6 Other Easter Traditions

Here in the UK, we observe Easter as a Christian holiday while mostly celebrating with chocolate eggs and lamb roasts. We’re all absolutely taking advantage of the influx of hot cross buns, and if you’ve got kids you might even be treated to a maypole dance at the primary school fête. British tradition is all part and parcel of the Easter holidays, but what do they get up to in the rest of the world?

We’ll kick it off just across the pond in Bessières, France, where the Global Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelette make, well, a giant omelette. Yep, you read that right! Fifteen thousand eggs go into a 13 foot frying pan over a bonfire, and half an hour later it’s time to feed the two thousand. The tradition is said to be inspired by a story involving Napoleon Bonaparte, who enjoyed a local omelette so much that he ordered one large enough to serve his troops. Nowadays, this eggy feat is the finale of a three-day Easter festival, where parades, egg hunts and performances take place.

Heading west across the face of the globe gets you to Bermuda, where a beautiful Easter tradition takes place in the form of the Annual Kite Festival. Geometric shapes fill the sky, creating a spectacle of multicoloured hexagons made from sticks, string, and tissue paper. Supposedly, a local teacher used the symbolism of a kite to represent the Ascension of Christ during Sunday school, which is why plenty of these creations are often seen with a cross at their centre. 

Perhaps one of Sweden’s more quirky traditions is the presence of witches during Easter week. Children raid the attic for rags, drape scarves over their heads, and paint their faces, going door to door exchanging drawings and letters for sweets. Kind of like a less sinister trick or treat. The tradition is linked to witch-like spirits who would fly overhead towards the mythical (Satanic) island of Blåkulla on Good Friday, returning on Easter Sunday. Bonfires are also lit on the Saturday to ward off said spirits upon their return.

Alongside long weekends in snowy cabins and skiing in the mountains, Easter in Norway is characterised by perhaps the least Easter-y thing ever: crime. Not real crime, just a huge influx of people taking time out to watch crime dramas and read a good thriller. It’s been a thing since 1923 when an advert for a crime novel claimed the front page of a newspaper and had readers all over Norway transfixed. Since the story was set at Easter time around friends skiing between cabins, people didn’t realise it was fiction, and thus a love for Påskekrim (Easter crime) was born!

The fourth Sunday of Lent is set aside as a day to remember the goodness of God, and to give thanks for our reconciliation with Him and each other. It’s also Pretzel Sunday! In Luxembourg, men will gift their sweetheart a sweet pretzel made of puff pastry, topped with fondant icing and almonds, in the hope that their feelings are returned. If so, they’ll receive an egg on Easter Sunday, and if not… an empty basket. Harsh. However, every four years the shoe is on the other foot, and on a leap year it’s the women who get to declare their love with a baked good.

We’ve all had an Easter egg in our time - whether a luxury one from a chocolatier or one of those that used to come with a free mug - but no-one does Easter eggs quite like the Italians. The whole ‘Easter egg’ tradition goes back centuries, and is linked to that well-known symbolism of rebirth and new life. Over time, the switch has been made from actual hen’s eggs to chocolate eggs, and it’s these magnificent, almost ornamental confections which line the windows of Italy during the lead up to Easter. Market stalls, coffee bars, supermarkets, you name it! They’re all adorned with impressive eggs, wrapped in foil or fabrics, or elaborately decorated with piped icing and coloured chocolate.  And let’s not forget the sorpresa in the centre! Be it a simple toy or an engagement ring, the joy of opening your egg is only made better by the anticipation of the surprise.

So you see, although there’s a healthy amount of chocolate and eggs to be found during Easter, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine a crime-novel-reading, raggedy-looking witch sitting outside a cabin, eating an almond-covered pretzel and flying a hexagonal kite.

BY HOLLY GARWOOD, 15TH APRIL 2025