Easter is a holiday most Christians know and recognize each year. For those who celebrate in America, Easter is a time to celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Children look forward to hunting for eggs in the backyard to find little candies or toys inside from the Easter Bunny. While this is a tradition that many experienced when we were younger, some countries such as Germany, France, and Mexico, have different traditions or ways of celebrating their own Easter.
In France, Easter traditions are somewhat similar to those in America. In Strasbourg, Holy Week, the week before Easter, is a time where people commit to “Osterputz,” which means spring cleaning. This tradition involves a deep cleaning of homes, as well as participating in organized street cleaning. In Brittany (Western France), the bells in the church are silenced on the Thursday before Easter, called “Maundy Thursday.”
“It is believed that the church bells are silenced to ‘fly’ to Rome to be blessed by the Pope,” said Laurie Van Gorp, French teacher. “When they return on Sunday, the bells ring again and they bring Easter eggs for the children.”
So, instead of the Easter Bunny bringing the eggs, it is the church bells that do! Lastly, lamb is the traditional Easter meal in France, while in America ham is most popular.
Just like in France, Germans eat lamb, they eat a cake in the shape of a lamb. This is to represent Jesus as the “lamb of God.” Germans also decorate their Easter eggs.
“Germans put a hole in the egg and blow out the insides to make it hollow,” said Brian Maloney, German teacher. “They paint them, then tie them to a ribbon and hang them on a tree.”
Mexico also does something different with their eggs on Easter. As an alternative to hunting eggs, Mexico has confetti eggs called cascarones. Mexicans will hide them in their hands and when the time is right, they crack one on someone else’s head unexpectedly. But don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt!
Mexico doesn’t have an Easter egg hunt or an Easter bunny, and neither does Spain or any other Spanish-speaking country. Instead, Mexicans focus more on their religion and Christ’s resurrection. Many Mexicans attend weekly masses, called “las misas” on Holy Week. Churches are beautifully decorated with flowers and candles, and parades and processions are popular. Just days prior to Easter is Good Friday, Mexicans host a visual representation of Christ carrying the cross. This representation is one that hundreds attend to and is broadcast on TV.
Whether the Easter Bunny or church bells bring eggs to your home, Easter is a time to celebrate Christ rising from the dead in many countries. It is a time to spend with family and friends, eat some ham or lamb, and to join together to celebrate the traditions we have grown up with.
