Easter Traditions From Around The World 68974

Finland
Children in this Scandinavian country go

begging in the streets with sooty faces and
scarves around their heads, carrying
broomsticks, coffeepots and bunches of
willow twigs. In some parts of Western
Finland, people burn bonfires on Easter
Sunday, a Nordic tradition stemming from
the belief that the flames ward off witches
who fly around on brooms between Good
Friday and Easter Sunday.
Poland
Pouring water on one another is a Polish

Easter tradition called Smingus-Dyngus. On
Easter Monday, boys try to drench other
people with buckets of water, squirt guns or
anything they can get their hands on. Legend
says girls who get soaked will marry within the
year. The refreshing tradition has its origins
in the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko on
Easter Monday in 966 AD.
Haux, France
Don’t forget a fork if you’re in this southern

French town on Easter Monday. Each year a
giant omelet is served up in the town’s main
square. And when we say giant, we mean giant:
The omelet uses more than 4,500 eggs and feeds
up to 1,000 people. The story goes, when
Napoleon and his army were traveling through
the south of France, they stopped in a small
town and ate omelets. Napoleon liked his so
much that he ordered the townspeople to
gather their eggs and make a giant omelet for his army the next day.
Corfu, Greece
On the morning of Holy Saturday, the

traditional “Pot Throwing” takes
place on the Greek island of Corfu:
People throw pots, pans and other
earthenware out of their windows,
smashing them on the street. Some
say the custom derives from the
Venetians, who on New Year’s Day
used to throw out all of their old
items. Others believe the throwing of
the pots welcomes spring, symbolizing the new crops that will be gathered in the
new pots.
Norway
Easter is such a popular time for

Norwegians to read crime novels that
publishers actually come out with
special “Easter Thrillers” known
as Paaskekrimmen. The tradition is said
to have started in 1923 when a book
publisher promoted its new crime novel
on the front pages of newspapers. The
ads resembled news so much that people
didn’t know it was a publicity stunt.
Rome, Italy
On Good Friday the Pope

commemorates the Via Crucis (Way of
the Cross) at the Colosseum: A huge
cross with burning torches illuminates
the sky as the 14 Stations of the Cross
are described in several languages.
Mass is celebrated on the evening of
Holy Saturday, and on Easter Sunday,
thousands of visitors congregate in St.
Peter’s Square to await the Pope’s blessing from the church’s balcony, known as
“Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and to the World”).
Czech Republic and Slovakia
Traveling to these Eastern European

countries over Easter? If so, you’d better
watch your back! There’s an Easter
Monday tradition in which men spank
women with handmade whips made of
willow and decorated with ribbons.
According to legend, the willow is the
first tree to bloom in the spring, so the
branches are supposed to transfer the
tree’s vitality and fertility to the women.
This playful spanking is all in good fun and isn’t meant to cause pain.
Verges, Spain
On Holy Thursday in the Medieval town

of Verges, Spain, the traditional “dansa de
la mort” or “death dance” is performed.
To reenact scenes from The Passion,
everyone dresses in skeleton costumes and
parades through the streets. The
procession ends with frightening skeletons
carrying boxes of ashes. The macabre
dance begins at midnight and continues
for three hours into the early morning.
Washington, DC
For 130 years, the White House has hosted

the Easter Egg Roll on its South Lawn.
The main activity involves rolling a colored
hard-boiled egg with a large serving spoon,
but now the event boasts many more
amusements, like musical groups, an egg
hunt, sports and crafts. This year’s theme
is “Ready, Set, Go!” and will promote health and wellness, featuring activities that
encourage children to lead healthy and active lives.
Hungary
“Sprinkling,” a popular
Hungarian Easter tradition, is
observed on Easter Monday,
which is also known as
“Ducking Monday.” Boys
playfully sprinkle perfume or
perfumed water on girls.
Young men used to pour
buckets of water over young
women's heads, but now they
spray perfume, cologne or just
plain water, and ask for a kiss.
People used to believe that
water had a cleaning, healing and fertility-inducing effect.

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Finland

Children in this Scandinavian country go

Pouring water on one another is a Polish

Don’t forget a fork if you’re in this southern

On the morning of Holy Saturday, the

Easter is such a popular time for

On Good Friday the Pope

Czech Republic and Slovakia

Traveling to these Eastern European

On Holy Thursday in the Medieval town

For 130 years, the White House has hosted

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