While to most of us Easter is simply an excuse to eat limited edition chocolates, for some parts of the world Easter is a major cause of celebration. Some parts of the world take it more seriously than others. Other areas have particular traditions built around the period of Easter itself.
Interested in knowing how others take to Easter? Here are some intriguing traditions we have discovered.
The Czech Republic & Slovakia
Starting with arguably the oddest tradition: whipping. That might sound brutal, but the idea is that local males will swipe at girls running past with willow switches. This sounds like it is essentially a permitted act of violence, and it is naturally a tradition that has come under more scrutiny in recent years.
We are not ones to judge, but this is a form of Easter tradition that has become very common across the Czech Republic & Slovakia.
Norway
In Norway, Easter is a period where people like to shine a light on the criminal enterprise. Again, that might sound odd, but during Easter, it is common for Norwegians to put crime shows and crime fiction to the top of their ‘must watch/read’ pile. New books come out during this period, and old classics are shown on TV repeatedly.
You even get small detective stories on daily groceries and goods, showcasing this tradition further.
Greece
In Greece, it is common for people to go on a hunt for a specific kind of egg. While in other nations we look to find any old egg we can, in Greece they hunt for red eggs. This is because red is seen as the symbol of life in Greece. As such, many people look to keep these red eggs when found as it is seen as a symbol of life being renewed and reborn anew.
New Zealand
Across Oceania, New Zealand has a bunny hunt take place. Rather than hunting eggs, they hunt down invasive species that can impact the agricultural take for the year. Hunters will join a hunting group and commit to taking out thousands of bunnies across the Easter holiday period.
While some of these might sound odd or macabre to others, these are national traditions that have been around Easter for decades, if not centuries. So, if you go to any of these countries during Easter, you will no doubt see these traditions taking place!