Eаster traditions in different countries

The water battle may not seem like the most typical Easter tradition to you, but this is exactly how this holiday is celebrated in many parts of Poland. On Easter Monday, the Poles arrange a merry mess called "smigus-dyngus". Traditionally, boys should splash water on girls, but nowadays anyone can become a victim of a bucket of water, water guns and water balloons. In the centers of large cities, such as Krakow and Warsaw, everyone swills everyone, so keep that in mind. In many households, Easter Sunday begins with a breakfast of eggs, sausages, and lamb-shaped muffins.

 

In Sweden, Easter is closely associated with folk traditions and beliefs. So, one of the main symbols of the holiday here is Easter old women with brooms, considered witches, but kinder. Today, children in Sweden dress up as old women, they go from house to house, congratulate their neighbors on the holiday, give homemade postcards and receive treats for it. The main decoration of the house for Easter are bouquets of alder and birch branches, which are usually decorated with bright feathers.

 

In England, Easter is even more important than Christmas. Before Easter, all schools in the country close for two weeks. The Easter service ends at midnight. After that, everyone congratulates each other on the end of Lent and the beginning of a new life. Churches are decorated with tree branches with swollen buds, daffodils and painted eggs. After the Easter service, it is customary to spend time with the family, eat Easter cake and treat each other with chocolate eggs.

 

In addition to painted Easter eggs, the Germans have other symbols of the holiday. For example, the Easter Bunny, which is believed to bring colored eggs to children. Germany is considered the birthplace of the Easter Bunny. There is another symbol – an Easter tree decorated with eggs. And in Germany, there is still an old custom – the traditional horse procession.

 

In Denmark, Easter is celebrated less grandiose than Christmas. As in Germany, the main holiday symbol is the Easter Bunny bringing treats to children, and popular characters also include the lamb and the chicken. Their figures are made of caramel, sugar or white chocolate. It is customary for the Danes to brew a special kind of beer and set the meat table. Some beer makers even put Easter symbols on the cans to create a festive atmosphere. The Danes have been preparing for the religious holiday since Thursday, and only by Tuesday are they ready to return to work.

 

Each Spanish region has its own traditions, but nothing compares to the world-famous processions in the southern region of Andalusia. In particular, one of the longest and most crowded processions in Spain takes place in Seville. Every year, thousands of tourists from all over the world come here to see the elaborate costumes, masks and decorated wagons, as well as the participants – the members of local religious brotherhoods in their "capirota", high cone-shaped caps with holes for the eyes, completely covering the face.

 

Thousands of people in Italy gather in the Vatican to listen to the speech of the Pope on Good Friday, but in Florence on Easter Sunday there is a celebration of a completely different kind. "Explosion of the wagon" – scoppio del carro – is a tradition that is about three centuries old. Wreathed white oxen drag a huge wagon through the streets of the city, followed by soldiers, musicians and procession participants in 15th-century costumes. When the procession reaches the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the wagon is set on fire and a grandiose fireworks display begins, which symbolizes a good harvest, good luck in life and success in business.

 

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