This Easter, over a billion eggs will be hunted in the United States, while more than 100 million plastic eggs will be purchased. And then, there are all of the chocolate and candy eggs that are consumed. There is also the Easter Bunny, who will be making appearances at parties, events, and malls across the nation. Millions of children will line up to take pictures with the ubiquitous, cuddly, long-eared folkloric figure. But where did these secular symbols and traditions come from?
Easter’s roots can be traced back to ancient pagan rituals that celebrated the spring equinox, the season associated with rebirth. According to a German legend, one spring morning, the fertility goddess Eostre noticed a fallen bird freezing, after a dusting of snow that had fallen overnight. The bird was not able to fly and was near death, so the maiden benevolently transformed it into a hare, in order to save its life. Because of its former nature as a bird, the bunny retained its ability to lay eggs (the ultimate symbol of fertility and rebirth), which the bunny would paint in bright colors, and give to Eostre as a gift of thanks.
Sounds an awful lot like the modern Easter Bunny that we all know and love. However, many countries around the world celebrate the Christian holiday a bit differently, and include elements that range from the mystical to the bizarre. In Sweden, for instance, legend has it that on the Thursday before Easter, witches take flight on their broomsticks, destined for the mystical island where they gather with other dark creatures. For three days, evil spirits, trolls, and witches run amok, but with the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, these otherworldly beings return to their dark lairs and peace is restored.
In Finland, they combine two Easter traditions, celebrating both the covenant of witches and the resurrection of Jesus. In both of these countries, at Easter Time, the boys and girls dress as trolls and witches and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, exchanging small handmade gifts for sweets. Not a bad deal. Sounds like a springtime Halloween.
In the Transcaucasian country of Georgia, every year around Orthodox Easter, Georgian cemeteries fill with families who gather to drink wine, nibble on sweet bread, and roll eggs dyed a deep blood-red. It’s part of a longstanding Georgian tradition of dining with the dead, every spring.
In Papua New Guinea, you’ll find Easter trees at the front of churches that are decorated with sticks of tobacco and cigarettes that are handed out after the service.
In the Philippines, some devout Catholics have taken to the practice of self-crucifixion and self-flagellation on Easter. Their thinking is that it helps purify them and cleanse them of the sins of the world. The Roman Catholic Church, however, is not keen on the idea, and has been actively trying to discourage this practice, without much success.
An Easter custom in the Czech Republic is less severe. In this country, men get a special Easter “whip,” which they use to swat women they are fond of. In return, the women give the man who “whipped” them a decorated egg. If the men are old enough, they also receive a shot of whiskey. Not to be left out, women can make their own play for a man they like, and are encouraged to dump ice water on him. This seems to be quite a stray from Easter eggs hunts and candy baskets, but, ‘to each their own.’
Easter celebrations on the Greek island of Corfu are varied and unique, but amongst their strangest traditions is when celebrants throw crockery and pots out of the windows. On Holy Sunday at around 11 o’clock in the morning, all the church bells ring, and that is the time when people throw their big, red clay pots filled with water from their balconies and terraces. The sound of the Corfu Easter pots smashing is deafening, and symbolizes the earthquake that is alleged to have occurred upon the crucifixion of Jesus.
But regardless of how Easter is celebrated around the world, it’s all part of the Christian festival and cultural holiday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus.
