Painting eggs, Easter basket, bunnies, Wet (Easter) Monday! It is a colorful and joyful time when we can usually meet with family and loved ones. However, if you are spending it abroad, it is worth getting acquainted with the Easter traditions of the country of emigration to make this special time more pleasant. Get to know Easter traditions in Europe!
Easter in Germany – Easter traditions in Germany
The first thing that may surprise foreigners during Christmas in Germany is the lack of strict fasting on Good Friday. On Holy Saturday, bonfires are lit in front of the churches, and then the clergy perform the blessing of the fire. This is a much more popular custom than the blessing of food.
German Easter Bread (Osterbrot) – A traditional German dessert
At Sunday breakfast, there is a custom of banging eggs. It’s a joyful game in which the player whose egg survives the longest, wins. Another important fun, especially for children, is to look for sweets that have been hidden in the garden or in the house by the Easter bunny.
Easter Monday in the western neighboring countries is the time to visit family and friends, and Wet (Easter) Monday is not celebrated then. Germans also paint eggs, but it is not as a popular tradition as in Eastern countries – an Easter bouquet is prepared more often, which consists of green twigs decorated with eggshells.
Ostermärsche – are peace marches on the occasion of Easter, organized in Germany since the 1960s. The tradition comes from England and these marches are annual actions for peace. Participants regularly request, among other things, strengthening the position of the UN, eliminating weapons of mass destruction and even abandoning nuclear energy.
Easter in the Netherlands – Easter traditions in the Netherlands
For most Dutch people, Easter is primarily an opportunity to spend time with the family, and cultivate various customs and traditions. During this Holiday season, all houses are decorated with beautiful floral decorations, composed mainly of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils.
Also popular are twigs with the so-called catkins, with pendants in the shape of bunnies, eggs and lambs. An interesting custom, loved by children, is looking for chocolate eggs hidden in the garden. As in Germany, in the Netherlands, eggs are also cracked during the Easter breakfast.
It is also worth knowing that for over 30 years, the Dutch have been delivering to Rome thousands of tulips, to decorate the St. Peter’s square. What is important, in the Netherlands, Wet (Easter) Monday is not celebrated!
Easter traditions in Denmark
On Easter holiday, Danish people decorate their houses in yellow and green colors. There also often appear floral decorations made of daffodils and colorful Easter eggs.
An interesting tradition is the Holiday letter writing – children write short, anonymous poems to family members or friends, and the task of the recipients is to guess from whom the letter is. Each letter is “signed” with as many dots as the number of letters in the sender’s name.
During this holiday, relatives give each other eggs – today most often chocolates, although Easter eggs are still a very important symbol of Danish Easter. An important point of the holiday is a joint feast attended by the family and friends. Served then are herring and other fish, eggs, meat and cheese, and the table is decorated with daffodils.
Easter in Spain
These holidays are a unique experience for the Spanish people, and their way of celebration delights many people around the world. It is celebrated in homes and churches, as well as in the streets of cities and villages.
This is done through numerous processions in which the majority of the inhabitants participate. Parades are extremely colorful – participants often dress up for this occasion. However, they are not devoid of seriousness and reverie due to the message of Easter.
During Holy Week, Spanish people also meet at many other events, such as playing drums together (in Aragon) or watching the self-flagellation of martyrs (in La Roja).
The most popular holiday dishes are torrijas, i.e. a sweet bread dish, cod in tomatoes and spinach with chickpeas. One of the most important traditions of this holiday is the Easter monkey, i.e. a yeast cake with an egg inside – it is most often given to children.
Mona de pasqua – Spanish cake with an egg baked for Easter
Cofradías – members of brotherhoods, dressed in characteristic clothes in appropriate colors, are the main attraction of the grand Easter parades in Spain. This event is accompanied by great joy of the participants, also expressed in the dance! Spanish people celebrate everywhere: both in churches and on the streets of big cities.
Easter in Italy
Easter is a time that Italians most often spend with friends and in the bosom of nature. Picnics or one-day trips to the seaside are popular on Holy Saturday or Holy Monday. Easter for many, often becomes a short holiday. Italian Easter traditions are not as celebrated as they were years ago.
Still, the usual dishes of this period are eggs and lamb. In some regions, children play Punta e Cul, a game similar to the aforementioned egg fight, or look for eggs in a haystack. Easter in Italy is no longer so strongly religious – it is rather a time of rest in the company of loved ones. Easter in Italy is no longer so strongly religious – it is rather a leisure time in the company of loved ones.
Cassata siciliana – Traditional Easter cake from Palermo and Messina
Colomba – dove in Italian, as well as the name of a traditional cake that Italians buy or bake themselves on the occasion of Easter. It is a fluffy cake, stuffed with nuts and dried fruit, almonds and chocolate in the shape of the aforementioned dove. The tradition of this baking dates back to the 6th century!
Other interesting facts about Easter in European countries
Chasse aux œufs – traditional Belgian egg hunts. This fun is first of all aimed at the youngest, but who said that adults can’t have fun? Participants have to find chocolate eggs hidden in the grass, in bushes or on trees. They can take home all the sweets they hunt!
Hot Cross Buns – small buns with spices, usually filled with currants or raisins. At the top, they must be decorated with the sign of the cross – so is the tradition! These are buns baked in Anglo-Saxon countries, including Great Britain, Ireland and Australia. They are eaten on Good Friday.
Hot Cross Buns – Traditional buns from Anglo-Saxon countries
Påskkäringar – “Easter witches”, which Scandinavian girls dress up as on Holy Saturday. They paint their faces, take brooms and go from house to house asking for sweets and Easter eggs. Imageries of witches can be bought just before Easter in almost every shop!
Egg Rolling – egg rolling races held in the north of Great Britain. You need to roll the egg down the hill as quickly as possible and without breaking the shell, the one that stops the farthest – wins! This tradition has also reached overseas – such a party is organized every year by the American presidential couple on the lawn of the White House.
Påskkris – birch twigs decorated with colorful pepper or feathers. You can buy them ready-made in Swedish flower shops or markets or decorate them yourself. Twigs are related to the belief in the human power to hasten the arrival of spring.
Braids – braided from willow twigs, with which young Czechs during the Easter period are supposed to whip girls for whom they have warm feelings. The girls first pour water on admirers, and then run away from braids!
Reunite with your family for Easter!
Easter traditions and customs in Europe are certainly interesting and worth knowing. Let us remember, however, that Easter time is a special moment that we can happily spend with our loved ones, even if we use technology to connect with them. Therefore, let the time of the upcoming Easter be a moment of respite and leisure for you – away from the hustle and bustle of life and everyday problems.
We wish you nice moments so that after this happy time, you return to your duties and work with doubled strength and enthusiasm.
Happy Easter!
