7 Curious Easter Traditions Around the World

For many of us Easter means being close to our most loved ones, resting or travelling to a new place and eating lots of chocolate bunnies, eggs and whatnot. Yet did you know that in some other places of the world Easter is celebrated in curious ways, such as dressing up as witches, self-flagellation or even getting crucified, walking the town barefoot and decorating trees with eggs?

Painted eggs championships in Romania

In Romania people normally spend Easter with the family. If you ever get invited to a Romanian Easter lunch, it will remind you of the North American Thanksgiving dinner. The traditional Easter meal has 4-5 courses and includes a sour soup called ciorba, salad, pickles, roasted lamb stake, a meat pie made of lamb liver and lots of fresh parsley, called drob and lots of painted eggs. By far the most entertaining Easter tradition in Romania is the egg battle, an egg championship in which all friends and family participate. Each round of the game consists of knocking two hard-boiled eggs the egg with the toughest shell wins and the looser has to eat all the boiled eggs the winner breaks. On Easter Morning everyone in the family traditionally wash their face with the water in which a red-painted egg and a silver coin were sunk. The red egg symbolizes health and the silver purity.

Easter Trick or Treat in Sweden

In Sweden, children dress up as pskkrringar (Easter hags), they paint their faces, carry a broom and go knock on neighbours doors for treats, much like North American children do for Halloween. For Easter, the Swedish decorate their houses with willow or birch twigs and eat a smrgsbord, a buffet-style meal that includes various dished, such as herring, salmon, potatoes, eggs, meatballs, sausages etc.

Bonfires and Mmmi in Finland

The Finnish believe that evil spirits roam free on the Saturday before Easter, reason for which they light bonfires and dress up as witches. On Sunday children go looking for the chocolate eggs their parents and family members have hidden around the house (the gardens are still covered in snow).

Another sweet Finnish tradition is eating Mmmi, a baked desert made of powdered orange peel, dark molasses and rye flour. The preparation takes hours and needs to be chilled for three to four days before it can be served cold, with milk or cream and sugar. Mmmi is mentioned for the first time in the 16th century and it is believed to originate from either medieval Germany or Iran.

Self-flagellation and self-crucifixions in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the Holy Week is commemorated with street processions and a traditional play called Sinakulo. During the processions, some devotees will self-flagellate and even have themselves crucified, as a way to share Christs pain. On Sunday catholic carry palm leaves to church to be blessed; they will later use these leaves to decorate their homes.

Lamb leg shaped cake and egg trees in Germany

Easter celebrations start on the Holy Thursday, called Grndonnerstag, when the tradition says you can only eat green things. One of the famous dishes is the seven herbs soup, containing watercress, dandelion, chives, parsley, leek greens, sorrel and spinach. For dessert, there are lots of chocolate eggs, but also Osterlamm, a lamb-shaped cake dusted with confectioners sugar. This dessert is also popular in Alsace. The Germans decorate their trees with colored eggs. These Easter trees, or the Osterstrauch fill the streets and gardens of colour announcing the arrival of spring.

The whipping devils from Salvador

In the town of Texistepeque, El Salvador, the talcigines is a strange tradition following the strictest Catholic rites, revisited by the native paganism. Men dressed as devils, called talcigines roam the streets whipping spectators and passersby. This battle symbolizes the struggle undertaken by Jesus against temptation. Before the morning is over, the talcigines admit defeat before Jesus and fall to the ground in submission. They remain for many hours under the burning sun of midday.

The masked men of Spain

In many cities of Spain and especially in Andalusia, brotherhoods hold processions and dramatic performances that carry the Cross of Christ. The participants wear penitential robes and pointed tip hoods and conceal their face behind a mask. Called nazarenos, the participants walk the city barefoot and sometimes wear chains on their feet as penance.