By Kenneth Koo
Easter, for people of the Christian faith is a time for celebration and remembrance. It is a hallowed season during which the memory of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus is revisited and reenacted in a bid to commemorate and teach its symbolism to the younger generation.
In modern day celebrations, Easter is usually a week-long festivity which falls between March 20 and April 25. It begins the week after Great Lent—a 40 day fast in preparation for Easter—and comprises Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
Throughout history and across different civilizations and societies, there have been many traditions and activities lined up for the commemoration of the events leading to this holiday.
While some Christian faithfuls mark the period with continuous fasting, prayers and other religious rituals, other traditions include the decoration of and hunt for Easter eggs, a 2 day bonfire (Easter Fire) celebration as is the culture in northwestern Europe, the Bermuda Good Friday KiteFest; and Mexico’s Judas burning, among other traditions.
In this article, we shall be exploring 5 of the most fascinating Easter traditions practiced in various societies across the globe.
The Easter Basket
There is no definite data on the origin of Easter baskets. However, it is a common tradition in various societies of the world that has endured for generations.
A variant of the Christmas gift sharing tradition, the Easter gift basket custom involves filling a beautifully decorated basket with thoughtfully wrapped presents and cards, and gifting them to loved ones during the holidays. While these presents can be handmade and creative, the modern day culture sees participants purchasing pre-filled baskets from local vendors and delivering them to their loved ones, either personally or through a delivery system.
The content of these baskets often vary from candy, to toys, egg trinkets and other fun items (depending on the giver or receiver’s preferences). The goal of this activity is usually to spread love and joy to loved ones during the season.
Judas Burning
During the Judas burning ritual, a papier-mâché effigy of Judas Iscariot—the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ—is hanged on Good Friday, then stuffed with fireworks and blown up in a local plaza on the night of Easter Sunday.
The burning of Judas was once widely practiced across the Christian world in England, Greece, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, and even Nigeria, among other countries.
In Nigeria, the custom involves a parade of life-sized effigies of Judas, carried in a procession through the streets of their local communities on Good Friday. The public is allowed to jeer at the effigy, renounce its eponym’s treachery and subsequently, flog the figure for Judas’ crime against his master.
Till date, this custom is still a valid part of the Easter celebration culture in many parts of the world.
The Giant Omelet Buffet
On a cheerful note, the city of Haux in France has a culture of serving a 15,000-egg omelet to locals and visitors.
Following a 3-day Easter celebration of egg hunts, parades and performances, the organizers of this festival conclude with a buffet that serves about 2,000 people from a freshly made egg omelet prepared on ground by about 100 volunteers over a large bonfire.
According to giantomelette.org, this tradition initially began as an attempt to feed the poor and hungry during the Easter season, however, as time went on, it grew into a culture that brings thousands of people together to celebrate the holidays as a unit, while exploring the beauty of France.
The Easter Eggs and Bunny Hunt
This is one of the most popular Easter traditions in the mainstream media, as virtually every Hollywood Easter movie showcases an egg and Bunny Hunt. However, this custom is not all lights and camera stunts, but a real time culture of the American people.
As Santa Claus is to Christmas, so also is the Easter Bunny to Easter. The Easter Bunny is a folkloric character often depicted as a rabbit adorned in clothes, who hides beautifully decorated eggs at Easter for children to find. Noted to have originated from German Lutherans, the “Easter Hare” originally played the role of a judge who evaluates and rewards children (with eggs) for their conduct at the start of the Easter tide.
These eggs can be real hard boiled eggs, artificial eggs made of plastic and filled with candy or foil-wrapped candy shaped as an egg.
Typically, the egg hunt is a treasure hunt played at Easter during which decorated eggs are concealed for children to go look for as part of the Easter tradition. Nevertheless, modern day celebrations have seen adults join in the fun as well.
In Greece, Orthodox Christians dye eggs a crimson hue to symbolize the blood of Jesus which was shed during his crucifixion, as well as the rebirth which they anticipate at his second coming.
Botides
In the Greek Islands of Corfu, a common Holy Saturday custom is Botides—pot and/or water throwing. During this ritual, participants throw out pots, pans, and other earthenware filled with water, out their windows and into the streets.
Although the custom originated with the Venetians who ruled Corfu between the 14th and 18th centuries as a new year ritual of throwing out old belongings to symbolize a fresh start during the new year, the Islanders had moved the occasion to Easter to symbolize the divine striking down of enemies.
Every year, visitors from across the country and abroad go to witness the awe-inspiring ritual.
For years, these traditions have encouraged harmonious co-existence in small and large communities. They have opened doors for strangers to share in the beliefs and rites of various cultures, thereby imbibing unity and peace across cultures.
How many of these customs did you know of before now? And which do you find most fascinating?
