuse which eventually leads to the cart and sparks the fireworks. The meaning behind blowing up a beautiful cart with fireworks is to ensure a good harvest for the spring – and it is a must-see scene too.

1. Slovakia

Out of all the different traditions in this list, Slovakia definitely deserves and honorable mention. Each year, Slovak boys come together and visit girls’ homes – all while armed with a bucket of ice-cold water and a whip! After pouring a whole bucket of water down the girl’s head and gently whipping her, they get chocolate and money in return and move on to the next house. This cherished tradition symbolizes the health and youth for the young girls and is still going pretty strong. Still, it’s not difficult to assume that not all Slovaks enjoy the Easter the same.

With so many different cultures and traditions all around the world, you should work with a language service provider who understands the challenges of the global world and can provide you with high-quality translations throughout your international journey. 

To find out more about our services just call us on +44 (0)1245 216930 or email info@ttcwetranslate.com

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