European Easter Traditions

Consider traveling to travel Spain in the low season, from the end of March to mid-April, as Spaniards adore Easter. The celebrations are grand and last for a full week called Semana Santa, or Holy Week.
It is actually the largest religious celebration in the country with marching bands, festivals, numerous processions, recitals, reenactments, and traditional religious clothing, including spooky cone-shaped hats.
Many elements of the celebration are common from region to region, yet Andalucia is noted for the most extensive and fascinating ones.
For a delicious treat, make sure to try pestiño pastries or torrijas sweets.

Italians are also fond of Easter, and apart from the week of religious events before Easter Sunday, they actually have the Monday right after it as an additional holiday day, which they call Little Easter or Pasquetta.
Vatican, set in the heart of Rome, becomes a mecca during this time as thousands of people come to listen to the Pope’s mass. If Florence is the city you decide to visit as you travel to Italy, you may find interesting the Festa del Carro parade during which a huge wagon with fireworks is pulled by oxen, then after it reaches the needed point, there is a light show. Depending on where you go in Italy, you can taste delicious cakes, such as the O-shaped ciambellone, pastries or bread, like colomba, or even Italian Easter lamb or agnello.

There are many traditions in the UK connected with Easter from egg rolling races and egg hunts to Maypole festivals. If your tour to Britain falls during this period, you’re in luck as this is the time for a feast! On Easter people sometimes bake fruitcakes called Simnel Cake, make hot cross buns and give each other chocolate eggs and other treats.
As a matter of fact, it is generally believed that that the tradition of boiling and coloring eggs existed in the UK and this region even in pagan times when it was customary to give them as a symbol of fertility and new life.

It is believed that the word “Easter” has German roots and derives from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess’s name.
What is more, the origins of the Easter bunny, the symbol of this holiday, is traced back to Germany too.
But of all the possible animals why the rabbit? People explain that the reason is that hares were probably quite a logical choice to symbolize fertility.
As for engaging German Easter traditions worthy of notice is firstly the lighting large bonfires, promising a bright spectacle welcoming spring.
And, of course, the tasty side of the holiday - doughnuts as well as specially-baked braided bread served for breakfast are worth tasting.
Also if you travel to Germany during Easter time, you’re likely to see beautifully decorated Easter Egg trees, which are another German custom.

Irish people have been marking the start of spring since ancient times. The land had become fertile again, birds were laying eggs again, and new animals were born. Christians introduced many of these customs to Ireland after they were introduced to Christianity during the lifetime of St Patrick, around the time of Jesus' crucifixion, which we commemorate on Good Friday. This is how the pagan beliefs surrounding nature's rebirth converge with the concept of Jesus' resurrection.
Ireland's Easter symbols include young lambs, flowers, eggs, and birds. Chocolate or candy Easter eggs are popular in many countries. Easter eggs in Ireland are generally made from hollow chocolate and range from about five to twenty centimeters in height. Usually they are wrapped in bright foil colors. Solid chocolate eggs or other candy are often included in the candy mix.
Easter Sunday is traditionally a day for wearing new clothes. Dressed in yellow dresses and wearing white shoes, some girls wear green hair ribbons. Alternatively, some people pin yellow, green and white ribbon crosses on their right sleeves. Colors such as these and new clothes represent purity and a new start in life.

Despite commercialization of the religious holiday, Easter remains a tradition for the Alpine nation. It is not surprising that in Switzerland, a country where chocolate is an almost daily diet, chocolate bunnies and eggs adorned with fine design are a sight to behold (and tasted). During the Christian holiday, the country celebrates much more than just giving tasty treats. There are many ways to share or to use wine, bread, and hard boiled eggs, depending on the region.
In addition to processions with fire, parades with cloaked people and Easter egg hunts, there are many other activities happening during Easter. In Switzerland, some Easter traditions have been resurrected, changed, invented from scratch, and others have disappeared entirely. Throughout history, there are customs and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation. In addition to marking the passing of winter, for some people this time of year also signals the beginning of spring.