There’s something truly special about Easter. Hot cross buns, Easter egg hunts, the change of season and spending time with friends and family at church. While the significance of Easter cannot be understated, it’s our traditions that give the season that unique flavour. Easter is celebrated worldwide, and not every tradition is the same as yours. So make sure your tray table is stowed and your seat belt is fastened as we take a trip around the world.
Flying High in Bermuda
Easter celebrations in Bermuda last an entire week, but it all starts with something unique: Good Friday KiteFest. Locals and visitors from all over descend on Horseshoe Bay Beach to display and fly their homemade kites. The kites come in all shapes and sizes; at the core part of the structure is the cross. The tradition is believed to have been started by a local Sunday School teacher who used the kite’s cross to represent Jesus and flew it high to teach about His ascension. Other traditions such as hot cross buns and attending Church are familiar, but they also enjoy eating codfish and holding sunrise church services on the beach.
Fireworks in Florence
Scoppio del Carro is translated to ‘Explosion of the Cart’, which happens every year in Florence, Italy, for the last 350 Years. A cart is packed with fireworks and led through the streets before stopping outside the Church. During the Easter service, the Archbishop of Florence lights a fuse and launches an impressive fireworks display.
Hunting not for eggs in New Zealand
In the town of Alexandra, hundreds of people gather for the yearly easter hunt. But they’re not looking for eggs; they’re looking for rabbits… who are not made of chocolate. The rabbit population in New Zealand is closely monitored as they’re not native to the country and have caused adverse effects on the environment’s biodiversity. This yearly hunt helps keep the population down and decreases the damage to local farms.
We found the eggs; they’re in France!
If you are hunting for eggs, the easiest place to find them is in the main square of the French town of Haux. On Easter Monday, you’ll find 15,000 fresh eggs to create a giant omelette that feeds up to 1000 people. No one remembers how this tradition started, but legend has it that the idea was from none other than Napoleon, the famous french revolutionist. The story goes, Napoleon and his army was travelling through the south of France and stopped at this town and ordered omelettes. He liked them so much that he ordered the townspeople to gather as many eggs as possible to make a giant omelette to feed his army the next day.
Water fights in Poland
Easter Monday is usually a relaxing day spent with family and friends, but in Poland, it’s anything but relaxing because if you are not careful, you could end up wet. Nowhere is safe; even those who like a bit of a lie-in could wake up to a bucket full of water on their face. It’s tradition for the boys to try to soak the girls on Monday, but they can get them back the following day. Anything could be filled with water in this massive water fight, from water balloons and buckets to empty soap bottles.
It’s not just eggs
Who doesn’t love an Easter egg? In the US alone, 180 million Easter eggs are purchased each year. Along with the eggs, we have several supporting characters. Chocolate Bunnies, Jelly Bean and Marshmallow Peeps all make an appearance. But in Portugal, they have something different called amêndoas, which we would know as Almonds. This treat comes in all colours of the rainbow, and the almonds are covered in chocolate, hard candy or caramelised sugar. Seeing the almond is shaped like an egg, though a very flat egg, it symbolises of new life is the same as the traditional easter egg.
In Australia, we’ve decided to give an alternative to the traditional bunny, widely regarded as a pest (same as New Zealand). Australia introduced the chocolate Bilby, a native animal to Australia. It’s not just a fun thing to do; the proceeds of all sales go to helping engaged wildlife. While the chocolate Bilby looks a little different from a traditional chocolate bunny, it tastes just as good. Hey, it’s chocolate!
No matter the country or the tradition, Easter is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is why at Hillsong Kids Big, we’ve created ‘What A Beautiful Name’. A 3-week interactive curriculum that you can use this Easter. Big and Easter – now that is a good tradition.
The perfect video to watch with your preteens about the names of God:
Check out our 15-day, kids Easter reading plan on YouVersion. This Easter, discover the Beautiful Name of Jesus – Our King, Christ, and Saviour.
The Hillsong Kids team from across our worldwide locations want to champion the cause of local Churches everywhere. Give your kids the best possible experience each week at Church. Join the team at our Hillsong Kids Leadership YouTube Channel.
Mar 24 2022