Easter, a time full of color and religious significance

A country with strong Orthodox roots. Easter in this European country has a sacred component rooted in religion. We can find several traditions that have a profound meaning among the Romanian population, who mostly profess Orthodox Christianity. One week before Easter, they celebrate ‘Florii’, a holiday where people with flower names are commemorated. On this day, lots of willow branches are carried to churches to be blessed, and afterward, placed in front of sacred icons and above every door to cast evil spirits out. On the Thursday before Easter, it’s usual to pain-boiled eggs, a tradition they have in common with other countries. Romania is also well-known worldwide for its decorated eggs with craftsmanship. The artists fill the empty eggshells with lots of colors, along with different floral and geometrical motives, a tradition that has been passed down between generations!

An ancient tradition where trees and Easter eggs become one! It’s our pleasure to introduce you to the ‘Ostereierbaum’, an ancient German tradition that happens every year on Easter. On it, people usually decorate trees with hanging Easter eggs, adding them a pop of color! The origins of this curious tradition are quite uncertain, as there’s no real story or evidence of how or when this started. But it’s a fact that many German families have followed it for centuries, filling their homes with lots of colors. These trees are commonly reused for other festivities, such as Christmas. Thinking of adopting this tradition? As it has become really well-known worldwide, you should know that you can just keep the ‘Ostereierbaum’ inside your house by just using a few branches, or outside by decorating a splendorous live tree or bush!

Now it’s time to eat! Hungry? The next stop of our journey is Poland, and now it’s all about food! In this beautiful European country, there is a protagonist of this festivity: the ‘Babka’. But do you know what is it? Each Easter Sunday in Poland, this delicious and soft halfway-between bread and a cake, it’s baked in every home. It possesses a really distinctive sweet smell, and a delicious citrus flavor. ‘Babka’ it’s usually filled inside with walnuts, rum, or raisins, and served alongside the classical festivity meal. Its origins travel back to 19th century, in the heart of the Jewish communities from Eastern Europe. Many emigrants took this recipe with them right to the United States, and nowadays, it has become very popular. Curious fact – this delicious dish appeared on an episode of the series Seinfeld in 1994!

Still hungry? Don’t worry, and be prepared for this! There are many peculiarities in every festivity around the world, that’s just the way it is. But in the case of Easter, there is one that is especially noticeable: the tradition of making a giant omelet! Every year during this festivity in the region of Bessières, in the south of France, it is tradition to crack up to 15,000 eggs - yes, you’ve read right! - and prepare an enormous omelet. This tradition, carried out by the “Brotherhood of the Giant Omelette” has been celebrated for decades. But which are the brief origins of this curious custom? To Napoleon Bonaparte himself! While the Emperor toured the region, he enjoyed their eggs so much that asked for a big omelet to be prepared for their soldiers. The rest is history, and this tradition is still very present.

Religious traditions, sweets, and Easter eggs reunite as one! The religious traditions are highly followed by the American Christians community, one of the largest in the world. On Easter, they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and as such, many Christians hold a period where they fast and confess their sins - more specifically, this takes place in the 40 days before this celebration! There’s also room for processions, as it occurs in other regions, such as Spain. But aside from the religious beliefs and traveling back to Pagan times, many people celebrated the Spring festivals! They commemorated the return of fertility to the land, the birth of new animals, and in short, the return to life after the long winter. Here we find as well the origin of the Easter eggs, so popular today!

The religious “Cofradías” take the streets. In this Mediterranean country, there’s a profound religious tradition where processions take the streets of almost every Spanish city the week before Easter, held by the fraternities known as “Cofradías”. These brotherhoods have their first origins during the Middle Age, but most of them formed during the Baroque and 20th century. This festivity is not celebrated in the same way in all regions. We find huge differences, for example, between the north of Spain, where the processions are more austere and solemn, and Andalusia, where there is a greater sumptuosity. What’s most impressive is that each brotherhood carries what is known as “pasos”, composed of a base and a sculpture representing one of the passages of the Passion of Christ. Along with them, they are accompanied by different music bands and “nazarenos” – penitents with a robe -, giving rise to a magnificent celebration worth seeing at least once in a lifetime.

Color and spring-inspired celebrations come into scene! There’s something in the Bermudian sky each Easter: flying kites! Every Good Friday, lots of enthusiasts of this practice travel to different parts of the exotic island to fly their homemade kites. But don’t think of boring designs - these are full of bright colors or geometric patterns and include long cloth tails! Curious fact: this tradition emerged in Indonesia up to 3000 years ago, and many years later, it reached this country at the hand of the British Army. And don’t worry, as there’s always room for more food! Here you can find the so-called “Bermuda codfish cakes” or the “Hot Cross buns”, flying right away from the United Kingdom. One last tradition during this festivity is the Bermuda variety of Easter lilies, which usually bloom during this time of the year.