Easter Traditions Around The World

Spring has sprung and Easter is right around the corner. For many, this means spending the long weekend with friends and family, going on Easter egg hunts, and indulging in some chocolate eggs.

Easter is a very popular holiday celebrated around the world by different cultures, with lots of unique traditions and ways of celebrating.

Grandir UK nurseries always try to celebrate diversity. Nursery Manager of Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool in Whiteley Erika Maindrou highlights the importance of this: “Celebrating diversity is important as it introduces cultures and customs to children who may not have been exposed to them before. We embrace diversity within our nursery as we believe ‘Everyone is different and that’s beautiful’ and we teach children acceptance of those differences.”

We’ve put together some facts about what other countries and regions around the world get up to during the Easter holiday.

Read on to learn more so you can share these fun facts with your child or engage in an activity themed around the different traditions.

Kite flying in Bermuda

In Bermuda, families and friends get together on Good Friday to build and create their very own kites using colourful paper and wooden sticks. They then head outside or visit the famous Horseshoe Bay Beach annual Kite Festival to set them off into the sky and watch as they soar making the infamous humming sound.

They also celebrate by making codfish meals and enjoy some English hot cross buns!

Giant omelettes in Bessières, France

On Easter Monday, in a village called Bessières in France, thousands of people gather to cook a massive Easter omelette. This giant omelette is created using more than 15,000 eggs and over 40 volunteer cooks. The omelette takes around 30 to 40 minutes to cook and is then enjoyed by many people attending the festivities. Very impressive!

Chocolate nests, UK and Ireland

Chocolate Nests are a popular Easter treat enjoyed mainly in the UK and Ireland. These snacks are made using melted chocolate and cereal such as Cornflakes, Rice Krispies or Shredded Wheat. Making these every Easter has become a significant tradition especially with nursery and primary school settings.

Children at Radcliffe-On-Trent Day Nursery and Preschool embraced this Easter tradition in 2024 by heading to a local care home and making some Chocolate Nest’s with the friendly residents.

Colourful carpets in Antigua Guatemala

Each year, Antigua a city in southern Guatemala hosts the largest Easter celebration in the world. Part of this celebration includes the impressive creation of bright and colourful carpets called ‘Alfombras’ that are displayed all across the streets of Guatemala.

The carpets are made from dyed sawdust and prepared weeks in advance. The different carpet designs depict subjects that are important to each artist such as Mayan traditions, mother nature and Guatemalan history.

Ruzzolone in Italy

This is one of the few traditions where playing with food is accepted and turned into a game! On Easter Monday in Panicale (a small town that sits between Rome and Florence), people roll large wheels of cheese through the streets in a game called Ruzzolone. The player who manages to roll their cheese closest to the outside of the town’s walls in the fewest amount of try’s wins the game. This Easter activity is filled with humour and competitiveness!

Feathered Easter letters (Påskebre) in Norway

Norwegian children put their DIY skills to the test by creating colourful Påskebre (Easter Letters) to celebrate the festive season. These bold letters are often added to poems, riddles and Easter cards which is a beautiful addition to the overall look.

Egg tapping in Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, there is a unique tradition where people take an egg and tap it against another one. The belief is that the person who has the last unbroken egg will have a year of good luck!

Children’s dress up in Finland and Sweden

Finland and Sweden have a fun and creative tradition to celebrate Easter. Children in these Nordic countries dress up as Easter Witches and go door to door seeking treats. This tradition is reminiscent of the spooky activities that take place on Halloween.

Bread baking in Italy

To celebrate Easter, Italians bake a special traditional bread called Colomba di Pasqua. This delicious dove-shaped bread symbolises peace and resurrection and is made with almonds, candied fruits and a yummy sugar glaze.

The butter lamb in USA (Polish American)

As a part of their tasty Easter meal, Polish-American communities mould butter into the shape of a little lamb. This lamb represents Christ, the Lamb of God.

Easter egg roll in Washington D.C., USA

Each year, The President of the United States hosts an annual Easter Egg Roll. This involves families and children rolling coloured boiled eggs with a large wooden spoon across the South Lawn of the White House. This event dates back to 1878 and is filled with a variety of fun activities such as story times and games. During the event, children can also hear stories read by the president’s wife the First Lady herself!

Bucket pouring in Poland

This Polish Easter tradition isn’t for the faint-hearted! This tradition dates back over 1,500 years and includes drenching one another with full buckets of water. Originally this tradition was to symbolise baptismal water, however, now this is more of a fun tradition!

Osterbrunnen in Germany

This German tradition began in the early 20th century in Franconian Switzerland and consists of decorating public water fountains and wells with a vibrant array of Easter eggs! In addition to eggs, flowers and paper ribbons are often added too which creates a beautiful display.

Fireworks in Florence, Italy

On Easter Sunday people gather in the centre of Florence to celebrate the Scoppio del Carro meaning “Explosion of the Cart” a custom that has been celebrated for hundreds of years. This fantastic display involves an antique cart which is filled with fireworks and decorated with white oxen adorned with flowers and garland. Locals and visitors from across the world gather to watch the mesmerising display.

Pot throwing in Corfu, Greece

On Holy Saturday the beautiful Greek island of Corfu holds a Pot Throwing ceremony where earthenware is thrown out of windows. This Easter tradition symbolises the new crops that will be gathered in the newly purchased pots.

Enjoying hot cross buns, UK

Indulging in a warm Hot Cross Bun is a part of many British families’ Easter traditions. People often buy these from their local supermarket or bake them in the run-up to Easter.

Although these buns have now lost this name, early literature reveals that Hot Cross Buns were formerly known as the Good Friday Bun – again reaffirming the sweet treats significance during the Easter period. Baking around Easter time is an activity which is incorporated within Grandir UK nurseries, for example the children at Kiddi Caru Wellingborough made some Hot Cross buns of their own during the festive period!

Ostereiertitschen in Germany

We have another egg-related Easter tradition on the list, and this time it’s Germany’s Ostereiertitschen! This fun tradition consists of knocking hard boiled eggs against each other in attempt to crack the opponents egg first. The winner of the game is said to get good luck!

Maracas, drums and bamboo trumpets in Haiti

A vibrant display is put on by Haitians for Easter! An electric parade of Maracas, Drums and Bamboo Trumpets are blasted through the streets. This tradition is a combination of Catholicism and Voodoo beliefs with festivities that include colourful parades, music, and chanting.

Why not switch up Easter time with your family this year and try a new tradition or activity with your child. Perhaps, something inspired by the traditions above.

Bonfires in the Netherlands

In some parts of the Netherlands, big bonfires are lit on Easter Sunday to mark the end of winter and the welcoming of Spring, this is called Paasvuren. Families also gather around to celebrate with food and music creating a lively atmosphere.

Wet Monday in Poland

On Easter Monday Polish people in certain areas of the country engage in water fights. This playful tradition originates from pagan spring rituals. Known as Śmigus-Dyngus, the tradition dates back centuries and was once a ceremonial act where men splashed water on women to bring good luck and prosperity in marriage.

Pysanky, Ukraine

This Ukrainian Easter tradition consists of intricately decorating eggs using a wax-resist method. These vibrant eggs hold a lot of symbolism which is dependent on the colour and pattern of the egg. The most popular designs people go for are geometric patterns.

This festive tradition is a fun way for children to let their creativity flow! At Dicky Birds Nursery and Preschool, Pepys Road in Raynes Park children participated in a similar hands-on activity over the Easter period painting eggs in their favourite colours.

Some ideas for you to try:

• Create your own homemade kite or craft one!
• Cook a yummy omelette with your child’s favourite foods.
• Make a tuff tray or get some paints out to create a colourful carpet.
• Show your children how to crack an egg!
• Decorate a boiled egg and head outside to have your own egg roll race!
• Have fun with mark making – use leaves and twigs to make paint some fireworks using different colours.

There are so many other traditions across the world that we haven’t covered in this blog, if you and your family have a particular tradition that you’d like to tell us about please send us an email via [email protected] or speak to us on social media @grandiruk – we’d love to hear about it!

We hope now you have more insight into how different areas of the world celebrate Easter! However you celebrate , we wish all of our families and staff members the very best during the holiday.

Looking for a nursery near you? Search for your local nursery and book a visit today, or attend our Spring Open Day this April.