Easter centres on the renewal of life, and certain elements like eggs, flowers and feasting can be found in celebrations everywhere. However, some Easter traditions are purely regional, and an exploration of these can yield a few surprises.
In Sweden, children dress up as witches and trolls with pointed hats and face-paint freckles, going door to door and asking for candy to fill their Easter baskets. Finnish children also follow this tradition, but they carry birch or willow twigs with them as they go, decorated with bright paper streamers. When the door is opened to their knock, each child recites a poem of good wishes before the homeowner rewards them with treats.
In many parts of northwestern Europe, Easter is welcomed with festive outdoor bonfires. Neighbours gather around these fires to burn their leftover Christmas trees and share food, drink and song. The fires are lit at dusk on Good Saturday and Easter Sunday, and in the Netherlands, there are even contests related to the fires. One such contest is for the highest fire, and the current record is held by a fire that achieved 45 metres in height.
A bilby is a native Australian marsupial, which looks a bit like a rabbit with a long tail and a very pointy nose. Beginning in the 1990's, Australians worked to replace the traditional Easter bunny with an Easter bilby. Their reasons for this change are two-fold. Rabbits are an invasive species in Australia and are causing environmental damage to the arid grasslands. Bilbies, on the other hand, are an endangered native species that will only survive through extensive protection efforts. Chocolate bilbies are booming in popularity throughout Australia, and in many cases, the sales proceeds are applied to anti-rabbit campaigns and bilby protection projects.
In Czechoslovakia, men braid willow twigs together on Easter Sunday into symbolic whips. On the day after Easter, these men go door to door, calling on their female neighbours and giving them gentle symbolic swats with the twig bundles as a way of wishing them good health throughout the coming year. The women offer painted eggs, chocolates and liquor in return for the wishes — although in some regions, a woman is allowed to pour cold water on any man she meets throughout the following day.
Pysanky, or elaborately decorated Ukrainian eggs, were traditionally believed to protect a household from every sort of problem, from witches to lightning to skin disorders. Each village in Ukraine had special symbols that it used on its eggs, and the intricate designs made with wax and dye were a strongly held piece of local identity. Pysanky are given to friends and loved ones as a sign of deep respect, and the hollow shells are treasured as heirlooms.
Traditional religious beliefs and the joyful welcoming of springtime take many different forms around the world, but in every region that observes Easter, families find creative ways of celebrating together.
