Hop on a Global Adventure: Explore Unique Easter Traditions from Around the World
Spring is in the air, and with it comes the delightful and diverse celebrations of Easter! It’s a time when traditions bring together communities, families, and friends, each with their own special ways of marking this religious holiday.
So, hop along with us to uncover some fascinating facts about unique Easter traditions and learn how easter is celebrated around the world.
Britain: Maypole dancing and hot cross buns
In Britain, Easter is often marked by the vibrant traditions of maypole dancing. Picture this: A large pole with long, colourful ribbons attached, dancers weave colourful patterns around each other while a local village band plays music. This unusual tradition has been a key part of Easter celebrations for centuries!
Tasty treats also play a key role in British Easter celebrations. Hot cross buns are delicious, raisin-filled spiced buns that are decorated with a cross to represent Christ’s crucifixion. These delightful treats are usually served toasted and buttered, and of course, are best enjoyed with a classically British cup of tea!
Bermuda: A sky full of colour
On Bermuda’s sunny beaches, locals young and old, create (or buy) kites and fly them on Good Friday . These kites come in a variety of different colours and shapes, but they all incorporate crosses as a part of their structure.
This is thought to have stemmed from a teacher’s fun idea to use a kite to teach their students about Christ’s resurrection, and it soon became a well-loved tradition.
America: The White House egg roll
The Easter egg roll at the White House is an Easter tradition dating back to 1878. Children use large spoons to roll brightly coloured hard-boiled eggs across the gardens of the White House in Washington DC.
Egg rolling has always been a fun family activity at Easter, with locals using the Capitol grounds before it was banned by the Congress. As a result, President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the South Lawn for this event (where it is still held to this day) as a beloved part of the White House Easter celebrations.
France: An omelette feast!
Easter in France comes with an egg-citing twist! Every year, residents in the town of Bessières will gather on Easter Monday to cook a giant omelette – using around 15,000 eggs and feeding up to 1,000 people!
This Easter tradition supposedly began when Napoleon tried an omelette for the first time. He purportedly enjoyed it so much that he ordered a huge one to be made to feed his entire army, starting a tradition that continues to delight taste buds to this day.
Sweden and Finland: Charms for chocolate eggs
In Sweden and Finland, children engage in a Halloween-like tradition for Easter; dressing up and painting their faces with rosy cheeks and freckles. Then they go door-to-door, offering drawings, and paintings and reciting rhymes to ward away evil witches in exchange for chocolate eggs and other treats.
Norway: Crime fiction and skiing
Easter in Norway might surprise you – it’s all about crime books and TV shows! Back in 1923, publishers made a clever newspaper advertisement for a crime novel called “Bergen Train Looted in the Night.”
The advertisement was designed to look like a news headline and was so convincing that many readers believed it was real news – making the book a hit!
Now, it’s common for the people of Norway to spend the Easter holidays skiing and immersing themselves in crime thrillers, be it in books or on TV, making for a uniquely thrilling Easter.
Guatemala: Artistic Easter carpets
In Guatemala, the streets are filled with colourful carpets, offering a vibrant and visual treat! These carpets are beautiful works of art created by locals, made from flowers, brightly coloured sawdust, fruits and vegetables. Created in just 24 hours, these carpets are a breathtaking addition to their Easter parade.
The Easter parade in Guatemala is an important part of the holiday and is a beautiful blend of faith and art. It’s a big, slow-moving march through the streets. Floats of religious scenes move slowly over the vibrant carpets and the air is filled with the scent of incense, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Australia: The Easter Bilby
While chocolate bunnies are loved worldwide, Australia has its own special Easter treat – the chocolate Easter Bilby! Here’s the interesting part: In Australia, rabbits are not seen as cute Easter symbols. Instead, they are considered pests that cause problems for the environment.
To create a more positive and environmentally friendly Easter tradition, Australians introduced the chocolate Bilby. The bilby is a much-loved and endangered species native to Australia – so this is a delicious way to celebrate Easter and help save a local animal.
Eggs-plore the English language this Easter!
Easter isn’t just about chocolate eggs and bunnies; it’s a celebration of unique religious traditions from every corner of the world. And what’s more exciting than learning about these traditions? Talking about them!
Let’s make this Easter an eggs-traordinary start to your language-learning adventure. Check out our English language courses, and perhaps by next Easter, you’ll be the one sharing these facts about Easter in perfect English with your friends and family.
