9 Strange Easter Traditions from Around the World

In Association with First Choice

Easter Traditions in Other Countries

happy easter

I’ve been living in the UK for 15 years now, originally from Canada and for the most part Easter and the traditions around it are fairly similar; people giving up things for Lent, attending church, decorating Easter Eggs, a visit from the Easter Bunny, overindulging in chocolate, making Easter Bonnets and of course you can’t forget the Hot Cross Buns.

For us as a family it’s more about the celebration of the beginning of spring.  We enjoy decorating Easter Eggs and we always have a small Easter Egg Hunt at home and on occasion join in more organised Easter Egg Trails elsewhere. I think it’s the only day of the year she’s allowed to eat chocolate before breakfast.

I always thought the Brits were a bit odd!

However, I have discovered one rather strange Easter Tradition here in the UK and that is the annual Pancake Race on Shrove Tuesday.  Pancake Day wasn’t new to me, as historically people had pancakes to use up all of the rich ingredients such as butter, eggs and sugar that they were giving up for Lent, but competitively racing through the streets with a frying pan definitely was.

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Apparently, this tradition originated when a housewife was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time and when she heard the church bells she ran out of the house still carrying the frying pan.

This got me thinking about other slightly bizarre Easter Traditions around the world.

Luckilly in this day and age it has been easier than ever to reach other countries for Easter, for example First Choice or Thompsons offer flights to countries like Portugal, Spain and Greece, all of which celebrate Easter too.

 

9 Strange Easter Traditions from Around the World

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1) In parts of North East England and Scotland they roll decorated Easter Eggs down a hill to see which one cracks first.

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2) In Poland, they have a tradition of using a mold to create Butter Lamb Sculptures which are presented in decorative bowls or baskets and symbolize the ‘Lamb of God’.

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3) In many places in Greece, including Crete, the children spend the day collecting materials for a bonfire and then after Midnight Mass on the Saturday the light an effigy of Judas.

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4) I don’t fancy being a female in Slovakia.  The girls are chased through the streets while the males whip them with sticks made from willow branches.  Apparently this ensures fertility and beauty.  Sounds a tad barbaric to me.

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5) You won’t find the Easter Bunny in Australia, where bunnies are deemed to be pests, instead you will find Chocolate Bilbies.  Australians use this as an opportunity to build awareness for this endangered species.

6) In Hungary, they are partial to a giant water fight where the men throw water on women dressed in traditional clothes.

7) Easter in Finland, look a lot like Halloween in other parts of the world.  The children scour the streets looking for treats while dressed as witches with brooms.

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8) The Germans take the opportunity to mark the end of winter and beginning of spring by burning their Christmas trees!

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9) And I always thought New Zealanders were gentle easy going people, but instead of an Easter Egg Hunt they partake in The Great Easter Bunny Hunt where hunters join together in teams and shoot as many bunnies as they can.

Some of these look like great fun and others slightly cruel.  I think we’ll stick to eating chocolate and wishing for Spring.

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When I Get Around To it!

My father was a very hard working man.  He was a heavy duty welder who worked in the mines and on the oil rigs.  However, when it came to doing stuff around the house he would always say ‘I’ll do it when I get around to it’.  Guess it was kind of like a busman’s holiday.

So, one day, my Stepmonster, which is what I affectionately call her (do note the sarcasm) presented him with a circular piece of fabric with the TUIT embroidered on the front.  However much I dislike the woman, it was funny, and from that day forward it was on display on the wall near the sink so he could never again say ‘when I get around to it’ as he now had one.

Not in a twisted sort of way but my hubby does remind me of my own father sometimes.  We have a huge list of things that need doing.

May I present my case:

These are the chimney pots that were purchased when I was pregnant with Madame and as you can see they are still not in place and she is 3 and a half!

I put these paint testers on the kitchen wall two and a half years ago and the kitchen is still not painted.  I’ve actually gone off the colours now!

And lastly, but more recent we had our windows replaced a few months ago, which was a disaster in itself.  You can read the whole post here.  We ended up with ply chipboard instead of window blinds for a week; we lived like mushrooms with no light. Unfortunately, the builder hasn’t come back to do the finishing off work so we still haven’t put the last wooden blind back up and the other one is only hung temporarily.  It would be really nice to watch TV without the neighbours being able to peer in.

I could go on and on but no point really.  I should just get on and do it myself or hire someone to do it for me!  Alternatively, I could take up needle point and make him a round TUIT!

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Let’s Table it!

Photo Credit

Tonight we ate around the kitchen table as a family for the first time in a very long time.  Unfortunately, my husband works in the city and normally doesn’t get home till after 7 or 8 so it’s a little late to make Madame wait for her dinner.  So, she often eats on her own in the kitchen with me busying myself in the background.  Then her father and I eat on our laps in front of the TV much later.    I have a feeling that this is the norm for most families.  Sharing meal times seems to be a thing of the past.

I’d be interested to know how often you eat together as a family.

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I’ve been doing a bit of reading and it seems that the benefits of eating together as a family is ten fold.  I’m in no way preaching or trying to make you feel bad, I was just curious. According to the articles I read, families who eat together have a stronger bond, children do better at school, they eat more nutritional meals, they learn how to cook, have better table manners and communication skills and you can save money.

I can’t change my hubbies work schedule and I’m sure this is only going to get more difficult when Madame starts school and a zillion other clubs and activities. However, I’m going to make an effort to eat together as a family on weekends.  I’ve also toyed with the idea of having breakfast together but I’m not a morning person.

Can someone remind me about this post the next time I order a Curry on a Saturday Night?