EASTERS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD
Easter is one of the most important and most popular holidays besides Christmas, which is celebrated by Christians and people all over the world with their friends and family. We all know that Easter is always associated with Easter bunnies and colorfully-decorated eggs, but did you know that these things symbolize fertility, renewal, and new life? Every part of the world has unique holiday traditions, including Easter traditions based on their culture and history. Now, we’re going to discover together three unique Easter traditions around the world that maybe you haven’t heard of before. Let’s take a look below!
- Corfu, Greece
Image source: https://www.windventures.gr/windventures-blog/easter-in-corfu/
On the morning of Easter Saturday, when the clock strikes precisely at 11 am, residents of Corfu will throw red clay pots known as “Botides” from their balconies onto the street. This unique event is performed to symbolize the earthquake that followed the “First Resurrection” of Jesus Christ. Besides its religious meaning, this event also has a traditional background where the locals welcome spring by disposing of old pots so new ones can be used to gather the season’s crops. Many locals and visitors went here to experience this unique Easter tradition.
- Bessières, France
Image source: https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/culture-loisirs/video-l-omelette-geante-degustee-par-6-000-personnes-a-bessieres-1555955179
Residents of Bessières in southwest France will gather volunteers to make a giant omelet with 15.000 eggs and cook them in a frying pan with a diameter of 4 meters on Easter Monday each year. Based on the information gained, this tradition requires 50 people in the making process, and it took around 90 minutes to break all the eggs & half an hour to cook them. The omelet will be eaten by locals and visitors since it can feed up to 10.000 people. There’s a historical reason behind this tradition. It is said to have begun when Napolèon Bonaparte passed through the town with his army, and he ate an omelet so delicious that he ordered the whole town to prepare the same but enormous one for his army the next day.
- Finland
Pic source: https://www.gofinland.fi/blog/easter-in-finland/
This tradition will probably make you wonder if it’s an Easter tradition because it seems like a perfect way to celebrate Halloween. Children in Finland will dress up as witches and go door-to-door with their decorated willow twigs reciting: “Virvon, varvon, tuoreeks terveeks, tulevaks vuodeks; vitsa sulle, palkka mulle,” which is a wish for a healthy year in exchange for a chocolate egg or coin. In Western parts of Finland, large bonfires are lit on Holy Saturday to ward off the evil witches and spirits that are believed to roam around the streets before Easter. Locals believed that the more smoke and sparks, the better it could prevent the witches from harming people.
Image source: https://www.enicbcmed.eu/easter
There you go for three unique Easter traditions around the world. Which one of these traditions fascinates you the most? Are you interested in taking part in one of these Easter traditions? Overall, the most popular Easter activities around the world are Easter egg hunts and decorating Easter eggs. Each tradition around the world is unique in its own way, and through these Easter traditions, people can pass their culture from generation to generation. The most important thing is how Easter can gather people with their loved ones and spend time together to make new memories.
References:
Easter in Corfu | Blue Tours Corfu. (n.d.). Blue Tours Corfu. Retrieved March 26, 2022, from https://www.bluetours.gr/blog/easter-in-corfu
Fahey, D. (2017, April 14). French village to make omelette with 15,000 eggs on Easter Monday. Lonely Planet. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/french-village-omelette-15000-eggs-easter
Jaakkola, S. (2017, March 22). Easter in Finland is filled with witches, fun traditions and flavours. Gofinland Blog. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.gofinland.fi/blog/easter-in-finland/
RFahey, D. (2017, April 14). French village to make omelette with 15,000 eggs on Easter Monday. Lonely Planet. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/french-village-omelette-15000-eggs-easter
Jaakkola, S. (2017, March 22). Easter in Finland is filled with witches, fun traditions and flavours. Gofinland Blog. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.gofinland.fi/blog/easter-in-finland/