Fourteen Global Cultures practice Easter traditions from around the world

Many cultures practice some observance of Easter and have their own symbols and traditions of the season. During this time of year we celebrate the prosperity of the season all over the world to honor the return of the light. The days are longer and the sun is warmer. The trees start to blossom and new life is all around us.

Let every act, every thought be sacred this season, we are in a new paradigm and it is constantly shifting. Be open to what the world is doing, let be reflected in what you do with your loved ones and every person you encounter.

Focus on how to be more prosperous in your life in light of a global recession we can learn to have gratitude for the blessings of Peace and the efforts of our President to advocate hope for the world.

Take a moment and consider how other families are surviving on very little and celebrate the prosperity of the season with family and their community to Give Thanks for the life they live.  In American we take a lot for granted because we have many conveniences. Without the conveniences we could choose to be happy and compassionate for what is going on in homes all over the world.

Brazil

One of the biggest carnivals in the world happens in Rio de Janeiro at the Mardi Gras or Shove Tuesday celebrations to start Lent. The streets are filled, over several days leading up to Shrove Tuesday, with large processions of people marching, singing and dancing.

Ethiopia

During Lent in Ethiopia, Christians don’t eat or buy any animal products like meat, eggs, butter, milk, yogurt, cream and cheese. On Palm Sunday, people wear head bands and rings made of palm leaves with crosses marked on them. The first Easter Day service actually starts at 8.00pm on Easter Saturday night and lasts until 3.00 am on Easter Sunday morning!

France

In France, Church Bells do not ring on Good Friday or Easter Saturday. Sometimes children are told that the bells have gone off to see the Pope! Boxwood branches are sometimes used instead of palm leaves. They are put over doors in houses to bring good luck to the people in the house.

Japan

Higan, or Higan-e, is a week of Buddhist services observed in Japan during both the spring and autumn equinoxes when day and night are equal at length. Both equinoxes have been national holidays since the Meiji period (1868-1912). Before World War II, they were known as koreisai, or festivals of the Imperial ancestors. After the war, when the national holidays were renamed, they became simply spring and autumn equinoxes. Higan is a one-week period surrounding the spring and autumn equinoxes. It means the “other shore” and refers to the spirits of the dead reaching Nirvana after crossing the river of existence. It celebrates the spiritual move from the world of suffering to the world of enlightenment and is a time to remember the dead by visiting, cleaning and decorating their graves and reciting sutras. Buddhist prayers, rice balls and sushi are offered. This is a time for the Japanese to worship their imperial ancestors and to welcome spring.

Irish

Holy Saturday would be a day that Irish people take a vow of silence but also attend a special ceremony to have their Holy water blessed but would also attend the Easter Vigil which usually starts at 10pm with the Church decorated in purple colored banners to celebrate the arrival of the King. All lights in the Church are extinguished at 11pm with a new flame being presented to the altar of the church which is a Paschal candle, a symbol of the Risen Christ and the celebrations of the Holy Flame.

Canada

People celebrate Easter for 40 days, going from March to April every year. Easter is a “movable feast” – this means it’s not fixed on the calendar.

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, a popular Easter tradition involves males symbolically whipping females on Easter Monday. The men spank women using a handmade whip called a pomlázka, made of woven willow twigs. The practice is based on legend – whipping a woman ensures she’ll remain healthy and beautiful throughout the year.  It’s also a way for men to let women know they find them attractive.

Caribbean
Across the Caribbean, almost all cultures hold carnival – a parade and public celebration that includes floats, colorful costumes, music and dance. Carnival usually takes place right at the start of Lent and is a jubilant celebration that is now secular in nature. Throughout the Caribbean, kite-flying events are also a popular Easter pastime. Traditionally, Christian missionaries brought back the kite-making tradition, encouraging the creation of colorful kites.

New Zealand and Australia
Like Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians also enjoy decorating eggs, eating chocolate bunnies and taking part in Easter egg hunts. Children are told that the Easter bunny – a popular symbol of the season – visits the night before Easter Sunday to hide eggs, which children hunt for in the morning

Finland and Sweden
Along with egg painting, children get to dress up as witches and go about collecting candy from neighboring houses, much like Halloween. Neighbors give children decorated pussy willows as a blessing. People also decorate their homes with vases full of twigs decorated with feathers and enjoy a Holy Saturday dinner that consists of herring, eggs, potatoes and salmon.

Africa
For Christians, Easter Vigil involves assembling at churches, which are decorated by vitenge and kanga (cloth made to look like flowers, trees and butterflies). People sing hymns, beat drums and dance outside the church after mass, then carry the celebration to their homes, where they enjoy food and drink. In Africa, Easter is a reason to bring family and friends together, where Christian and non-Christian people celebrate their bonds.

China

Different culture celebrates the arrival of a new baby in different ways. For the Chinese, having red eggs is mandatory. The eggs were distributed when the baby is a month’s old. Coloring eggs is also part of the Easter celebration. Easter 2008 is celebrated this coming Sunday. There are also colored eggs for Easter. Eggs signifies a new birth for Easter. Meanwhile, the red colored eggs for the full-moon (or a full month) party of a new born baby signifies good fortune and life.

Music and Food

One of the best aspects of Easter is the music and the food. The churches rock with the gospel making a joyful noise to sing the praises of God and the blessings that are to be delivered through the return of Spring and the Resurrection of Christ.  The Food is a traditional selection of the items that represent abundance and prosperity. The tradition of family and friends gathering after church to eat and drink and be together.

Celebrate the season and sing of the blessings to come. May your Easter Spring celebration be the prosperity of your lifetime.

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