THE MANY CUSTOMS OF EASTER  
      
Click on a national flag above or scroll down for the Easter Customs of various countries.
France - Le Paques:
Church bells are silent from Good Friday until Easter, a token of mourning for the crucified Christ. Mothers tell their children that "the bells have flown away to Rome." Early on Easter morning, French children rush into the garden to watch the bells "Fly back from Rome." As the little ones are busy scanning the sky for a glimpse of the returning bells, their elders hide chocolate eggs.
Germany - Ostern:
Friends give each other beautifully hand-painted eggs which are made according to distinctive traditional designs. Certain patterns have been passed down from one generation to another in certain villages. In many places, it was customary for village girl to present their suitors with a red egg. Should the girls fail to have their gifts ready, however, the boys spank them with canes.
Italy - La Pasqua:
Agnellino [roasted baby lamb] is universally popular for Easter dinner, especially when served with carciofi arrostiti [roasted artichokes] with pepper. One seasonal treat that that Italian children [as well as youngsters in other countries] enjoy is a rich bread shaped like a crown and studded with colored Easter egg candies baked into it.
Poland - Swiatczonka:
The custom is to bring the food for breakfast on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) to have it blessed. The foods that were not able to be eaten in Lent are now eaten in abundance at Easter. The Eggs are colored and decorated, the lamb or ham, the breads, the cakes, the butter and cheeses, (each symbolizing an aspect of the feast) are all brought to the priest to be blessed.
The Netherlands - Pasen or Pasen Zontag:
Throughout the country Easter is celebrated as a great spring holiday. In homes there are charmingly laid tables with decorations of colored eggs and early flowers. Paasbrood, a delicious sweet bread stuffed with raisins and currant, is one of many traditional feast day specialties.
Sweden - Påskdagen:
Throughout the country the egg is a symbol of life and resurrection, and is featured in all Easter food and Easter games. Every household has egg-dyeing parties. Egg rolling contests are a favorite Easter activity of younger boys and girls.
Ukrainia
For thousands of years, Ukrainians have created elaborately patterned eggs called Pysanky using a wax process. Wax is applied to an egg, which is then dipped in colored dyes. When completed, the wax is melted off, to reveal all the layers of colors beneath.
 
EASTER TRIVIA
 
Why Easter Eggs?
Christ breaking forth from the tomb on Easter Morning is naturally symbolized by the chicken coming forth from the egg. The Egg then became a symbol of Easter and the Resurrection. Easter allows the humble egg a higher calling. Universally, the egg is a symbol of creation, renewed life, resurrection, fertility. In folklore, the Easter Egg is laid by the rabbit (another symbol of fertility) which happened to be the emblem and sacrificial [victim] animal of Eostre (see below for the Origin of "Easter").
Did you know? The Easter Egg Roll has been a tradition at the White House since the year 1810.
Click here for a special section on how to make a variety of decorated Easter Eggs...
Why the Easter Bunny?
Christ's Resurrection brings an abundance of God's gifts. Salvation is given to all who accept Christ along with the graces to maintain this relationship with Christ. In the agricultural societies, the rapid breeding of rabbits in Springtime also became a sign of Easter abundance. Also, the rabbit hibernates during the winter in the northern hemisphere and begins to appear in the Spring when Easter arrives.
Why the Chocolate Eggs and Bunnies and Candy?
The fast in Lent was very strict in years past: no dairy products, no meat, nor eggs. Besides, the penitential season called for sacrifice, so people gave up sweets. Today, even though the fast is less severe, many people still give up the pleasures of life, such as chocolate. Thus, chocolate returns as the fast turns to feast. It naturally is mixed with the symbols of Easter: the egg and the rabbit.
Why Chicks & Ducks at Easter?
Christ coming forth from the tomb is symbolized by new born Chicks and Ducks having just broken out of their shell. It symbolized the new life we have at birth and the new life we have in Christ by our baptism.
Why the Easter Lily?
The traditional Easter lily is white and, thus, symbolizes the transformation of Jesus through the Resurrection. At the transfiguration scene on the mountain top, Jesus' garments turned so white they were explained as, "whiter than any bleacher could get them." The triumphant white petals of the lily seem to trumpet the good news that Jesus has risen.
 
Why the abundance of Spring flowers at Easter?
Spring bulbs seem to die and go back into the ground during the Winter, then rise to a new and beautiful life in the Spring... at Easter. This reminds us that Jesus was buried in the grave, seemingly dead forever, but rises to new life.
Where do we get the name Easter?
According to the Venerable Bede, the name Easter was derived from the Teutonic goddess of spring, Eostre or Ostra. Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the greatest of all Christian Feasts and the church calendar of feasts evolves around the date of Easter. Jesus died according to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) on the day after Jewish Passover, which he had celebrated with his disciples. The Spring feast of the Jewish Passover, celebrated the saving of the Hebrews from God's wrath by killing a lamb and painting the blood of the lamb on the door posts, so the angel of death would "passover" that house. Christians see the death of Jesus as the new "Lamb of God," who frees the people from sin and God's wrath. The Lamb or Pesach (in Hebrew) gives the name of this celebration in its Latin, Italian, Scots, and Welsh names, respectively: Pascha, Pasqua, Palsch or Pesse, and Pasg.
Did you know? The State of Florida commemorates the Sunday before Easter (Passion "Palm" Sunday) in its name. The Conquistadors landed there on Palm Sunday, called Pasqua Florida in Spanish (meaning "Floral Easter"), and named the new territory for the religious feast day.
The Date for Easter
Easter is a changeable feast since it is based on the phases of the moon. Easter is a lunar festival celebrated on "the first Sunday after the full moon, which happens on (or next Sunday) following the date of March 21st of the Spring Equinox." Easter can, therefore, fall between March 22nd and April 25th. The Orthodox Catholics, following a different calendar, have their celebration of Easter often on a different Sunday than the Western world.
When the Protestants broke from the Roman Catholic Church, many adapted the calendar used by the Orthodox Church and this was the point of disagreement between the Celtic churches of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and the Roman Catholic church established in England. Eventually, in Western Europe and the New World, the Roman Catholic view triumphed in both Catholic and Protestant churches.
Obligation to Worship
Christians celebrate this day of Easter as a holy day of obligation and the greatest of all feasts. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Catholics, and Anglican Christians and most Christian churches are obliged to attend church. Roman Catholics have the obligation of receiving the Eucharist (Holy Communion) once a year during the time from Lent to Trinity Sunday, just shortly after 50 Days of the Easter Season. In the Roman Catholic Church, each Sunday is considered a little Easter and, thus, each Sunday is a day of obligation of worship.
Festive Sights and Sounds for Easter
Since Lent was a sober time of penitence, music was not used and bells were not rung, no flowers were used at church. However, with the celebration of the "greatest feast," peals of bells are rung, music and festive instruments returned and and churches everywhere are decorated. Most churches have festive displays of beautiful spring flowers in pastel colors and white (the color of the baptismal garment) Easter lilies. A few northern parishes still maintain an old tradition of using evergreens (symbolic of eternal life).
Easter Lamb or Ham
Since Easter celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus, the "Passover" - "the Paschal Lamb of God," Lamb was a traditional meal served on Easter. Spring Lamb was often mild and tasty, but older lamb mutton was harsher in taste and people often switched to another meat. Since pork was a common meat for many peoples, ham became a suitable substitute.
New Easter Outfits
Traditionally, people wear new clothing at Easter. Easter is, for Christians, the time sharing of this new life in the Risen Jesus. It is on that day that adult converts are brought into the church and their formal relationship with God is consecrated through Baptism. The church's celebration of Easter centers around baptism. When the newly baptized come out of the water, they dress in a new white garment symbolizing the new life in Jesus. Originally, all Christians wore a white garment to church. Today, only the clergy wear a garment called an alb, for the Latin alba, meaning "white."
Previously baptized Christians, having been recharged by the penances of Lent, renew their baptismal vows during the Easter Eucharistic celebration. Thus, they too wear new garments. The secular Easter Parade, such as the famous one on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan every Easter Sunday, began from the people leaving churches on Easter. In those days a well-dressed woman always wore a hat. Thus, we have the song...
Easter Parade by Irving Berlin
Never saw you look quite so pretty before
Never saw you dressed quite so lovely, what's more
I could hardly wait to keep our date this lovely Easter morning
And my heart beat fast as I came through the door
For... In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade!
I'll be all in clover and, when they look you over,
I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter parade!
On the Avenue, Fifth Avenue,
The photographers will snap us
And you'll find that you're
In the rotogravure.
Oh, I could write a sonnet
About your Easter bonnet
And of the girl I'm taking
To the Easter parade.
Words & Music: Irving Berlin 1933; used first in: As Thousands Cheer (1933)
Introduced by Marilyn Miller and Clifton Webb in the revue: As Thousands Cheer
Performed by Bing Crosby in the film: Holiday Inn, 1942
Popularized by Bing Crosby
Recorded by Harry James and His Orchestra, 1947
Performed by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in the film: Easter Parade, 1948
released on CDs:
Easter Parade (Rhino soundtrack);
Easter Parade (CBS/Sony soundtrack);
That's Entertainment! (MGM soundtrack anthology);
Recorded by Liberace, 1954
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