The World’s Weirdest Easter Customs (reposted)

Flying bells, herring burials and eggs with superpowers – Easter beliefs and customs know no bounds. Here are the world’s most bizarre Easter customs.

For many, Easter brings to mind colored eggs and the Easter bunny. But all around the globe, there is a wide variety of traditions and myths related to Easter celebrations.

Easter bells

In France, Austria, but also in the Catholic regions of Germany, for example, children are told that the bells fly to Rome on Good Friday and return on Easter Sunday. On the way back from Rome, they would bring eggs and treats which they would hide for the children.

Easter tradition in Ireland: the burial of herrings

In some places in Ireland, herrings are buried at Easter to mark the end of a period of severe fasting during which herring is a main meal. It is not uncommon for local butchers to bury herrings.

Easter in Austria: eggs as a lightning rod

In Austria, eggs laid by hens on Maundy Thursday are called ” Antlass-Owner “. Behind this expression lies the belief that Maundy Thursday eggs have special powers. For example, they were hung on the barn to protect it once morest lightning.

Easter Monday in the Czech Republic: a spanking for beauty

In the Czech Republic and Romania, on Easter Monday, men sprinkle women with water and beat them with a homemade cane decorated with colorful ribbons. According to tradition, this is supposed to preserve the health and beauty of women for the coming year.

Easter custom in Bulgaria: flying eggs

In Bulgaria, we don’t hide Easter eggs, but throw them at each other. The one whose egg does not break is the winner and must become the highest performing family member for the coming year. Another custom is to crack the eggs on the church wall following midnight mass.

Easter in Australia: a marsupial instead of the Easter bunny

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Bilby a chocolate

In Australia, it’s not the Easter Bunny that comes, because there, Bunny Rabbit has become such a scourge that native animal species are threatened. The Easter bunny has therefore been replaced by another animal, a marsupial: the bilby. He looks surprisingly like the Easter bunny.

Easter custom in England: silver pennies for pensioners

Maundy Thursday, called in England the ” Maundy Thursday “, the queen distributes each year, according to her age, money in white purses to poor pensioners. This year, 95 pence will be distributed to 95 pensioners. A purely symbolic act, because despite the advanced age of the queen, the pension supplement is not very generous.

Easter tradition in Sweden: boys wear skirts

On Maundy Thursday, Swedish girls and boys, wearing headscarves and wearing long skirts, go from house to house disguised as Easter women (“ Cropping ”) and leave what are called Easter letters. In exchange, they receive sweets or money. It is because of these long dresses that Easter Saturday was also baptized ” Samedi long ».

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* Katharina Krenn works at AGRICULTURAL TODAY as the magazine’s cross-media editor and network project manager agricultural women.

Source : The world’s most bizarre Easter traditions agrarheute.com