As expats living in a new country, my family and I have trouble deciding which Easter or Christmas traditions we will use. Will we use the ones of our home country, those of the land we currently call home or maybe embrace something new. This led us on a exploration of Easter customs from various corners of the globe, inspiring us to embrace diversity and cultivate new traditions that resonate with us.
Different countries and cultures celebrate Easter in a myriad of unique and meaningful ways. From religious ceremonies to festive gatherings and culinary delights, each tradition offers something new and unique. Join me in this tour of Easter traditions around the world. Lets discover the beauty of cultural diversity and find inspiration for our own family rituals.
- United States: In the United States, Easter Sunday is often marked by Easter egg hunts, where children search for colorful eggs hidden in gardens or parks. We have decided to include this into our Easter traditions few years ago. This year there will be two of them searching for chocolate eggs around the house and garden.
- Spain: Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is celebrated with elaborate processions featuring religious floats, marching bands, and participants dressed in traditional robes. In cities like Seville and Malaga, these processions are a deeply ingrained part of the Easter experience.
- Greece: Greek Orthodox Easter, known as Pascha, is celebrated with midnight church services, candlelight processions, and feasting on traditional dishes like lamb, tsoureki (sweet bread), and dyed red eggs symbolizing Christ’s blood.
- Poland: In Poland, Śmigus-Dyngus, also known as Wet Monday, is a playful Easter tradition where people engage in water fights and douse each other with water to symbolize cleansing and renewal.
- Australia: Down Under, Easter is celebrated with outdoor barbecues, beach outings, and the iconic Easter Bilby, an alternative to the Easter Bunny created to raise awareness about endangered native species.
- Sweden: In Sweden, children dress up as Easter witches, or påskkärringar, and go door to door exchanging drawings and paintings for candy, a tradition known as Påskkäringar.
- Brazil: In Brazil, Easter is celebrated with religious processions, street performances, and the traditional dish of bacalhau (salted cod), reflecting the country’s strong Catholic heritage.
- Italy: In Italy, Easter Monday, or Pasquetta, is celebrated with picnics and outdoor excursions to enjoy the spring weather and beautiful scenery.
- India: In parts of India with Christian communities, Easter is celebrated with church services, feasting, and the exchange of colorful Easter eggs.
- Croatia: In Croatia Holy week starts on Palm Sunday, week before Easter. We start this morning by washing our face in water with flowers, which is honestly our favourite Easter tradition. I remember it kindly from the years when I was the kid. Looking for the flowers, putting them in the water and in the morning waking up and washing our face. Now, Emily enjoys it as much as I did. For Easter sunday in Croatia we paint eggs, most people still use the old way of paiting them with red onion.
I love all of these Easter traditions, and will happy add elements into our own family tradition. We will continue our Palm Sunday tradition, on Saturday we will paint the eggs with kids and bake some yummy Easter treats, and on Sunday enjoy the Easter egg hunt and finish the day enjoy the bbq with our family. What is your tradition?
Happy Easter!