The UK has some brilliant Easter traditions, from Easter bonnets to Scotland’s egg rolling. Although Easter is a traditional Christian holiday, some fun and beautiful traditions have developed around the world. Incorporate them into your own to create new personal Easter traditions!
In the UK, fireworks tend to be associated with November and Guy Fawkes night but over in Florence, Italy, there is an Easter tradition known as Scoppio del Carro meaning, “Explosion of the cart”. A beautiful cart is led through the streets and the Archbishop of Florence then lights a fuse during the Easter Mass, setting off a beautiful display meant to encourage a good harvest. You may not be able to get an Archbishop to set them off, but fireworks in spring have the potential to look beautiful in those warmer evenings.
If chocolate isn’t really your thing then maybe get inspired by Papua New Guinea where decorating is the focus of the celebrations. As chocolate melts in the heat of the country, Easter trees are decorated with stacks of tobacco instead, which everyone gets to take home.
Enjoy a good crime novel? Draw inspiration from Norway, where crime shows are played on TV and new detective novels are commissioned to come out just before Easter. The tradition goes back to 1923, when a book publisher promoted their new crime novel on the front pages of the newspaper but the ads resembled news so many people didn’t know what to believe. Granted, the access to the mountain cabins that many Norwegians spend their Easter in are not quite as accessible in the UK.
Travel to the south of France if your Easter consists of hosting a large group of people. It might not quite be the size of the southern France town, Haux, where every year they use over 15,000 eggs to make an omelette for over 1,000 people. Legend has it this dates back to Napoleon visiting with his army resulting in the first giant omelette. The town makes it a community event and taking the togetherness of Haux into the holiday really brings out the best of Easter.
This tradition isn’t too far from home. The Isle of Bermuda hosts a simple but sweet activity including flying beautiful and colourful kites in the spring sun. Finally, put the Scottish wind to good use and get outside this Easter! You could even take it a step further and make and decorate your own kites with Easter designs, with Bermuda holding competitions for the best designs. Normally held on Horseshoe Bay Beach, the Bermudians also eat traditional hot cross buns and codfish over the festivities.
Featured Image Credit: Maurizio
Film, Media and Journalism student who writes about things that catch her interest. Instagram @charlsutcliffe
