11 Best Easter Traditions from Around the World

11 Best Easter Traditions from Around the World
Did you know that Easter egg hunt and egg dye are not the only traditions? There are many more customs that people from all over the world follow during Holy week and on Easter. While sending Easter lilies, bunny chocolates, and fruit baskets are the to-do things on the list, there are plenty more ways you can make this day enjoyable. So, check out the 11 best Easter traditions from around the world for some inspiration for your holiday.

Eat a Giant Omelette 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Eat a Giant Omelette  Source: GIPHY[/caption] If you are travelling to Haux, a southern French town, you better pack a fork and knife. Each year on Easter Monday, the townspeople gather to eat a giant omelette made of more than 1500 eggs. It can feed up to 1,000 people, so you can imagine just how huge it is. The history behind this traditional Easter food is that Napoleon and his army were travelling through South France and stopped by this town and ate omelettes. He liked it so much that he ordered the townsfolk to make a huge one the next day for his army.

Seek Blessings

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="407"]Seek Blessings Source: GIPHY[/caption] In the Vatican City, on Easter Sunday, a huge crowd from all over the world gathers in St. Peter's Square. They await for the pope to come to the church's balcony and bestow blessings upon all his subjects. It is known as Urbi et Orbi, translated 'To the city (of Rome) and to the world'. Many pilgrims also attend a church service at Garden Tomb, for it is believed that is where Jesus was buried. This could probably be considered one of the soberest and best Easter traditions in the world.

Fireworks Display 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Fireworks Display  Source: GIPHY[/caption] Florence, Italy celebrates Easter in an old-fashioned yet stylish manner. They stick to their 350-year old history of Easter traditions, known as 'Scoppio del Carro' or 'explosion of the cart'. An elaborately decorated cart giving vintage vibes, packed with fireworks is led through the streets. With people dressed in 15th-century costumes, they witness the Archbishop of Florence light a fuse that leads the cart to spark colourful fireworks.

Adorn Easter Trees with Tobacco

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="488"]Adorn Easter Trees with Tobacco Source: GIPHY[/caption] One of the best Easter traditions the folks of Papua New Guinea could come up with is decorating trees and branches outside the church with tobacco and cigarettes. The reason- it is too warm out there for them to keep the chocolate from melting.

Create Outdoor Carpets 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="519"]Create Outdoor Carpets  Source: GIPHY[/caption] Antigua in the Caribbean region has a very interesting history of Easter traditions. A few days before the Good Friday procession, several artists and regular folks start preparing carpets. They make long carpets of fruits, flowers, sawdust, sand, and vegetables. With different art forms ranging from the Mayan times to Guatemalan history. Some of these carpets are as long as half a mile. That's incredible!

Watch Reenactments of the Crucifixion 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="407"]Watch Reenactments of the Crucifixion  Source: GIPHY[/caption] The habitants of the Philippines are mostly catholic, so they take their traditional Easter games and customs very seriously. A few people in San Pedro Cutud in the northern Philippines are nailed to the cross in honour of Jesus's crucifixion. Despite the Catholic church's disapproval of this practice, large crows from all over the world come to see the reenactment. In Mexico, most of the holy week celebrations include a dramatic show of the capture, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. They considered it a matter of great pride and honour to be a part of the production and show.

Binge on Easter Bilby 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="364"]Binge on Easter Bilby  Source: GIPHY[/caption] In Australia, the traditional Easter food for chocolates is not a rabbit. It is Bilby! The reason- in 1991, Australia launched a campaign to replace the Easter bunny with a rabbit-eared bandicoot because they see rabbits as pests. So, now companies produce chocolate bilbies for Easter celebrations.

Splash Water 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="519"]Splash Water  Source: GIPHY[/caption] As part of the traditional Easter games and customs, the Greek island of Corfu witnesses people throwing out pans, pots, and earthenwares with water in them. They are thrown out the window with water smashing on the streets. It is believed to act as a welcome of spring, and the pots will contain new summer crops. Poland has a similar yet different type of history of Easter traditions, called Śmigus-dyngus, also called wet Monday. They pour water on one another with squirt guns, buckets, or anything they can get their hands on. Whereas, Hungry follows the best Easter traditions, wherein boys playfully sprinkle perfume or perfumed water on girls (with their permission). They believe that water has a cleaning, fertility-inducing, and healing effect. This tradition is called sprinkling or ducking Monday.

Take Part in Bunny Hunts 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="448"]Take Part in Bunny Hunts  Source: GIPHY[/caption] Every year in New Zealand, hundreds of hunters gather for the annual Great Easter Bunny Hunt. This hunt takes place in a town in Central Otago District. The reason for this hunt is to help reduce the population of the rabbits that have been plaguing farms in that region. Also, their rising population is negatively affecting biodiversity.

Wear Costumes 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="405"]Wear Costumes  Source: GIPHY[/caption] Young kids, especially girls in Finland, dress up as Easter witches. They wear bright clothes and paint freckles on their cheeks. They then go door to door with decorative willow twigs in crepe paper and feathers. Now, that's one of the best Easter traditions.

Fly Kites 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="407"] Fly Kites  Source: GIPHY[/caption] One of the jolliest traditional Easter games and customs are observed in Bermuda. The citizens gather at Horseshoe Bay to show off their homemade vibrant kites and kite flying skills. They make it even more interesting by adding competitions to the festival. Throughout the weekend they binge on their traditional Easter food- codfish and hot cross buns.

About the author

Gurnika Talwar

Gurnika Talwar is FNP’s marketing and creative content writer and has been with the firm since 2020. She is based in Delhi, India and has been in this field for 2+ years.
She started her journey as a freshman but since then has created content on several mediums. With blogging on gift ideas, food, gardening tips and whatnot as her primary goal, she has also curated content for social media and brand films. As a storyteller, she creates original, genuine, and relatable content to connect with the mass. Besides work, you’ll find her chit-chatting about movies or making sarcastic jokes.