# General Discussion > Opinions >  Easter

## Minty

:51: 

Easter is nearly here. I am wondering how people around the world celebrate Easter? Since this is a Japan board, do people in Japan celebrate Easter?

In Australia it is an Easter tradition to eat hot cross buns, Easter bunnies as well as Easter Eggs. But when I moved to France I discovered the French don’t eat hot cross buns for Easter. They do eat edible Easter Bunnies as well as chocolate Easter eggs but they are usually only for kids, where as in Australia as an Adult I have received Easter bunnies or eggs during Easter. My husband have tried hot cross bun in Australia but he doesn’t like it because he doesn’t like cinnamons or raisins. 

For those who don’t know what hot cross buns are, they are sweet, spiced buns made with dried fruit and leavened with yeast. A cross, the symbol of Christ, is placed on top of the buns, either with pastry or a simple mixture of flour and water. The buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday; however in Australia they are available in bakeries and stores many weeks before Easter.

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## Tsuyoiko

I don't celebrate Easter, except that I usually get a few days off work. We do have hot cross buns in the UK, and my mum usually makes them on Easter Sunday. My dad usually gives us Cadburys creme eggs  :So cute !:

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## Tokis-Phoenix

Chocolate easter eggs are really big in somerset where i live, every easter the supermarkets and small shops stock millions of them- easter is definately a time to eat masses of chocolate over here  :Relieved:  ! Eggs seem to be more popular than bunnies though, but we do still get chocolat easter bunnies and things though. Hmm...Easter...Well i guess the other things we do a lot over here is sell those really cute little fluffy toy yellow chicks, and a lot of places like primary schools and churches will hold easter egg hunts for the little kids and a lot of christian churches and pagan people celebrate special services and rituals and things related to easter time. 

Easter was originally a pagan celebration, going way back into the celtic and pre-celtic times, it was a celebration and festival of the ending of winter and the beginning of the new fertility of spring and summer. The easter bunny was originally a hare, as ancient people soon noticed that the hare was one of the very first animals to breed again after the winter, so soon became a symbol of fertility and thus Easter- the eggs are pretty obvious symbols of fertility. Some people even say that chickens even used to be considered sacred birds in some areas in ancient times because they were so useful and productive for the ancient people of europe/england and scotland, and also because farming had very strong links with easter back then as easter was a symbol of start for the people of when to start sowing the new crops and letting the animals out to graze and things :) .

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## Minty

> I don't celebrate Easter, except that I usually get a few days off work. We do have hot cross buns in the UK, and my mum usually makes them on Easter Sunday. My dad usually gives us Cadburys creme eggs


We don't have Cadbury's chocolates here (except fingers in the cookies section), but yeah those are delicious. :Dancing:  

I wonder why people only make hot cross buns in cinnamon and raisins. Maybe people should make hot cross buns in other flavours other than cinnamons and raisins?

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## Minty

> Chocolate easter eggs are really big in somerset where i live, every easter the supermarkets and small shops stock millions of them- easter is definately a time to eat masses of chocolate over here  ! Eggs seem to be more popular than bunnies though, but we do still get chocolat easter bunnies and things though. Hmm...Easter...Well i guess the other things we do a lot over here is sell those really cute little fluffy toy yellow chicks, and a lot of places like primary schools and churches will hold easter egg hunts for the little kids and a lot of christian churches and pagan people celebrate special services and rituals and things related to easter time. 
> Easter was originally a pagan celebration, going way back into the celtic and pre-celtic times, it was a celebration and festival of the ending of winter and the beginning of the new fertility of spring and summer. The easter bunny was originally a hare, as ancient people soon noticed that the hare was one of the very first animals to breed again after the winter, so soon became a symbol of fertility and thus Easter- the eggs are pretty obvious symbols of fertility. Some people even say that chickens even used to be considered sacred birds in some areas in ancient times because they were so useful and productive for the ancient people of europe/england and scotland, and also because farming had very strong links with easter back then as easter was a symbol of start for the people of when to start sowing the new crops and letting the animals out to graze and things :) .


I agree with that Easter eggs are more popular, I usually spend Easter with family. In Australia I used to spend Easter celebrations in church, and I had participated in Easter egg search games, but back in my former country Easter is not such a big thing over there, I don't remember Easter being a holiday.

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## Buckethead

In Japan it's not really celebrated - Its not part of the culture. They do teach the kids about it - Sometimes kids are given chocolate too.

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## Yetos

Easter is the biggest celbration in Greece,

it comes from antique the Anthesteria Ανθεστηρια and other simmilar celbrations,

few videos will show you what Easter means

rocket war



Molotov coctails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVO9sl-cwYk

sound grenades
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ99k7P6YLo

potery smash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyQq9Cm6Kqk

flame and smoke tubes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1uvg1lOpYE

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## Minty

Cloche-paques.jpg

This is what the French eat during Easter, this does not exist in Australia. Chocolates eggs, bunny and chicken can be found and sold in shops in Australia but not bells. French eat lambs for Easter. I am not a big fan of lambs, for me they stink.

One time my mum went to visit her family in the US, she thought she would have a very different Easter celebration. She was disappointed. The Mormons don't celebrate Easter. 

For me even though I am not very religious, I grown up with the habit of celebrating Easter. I don't think I can do without it.

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## Minty

> Easter is the biggest celbration in Greece,
> 
> it comes from antique the Anthesteria Ανθεστηρια and other simmilar celbrations,
> 
> few videos will show you what Easter means
> 
> rocket war
> 
> 
> ...


Interesting, I thought Xmas would be the biggest.

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## Minty

So I was reading articles about easter on the internet and I came across this one:



https://www.winerist.com/blog/entry/...ound-the-globe

I don't really agree with some of the things the article said.





> France – the traditional Easter bunny is not common in France, except for Alsace. In France, Easter celebrations are marked with the ‘April fish’, which makes its appearance on 1st of April or April’s fool Day. The children play tricks with the paper fish by secretly sticking them on to people’s backs.
> 
> Traditonal Easter food: like many others, the French prefer to serve lamb at Easter and eggs.


This is not really true. The French eat Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, Easter chicken, Easter fishes and Easter bells during Easter. Alsace is not the place where Easter bunnies are more common. I don't think so. Other places in France eat Easter bunnies too. They eat the Easter bells and that is not even mentioned.




> Australia – Easter is usually associated with spring and new birth, but in Australia, Easter is celebrated during autumn and associated with the golden hues of trees. Also, unlike many other countries, the rabbit in Australia is not considered as an Easter symbol, as it is often responsible for agricultural destructions. Therefore, the Australians came up with their own Easter animal – Bilby, an endangered marsupial with rabbit-like ears.
> Traditional Easter food: chocolate hot-cross buns and Easter bilbies.


This is not true about Easter bilbies. Australians do eat Easter bunnies. I have never seen Easter bilbies. The hot cross buns come in fruitless, chocolates and with fruit (which means sultanas). People don't only eat chocolate hot cross buns!

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## Yetos

chocolate eggs comes from red eggs

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## Yetos

and this is what left from the pagan era

the flower's celebration on the dead's day
Epitaph

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## LABERIA

Here in Albania tradition (at least among the Orthodox here in the South) it is that Thursday and Friday until twelve o'clock of the afternoon the woman of the house paint eggs for the family. It means that if you are 5 people in the house you have to paint 6 eggs, one for each family member and one egg for the house and you have to keep in home this egg for the whole year and will be replaced next year. Then after twelve o'clock on Friday there are some works that are not allowed to do, is Black Friday.
Then, Saturday and Sunday people paint other eggs and this are given as gift and start to smash eggs. Among the catholics in North, i don't know the tradition. But i think is similar.

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## Minty

arbre-de-paques---detail-d-un-oeuf-peint[1].jpg Easter.Tree.Decor.1.jpg Easter.Tree.Decor.jpg


So this is how French people decorate their houses or apartments during Easter. Perhaps not every French person does this but we can safely say that French do decorate their place during Easter with painted eggs and hang them on trees.


We sort of have similar things during Chinese New Year.

Chinese.Tree.Decor.1.jpg Chinese.Tree.Decor.jpg

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## Minty

> chocolate eggs comes from red eggs


I must say these are very pretty.




> Here in Albania tradition (at least among the Orthodox here in the South) it is that Thursday and Friday until twelve o'clock of the afternoon the woman of the house paint eggs for the family. It means that if you are 5 people in the house you have to paint 6 eggs, one for each family member and one egg for the house and you have to keep in home this egg for the whole year and will be replaced next year. Then after twelve o'clock on Friday there are some works that are not allowed to do, is Black Friday.
> Then, Saturday and Sunday people paint other eggs and this are given as gift and start to smash eggs. Among the catholics in North, i don't know the tradition. But i think is similar.


You know folks, it appears that religion still plays an important role in communist countries. European version of communism is not like the one in China. All sorts of antiquities and artifacts were taken from museums and private homes; they were destroyed as symbols of "old thinking." Priceless historical and religious texts also were burned to ashes.

It seems to me that a lot of the traditions are still there. People actually make effort to make those. Amongst Latin countries, France is not very religious. Italians and Portuguese take their catholic religion more seriously than the French. The French don't move much neither, because they think their country has everything they need. 

In countries like Australia people just buy things from the supermarket, all is very commercial. Not much of a tradition to make things and so forth.

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## Nerys

A belated Happy Easter. Here in NL is second Easter Day. At home Easter is simple some dinner usually roasted lamb these last few years as imports from New Zealand of lamb meats are available frozen. Some chocolate eggs shop bought. My only kid a teen is past the coloring eggs for Easter. I put a little vase of greenery with some ribbons in Easter pastel colors as I could not find my mini eggs for decor I misplaced them. I have some candles lit.

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## last-resort

> Cloche-paques.jpg
> 
> This is what the French eat during Easter, this does not exist in Australia. Chocolates eggs, bunny and chicken can be found and sold in shops in Australia but not bells. French eat lambs for Easter. I am not a big fan of lambs, for me they stink. .....


 David Sedaris (US comedic writer) wrote that while in a French class in France, his teacher berated him for not knowing that the French use the bell as a symbol of Easter, not a bunny. He gave the French mythology of the bell, which is as silly as the Easter bunny.

As to lamb, I suggest you try it cooked (roasted on a spit, if possible), Greek style. This should take away most 'off' odor/taste. The process is to cut small slits in the lamb and place in each cut a slice of garlic (from a 'button' of garlic so that a typical button would yield 2 or 3 slices). The cuts should be ~ 3 cm apart (~1 inch or less). Slather lamb with olive oil. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on it. Then season with oregano. Some add salt and black pepper here as well, and perhaps other herbs, like basil or thyme. If roasted over a spit, that is the prep work.* If cooked in an oven, I would start the process by trimming as much fat off the lamb as possible (without taking it to an extreme). The fat has the 'off' odor/taste. Over a spit it gets melted off.

*/If roasting a whole lamb over a spit, some fat in the abdominal cavity should be trimmed off, as it will make a mess as it melts off. It will be obvious what should be removed - large pieces of white fat. Then cut for the garlic, oil it, etc. Happy Easter. Christ is Risen!

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## last-resort

> Interesting, I thought Xmas would be the biggest.


 Theologically, Easter (Pascha, and its variants in other languages) is the greatest Christian holiday. As to celebrations, western Christianity at least in northern Europe and North America have Christmas as the largest. In eastern Christianity, it is Easter/Pascha.

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## Angela

Easter, really Easter week, including Holy Thursday and Good Friday and the Monday after Easter is still a really big deal in Italy even though Italians are less and less observant Catholics. I think a lot of it has to do with tradition and community life for those who participate but don't really believe any more.

The Via Crucis, or "The Way of the Cross", is a devotion widespread in Italy not only in churches but outdoors, with the largest one, perhaps, conducted in the Colosseum by the Pope. I was there once and even if you're not a believer it's very moving. It's done at night and by torchlight there.

("The Stations of the Cross" or Via Crucis is a drawing or sculpture of 14 events in the Crucifixion. The cross is carried to each "station" or representation in order accompanied by special prayers and time for reflection. It's done in all Catholic churches, including my neighborhood one here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stations_of_the_Cross)

This is a two minute video of this year's event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFGahxvYhTw

Some places also still carry on the Medieval tradition of Passion Plays. The most famous Italian one is held in Sordevolo in Piemonte (near Biella) every five years with over 400 "cast" members who are just the villagers. From those who have seen the one in Oberammergau in Germany the tone and text is really different. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg8HU6IqOEA

In southern Italy, because of the Spanish rule, there is a tradition of large "Holy Week" and particularly Good Friday processions. In Enna, 2000 monks in special costumes process through the streets. The one in Trapani in western Sicily is also extremely famous. Men carry the statues for 24 hours before bringing them back into the church.

This is an excellent video in English about it. I particularly like it because one of the men very articulately and subtly and with great delicacy of feeling explains why he participates year after year. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgt_moaNlIk

An article on Easter in Sicily, which really applies to all of southern Italy.
http://www.italymagazine.com/feature...ly-week-sicily

Despite all the Spanish influence the tone is very different in some ways. Being Italy, there is a lot of emphasis on the "Grieving Mother" with her statue also being carried through the streets, and much is made of the eventual "meeting" with her son. I'll admit it; I always cry too. :)

Of course, a lot of this is intertwined with the great fertility myths of the Mediterranean, with death and rebirth not only of Christ but of nature. 

I've never been to the Good Friday procession in Chieti, Abruzzo, but I would like to attend one year. Selecchi's Miserere is played by 100 violins and sung by hundreds and hundreds of participants. This is a video of it. It looks absolutely wonderful. One funny bit is that all the singers look like they're wearing yarmulkes. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uva5hSJktXc

Easter Sunday morning is more of a joyous affair. In Firenze beautifully decorated white oxen pull a carro or intricately carved cart through the streets of historic Florence up to the door of the Cathedral. After Mass the archbishop of Florence sends a rocket shaped like a dove into the "carro", igniting all the fireworks stuffed in it. A procession follows and finally people can go home and eat Sunday dinner with their families.

Of course, those who no longer believe skip all that, although not always. 

Lo scoppio del carro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqk8EeJzWmc

Popular, familial Pasqua is much more joyful, with hollow chocolate eggs filled with treats, candy, a nice family meal, and a picnic or other outdoor excursion with friends on Easter Monday. 

@Yetos,
Those are really beautifully decorated eggs.

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## Angela

Italian Easter Part 2. 

Commercial hollow chocolate eggs are ubiquitous in Italy, along with chocolate chickens, lambs etc. However, you can still buy artisanal ones, and you can bring your own treats and they'll make the chocolate egg around them. Sometimes men put an engagement ring in them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR0EmFBf9yw



It's all become a bit of an excuse for ingenuity and craftsmanship and conspicuous consumption, imo:



I like our old food traditions better. I still make Easter bread the way my mother did it.


In a nod to my husband's southern Italian ancestry I also learned to make pastiera or Italian wheat grain pie with ricotta. It's really delicious. His grandmother was an excellent cook and I learned everything I could from her. Her recipes have never let me down yet.



I never stray from our traditional meat, either. Roasted lamb and potatoes, stuffed artichokes, peas, sauteed greens, salad, good bread. They won't let me get rid of the antipasto either.

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## last-resort

> and this is what left from the pagan era
> 
> the flower's celebration on the dead's day
> Epitaph


 For those curious, this is from early Friday afternoon - Friday before Pascha/Easter, as the icon of Christ is still on the cross - see through the bier - and is not yet in the bier/tomb, and the Epitaphios (bier/tomb - the flowered structure) has been put in place. At a service sometime later than pictured here - still Friday afternoon, the icon of Christ will be removed from the cross, and an embroidered icon (usually cloth, but could be otherwise) of Christ will be laid in the tomb. On Friday evening, there will be hymns sung as lamentations, and the tomb (perhaps a smaller version) with the cloth icon will be carried in procession. At the close of the Friday evening service, the congregants will receive flowers from the tomb from the priest.

Here is an example of the hymn sung. It is only a sample, as there are typically three stasis sung, so many verses each. I do not know music, but I would say the melody stays the same but the tone changes at least once as the stasis change.

https://youtu.be/9o3K9yegLVM?list=RDgKTGFsVNu7Q
(A translation is available in the comments. Look for Edison Gumapac)

Here is the bier procession in Greece. Note the music at 01:07
https://youtu.be/0Ci0STFmB3E

Here is the Friday service (in part) NOTE IT IS TITLED INCORRECTLY - THIS IS A FRIDAY EVENING SERVICE (Lamentations) Note the hymn at 01:22
https://youtu.be/WvWdoJfwq0o

At Saturday morning service, the Christ icon is not seen. Late Saturday evening, after suitable preliminaries the resurrection is proclaimed (Sunday morning). Red eggs are typically given by the priests - Greek tradition, little 't' - as people file out.

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## Minty

> Italian Easter Part 2. 
> 
> Commercial hollow chocolate eggs are ubiquitous in Italy, along with chocolate chickens, lambs etc. However, you can still buy artisanal ones, and you can bring your own treats and they'll make the chocolate egg around them. Sometimes men put an engagement ring in them.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR0EmFBf9yw
> 
> 
> 
> It's all become a bit of an excuse for ingenuity and craftsmanship and conspicuous consumption, imo:
> ...


I have never seen these eaten at Easter. Are those coloured oval things real eggs being coloured? Or are those sweets shaped in like eggs?

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## Minty

> David Sedaris (US comedic writer) wrote that while in a French class in France, his teacher berated him for not knowing that the French use the bell as a symbol of Easter, not a bunny. He gave the French mythology of the bell, which is as silly as the Easter bunny.
> 
> As to lamb, I suggest you try it cooked (roasted on a spit, if possible), Greek style. This should take away most 'off' odor/taste. The process is to cut small slits in the lamb and place in each cut a slice of garlic (from a 'button' of garlic so that a typical button would yield 2 or 3 slices). The cuts should be ~ 3 cm apart (~1 inch or less). Slather lamb with olive oil. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on it. Then season with oregano. Some add salt and black pepper here as well, and perhaps other herbs, like basil or thyme. If roasted over a spit, that is the prep work.* If cooked in an oven, I would start the process by trimming as much fat off the lamb as possible (without taking it to an extreme). The fat has the 'off' odor/taste. Over a spit it gets melted off.
> 
> */If roasting a whole lamb over a spit, some fat in the abdominal cavity should be trimmed off, as it will make a mess as it melts off. It will be obvious what should be removed - large pieces of white fat. Then cut for the garlic, oil it, etc. Happy Easter. Christ is Risen!


Thanks. I'll give this recipe a try. :)

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## last-resort

> I have never seen these eaten at Easter. Are those coloured oval things real eggs being coloured? Or are those sweets shaped in like eggs?


 Those are real eggs. Greeks have the same thing, except the eggs are usually all red in color.

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## last-resort

> Italian Easter Part 2. 
> 
> It's all become a bit of an excuse for ingenuity and craftsmanship and conspicuous consumption, imo:
> 
> I never stray from our traditional meat, either. Roasted lamb and potatoes, stuffed artichokes, peas, sauteed greens, salad, good bread. They won't let me get rid of the antipasto either.


 Angela, what is the artichoke stuffed with? Thanks

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## Yetos

This is the year of coronavirus,
so no rocket war,
no smoking grenades,
no noise grenades, 
NO etc,

But still the anciet rituals of Spring, Persephone, etc etc
as passed in Christianity are in the blood of Greeks

Larissa,
they used a projector, turning a house to a giant screen, so to celebrate all together from their balconies,



Thessaloniki,
Since the 'followers' are not allowed to go to temples, the priest walked the streets to bless the 'balkony religious'  :Laughing: 




Corfu, at this island ressurection is celebrated one day earlier,
every year the melody 'do not fear Greeks' was played by at least 2-3 philarmonicas (Corfu reached 36 once)
this year since no gathering is allowed ... 





Easter in Greece is higly connected with Liberty and ressuction of nation

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## Axion

> Easter, really Easter week, including Holy Thursday and Good Friday and the Monday after Easter is still a really big deal in Italy even though Italians are less and less observant Catholics. I think a lot of it has to do with tradition and community life for those who participate but don't really believe any more.


is this recent trend or it became post ww2 tendency, is this result coz the imposed secularism in the italian society or the corruption scandals in vatican have loosen the public trend!?

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