via Hanover Evening Sun

Easter Sunday falls on April 16^th this year. Since it coincides with Ramadan, most are probably sceptical about going for a picnic and eating Fesikh. This is, after all, the Egyptian tradition, and it got us thinking about how other cultures celebrate Easter. So, we compiled a list of the most unusual Easter traditions around the world that are more than just colouring eggs!

1-     Throwing Pots (Greece)

via ABC

The Greek Island of Corfu is the site of the annual “pot throwing” event. The pots or pans, typically containing water, are thrown out windows and smashed on the street below. The tradition may have originated from the Venetians, who traditionally throw away their old items on New Year’s Eve.

Some people think that by breaking in new pots at the beginning of spring, they are celebrating the arrival of the new growing season. It sounds a lot like the Egyptian proverb about pot throwing, right?

2-     Wearing Costumes and Painting Freckles (Finland)

via SBS

Finnish kids have a delightful Easter tradition of dressing up as witches for the Easter holiday. The children dress in bright colours, with freckles painted on. The young witches carry willow sticks decked with colourful feathers and crepe paper as they walk from door to house. They then trade chocolate eggs for a recitation of a rhyming blessing designed to ward off evil spirits.

3-     Making a Giant Omelette (France)

via NBC News

Every Easter Monday, a massive omelette is prepared and served in the town square of Haux, in the south of France. The omelette contains around 15,000 eggs and can feed up to a thousand people; so, when we say giant, we mean it!

There is a story that while marching through the south of France, Napoleon and his army stopped in a tiny village to eat omelettes. Napoleon enjoyed his so much that he ordered the citizens of the town to pool their eggs and prepare a massive omelette for his soldiers the following morning, and that’s how the peculiar tradition was born!

4-     Reading Crime Novels (Norway)

via Life in Norway

Many Norwegians spend the holiday holed up in a cabin somewhere, skiing and reading crime novels or watching crime shows on television. An unnamed book publisher in 1923 is credited with kicking off the custom by advertising a new mystery novel on the front pages of newspapers nationwide.

In other words, the people were fooled into paying attention to the advertising because of how closely it resembled the news! Norway also has a long holiday season with plenty of time to relax and finish a good book.

5-     Gathering around a Bonfire (Northwestern Europe)

via Hamburg

Easter is celebrated with the traditional “match-strike” in several regions of Europe. It is customary in Northwestern European cultures to light a bonfire on the first night of a two-day festival, which begins on a Sunday. People traditionally lit fires known as Easter Fires to drive away the gloom of winter. The fires have since evolved into a pleasant tradition for locals to gather and welcome spring together.