Soon, all Christians around the world will celebrate Easter, which is considered one of the greatest religious holidays. There are so many reasons why most of us look forward to this special day. First of all, it is a wonderful time when we gather with our friends and relatives to enjoy a festive and cheerful atmosphere in our homes.
The main idea of this marvelous holiday is Jesus Christ’s resurrection and the beginning of new life. Easter is something more than just numerous sweet cakes, painted eggs, and chocolate bunnies for some people.
To realize all the significance of this religious event, they keep fasting, which traditionally starts 40 days before Good Friday. When finally Easter comes, many people attend early church services, and then they regale themselves with various tasty foods and have fun with their families.
It seems that we know everything about Easter and its celebration. However, there are some interesting and unusual Easter traditions from different countries that will certainly surprise you. Please take a look at the list below to get more information about them.
1. Let Them Eat Egg
Eggs have become an indispensable part of our festive menu at Easter. Traditionally, we paint them and use them to decorate our Easter table or other places in our home.
Besides, chocolate eggs are trendy these days, and they are generally served as a dessert on this day. Perhaps you’ll be astonished to know that the omelet is the dish number one cooked to celebrate this unique holiday in some countries.
For example, this is one of the biggest Easter traditions that are observed across France. Many festivals are organized in the central squares of most towns where people cook a huge omelet using about 5000 eggs, and as a result, this dish is enough to feed almost 1,000 people.
2. Don’t Let Men Knead the Dough
Easter bread is a traditional and the most popular food that represents the sacred meaning of the holiday. All the women are expected to bake this sweet and delicious cake for their family members. There is such a tradition in Poland that men are forbidden to make Easter bread as it is believed that the dough will not rise when they knead it.
More: 7 Easter Foods That Are Popular around the World
3. Lords of the Dance
If you go to the small town of Bacup situated in the North of England, you’ll have an incredible opportunity to discover another unusual Easter tradition. All the visitors can watch the Nutter’s Dance on Easter Saturday. Despite the strange name this dance has, you will not see any mad people there.
At first, this strange tradition appeared in the town in the 18th century. Here you will be fascinated with a fantastic folk dance performed by a group of men dressed in skirted black, white and red costumes with special garlands on their necks.
Usually, there is the Whiffler in front of the dancers who cracks his whip. It is believed that in such a way, he will ward off evil spirits. This dance is considered to come from Moorish sailors who settled on that territory a long time ago. But nobody can explain why this event happens on Easter Saturday.
4. Domestic Violence Is Good for You
If you are greatly concerned about your health and beauty, this funny Easter tradition is exactly for you. It is most popular in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. Easter Monday is when the men can pour water on girls and even spank them with a willow whip.
People of these countries are strongly convinced that this tradition will help them become more beautiful and healthier. It should be mentioned that most countries where an Orthodox population prevails tend to keep this celebration. We can notice slight differences in certain areas.
5. Beware Greeks Throwing Pots
Because Easter is the most significant holiday in the Orthodox calendar, dozens of festivals are held in Greece during Easter time. If you are eager to see this country’s most interesting and weird traditions, you’d better go to Corfu, where the citizens throw their pots and crockery out of the windows.
You should be extremely careful while going near their houses as it can be dangerous to your health. You can witness this strange tradition on Easter Saturday. What is the origin of such an unusual behavior Greeks demonstrate every year? Unfortunately, you will not find any clear explanation of this odd tradition as there are several theories concerning it.
For instance, some people claim that by throwing pots out of their homes, they reject Judas, while others believe that this tradition will help them get rid of evil. The rest of the Greeks are sure this custom symbolizes the change of the season, so they must be ready for spring and summer without old things in their houses.
6. Reading Detectives
I think this is the strangest Easter tradition I’ve ever heard about. Even if you are not interested in Norway and its culture, I advise you to get more information about this unusual custom. Do you know that in this country Easter is a bank holiday celebrated for 5 days? All the shops and state offices are closed at this time.
Consequently, Norwegians stay at home with their families, and they can’t find any other way to celebrate Easter but to read plenty of detective stories. You shouldn’t expect to see anything different on TV these days because crime thrillers are frequently broadcasted on every channel. And finally, you’ll be surprised to see juice or milk cartons with printed mystery stories on their sides.
More: 9 Easy and Budget-Friendly Easter Decoration Ideas
7. Egg Knocking
It is typical of most Christian countries to practice the lucky egg game on Easter. To my mind, this activity is worth trying in every family, especially if you have kids, as it will bring them joy and pleasure.
For this, you need to make hardboiled eggs and try to break them in all possible ways. If you have an unbroken egg at the end of this game, you will be lucky and happy throughout the next year.
Every country performs this cheerful tradition in its own special way, and this game has different names around the world. Though, egg knocking or egg tapping is the most widely used word for this activity.
Certainly, these are not the only Easter traditions observed worldwide, but they seem to be really surprising. As for me, I usually prefer to celebrate this great holiday with lots of chocolate and my favorite sweet and delicious Easter bread.
How do you celebrate this special event? Are there any Easter traditions you practice with your family? Which of them is your favorite one?
