Have you ever wondered how children and families celebrate Easter throughout the world. Often even though countries will share the same date for a celebration, the cultural differences marking how the holiday is celebrated can be extremely different.

In the United States, Easter is celebrated by Christians with an elaborate and celebratory church service, proclaiming that Jesus Christ is risen. Bells are rung in many services and lilies decorate the altar. It is a festive and joyous religious service.

DYED EASTER  EGGS

Non-Christians also celebrate Easter. Children will dye eggs and parents will hide them in lawns, either the real dyed eggs or small plastic eggs with a small gift inside.  Gifts are exchanged similar to Christmas and the legendary Easter Bunny is said to be the one who comes into the home to deliver those gifts the night before while children sleep.

In England, Easter is characterized by its religious celebrations, to be sure, but also by its culinary cultural traditions.  Every Friday for the 40 days before Easter known as Lent, women will prepare hot cross buns. Children enjoy the holiday for gifts, but also because it is tradition to purchase new clothes during the Easter holiday.

A Dutch tradition is what led to the Easter “grass” that lines the bottom of Easter baskets as children would make elaborate “nests” for the Easter Bunny to put eggs in. The grass would be various colors matching the colorful eggs that have come to represent the holiday.

MEXICO

In some parts of Mexico, the children spend the day prior to Easter banging drums and whacking candy-filled piñatas often in the likeness of Judas Iscariot who is said to have betrayed Jesus to the Romans.

For many families, especially those that observe religious celebrations or the liturgical calendar, the weeks before Easter are a time of reflection, celebration and tradition as well.

LENT

Often people are asked to “give up” something for Lent, the theory being that if a person goes without something for 40 days there will be a greater recognition of the deprivation of the world during the time just prior to the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus.

Many churches now are advocating for a new tradition wherein something is not necessarily “sacrificed” but the time be spent on giving of oneself either through intense reflection such as daily mediation or prayer or through selfless acts that benefit others, such as volunteer work.

There is a beautiful tradition in many Christian churches on the Thursday prior to the Easter Sunday.  It is known as Maundy Thursday.  Parishioners are asked to wash one another’s feet as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.  While this may seem awkward and strange to those who have never experienced this ritual, there is a wonderful intimacy in washing the feet of a stranger.

The period of Lent starts after Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and ends just prior to Easter Sunday. Based on the lunar calendar, Easter is celebrated the Sunday after the first full moon.  However you choose your Easter celebration, whether with eggs and chocolate bunnies, personalized Easter baskets or a morning in worship, it is important to remember that all around the world people are celebrating in their own ways and their own traditions as well.