Easter is almost here and many people will be celebrating by eating chocolate eggs and participating in egg hunts. But there are some communities around the world that observe the holiday in more unique ways. From Good Friday through to Easter Monday, different traditions and rituals take place that reflect the diversity of cultures and beliefs.
One of the most extreme traditions highlighted in the chart is the reenactment of the crucifixion and flagellation of Christ in the Philippines, where devout Christian worshippers even nail some individuals to crosses. The giant omelet-making tradition in Haux, Gironde, France, which uses over 15,000 eggs to feed the town’s 1,000 residents, is another unique tradition centered around Easter eggs. In Germany, trees are decorated with painted eggs and ornaments while cigarettes and tobacco packets are hidden in trees around churches and given to congregants after service in Papua New Guinea.
In Europe, additional unique traditions include large bonfires in Germany where boys and men playfully whip girls and women with willow branches. Children in Sweden engage in a form of trick-or-treating where they exchange drawings or paintings for sweets. Greece has its own customs like clay pot hurling where pots are thrown off balconies to symbolize casting away evil spirits, while on Chios island churches shoot homemade rockets at each other during Easter celebrations.
In Central America, residents of Antigua in Guatemala create elaborate carpets made of sawdust, pine needles
