One of the holiest festivals in the Christian calendar, Easter, is celebrated around the world, with great fanfare and religious fervor. While the religious observations of the festival follow the Christian church, the basic contours of Easter celebration may vary in different countries, due to regional influences. These variations straddle almost all the aspects of Easter celebration. In the majority of countries, Easter bunny is the prominent Easter symbol, while in France, Easter fish and bells are the major Easter icons. Pre-Lent carnivals are held across the world, with Rio de Janeiro carnival being the most famous one. In many Eastern European countries, Easter egg decoration is an integral part of Easter celebrations.

However, in today’s age of rampant commercialization, the religious significance of Easter is fast losing its relevance. People are increasing embracing the festive aspect of the festival and Good Friday and Easter Monday have become a welcome extension to the weekend and a chance to go on the first spring vacation. Over the years, the festival has taken the shape of a wonderful occasion to hang around with the long lost friends, close relatives and family members, and to have a lot of fun together. Read on to know all about Easter celebrations around the world.

Egypt
Egypt’s Coptic Easter festivities start on Saturday evening with services consisting of psalm reading, hymn singing and burning of incense. During the ceremony all lights are switched off and only turned back on in the moment of symbolising the resurrection. On Easter Sunday, people go to church, visit relatives, exchange gifts and enjoy picnics.

The Sham el-Nesseim festival always falls on the Monday following Orthodox Easter, Easter Monday, and is celebrated by both Egyptian Christians and Muslims as an Egyptian national holiday, rather than as a religious one.

Australia
Easter Sunday is a very important day for Christians, since the resurrection of Christ reflects a central idea in Christianity. Many Christians attend special church services even if they do not attend services regularly during the rest of the year. For non-religious people and followers of other faiths, the four-day Easter weekend is a welcome break and a chance to enjoy a range of sporting and cultural events. 

On Easter Sunday, many people receive or search for Easter eggs. These are egg-shaped and made from chocolate, candy or are decorated hens’ or plastic eggs. They are often covered in brightly colored foil or decorated with images of rabbits or chicks.

England
Easter in England is celebrated through the exchange of Easter Eggs and other gifts like clothes, chocolates or holidays packages. Easter bonnets or baskets are also made that have fillings like daffodils in them.

Haux, France
Don’t forget a fork if you’re in this southern French town on Easter Monday. Each year a giant omelet is served up in the town’s main square. And when we say giant, we mean giant: The omelet uses more than 4,500 eggs and feeds up to 1,000 people. The story goes, when Napoleon and his army were traveling through the south of France, they stopped in a small town and ate omelets. Napoleon liked his so much that he ordered the townspeople to gather their eggs and make a giant omelet for his army the next day.

Corfu, Greece
Known for practicing religious fervor through Orthodox Christianity, Greece observes Easter as its main religious festivity, according to the ancient Greek religious calendar. On the morning of Holy Saturday, the traditional “Pot Throwing” takes place on the Greek island of Corfu: People throw pots, pans and other earthenware out of their windows, smashing them on the street. Some say the custom derives from the Venetians, who on New Year’s Day used to throw out all of their old items. Others believe the throwing of the pots welcomes spring, symbolizing the new crops that will be gathered in the new pots.

Finland
Children in this Scandinavian country go begging in the streets with sooty faces and scarves around their heads, carrying broomsticks, coffeepots and bunches of willow twigs. In some parts of Western Finland, people burn bonfires on Easter Sunday, a Nordic tradition stemming from the belief that the flames ward off witches who fly around on brooms between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.Rome,

Italy
On Good Friday the Pope commemorates the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at the Colosseum: A huge cross with burning torches illuminates the sky as the 14 Stations of the Cross are described in several languages. Mass is celebrated on the evening of Holy Saturday, and on Easter Sunday, thousands of visitors congregate in St. Peter’s Square to await the Pope’s blessing from the church’s balcony, known as “Urbi et Orbi”.

USA
Easter is one of the most popular festivals across the United States. Though Easter has a religious background, it has assumed to have more of a secular character in the United States. Kids in the U.S. grow up expecting a delivery of eggs and candy from the Easter bunny each year, but it may seem odd to an outsider. Brought to this country by German immigrants in the 1700s, the practice is rooted in the belief that rabbits eggs symbolize fertility and rebirth.

Poland
Pouring water on one another is a Polish Easter tradition called Smingus-Dyngus. On Easter Monday, boys try to drench other people with buckets of water, squirt guns or anything they can get their hands on. Legend says girls who get soaked will marry within the year. The refreshing tradition has its origins in the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko on Easter Monday in 966 AD.

Norway
In Norway, the Eastertide starts early i.e. a day before the commencement of the Lent season. This day is known as ‘Vastelavent’ or ‘Schrovetide’. It is from this day that Norwegians start celebrating the upcoming festive occasion, spring season and a new working year. Easter is such a popular time for Norwegians to read crime novels that publishers actually come out with special “Easter Thrillers” known as Paaskekrimmen. The tradition is said to have started in 1923 when a book publisher promoted its new crime novel on the front pages of newspapers. The ads resembled news so much that people didn’t know it was a publicity stunt.