EASTER IN EUROPE

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EASTER IN EUROPE
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Finland

• Easter in Finland is traditionally celebrated
  with easter-egg hunts for the children, and many
  Finns go to church on Easter Sunday. The eggs
  (hard-boiled, chocolate or candy eggs) are hidden
  in a yard or garden by parents. Then, the
  children are sent outside and can keep whatever
  Easter goodies they find.

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Finnish dishes

• Easter lamb
• Oven roosted root vegetables
• Chicken dishes
• Harring
• Smoked salmon
• Karelian rice pasties.

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Czech Republic

• Easter Eggs and kraslice
• The hand-painted or otherwise decorated egg
  (kraslice) is the most recognizable symbol of
  Czech Easter. Girls decorate Easter eggs to give
  them to boys on Easter Monday. There are many
  Easter egg decorating techniques and the more
  elaborate ones require a certain level of skill.
  Different materials can be used, such as bee's
  wax, straw, watercolors, onion peels, picture
  stickers. There are no limitations to creating
  pretty, colorful eggs.
• A nationwide Easter egg contest is held in Prague
  and other Czech cities around Easter time.

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Pussy willow and pomlázka

• Young, live pussywillow twigs are thought to
  bring health and youth to anyone who is whipped
  with them. An Easter pomlázka (from pomladit or
  "make younger") is a braided whip made from
  pussywillow twigs. It has been used for centuries
  by boys who go caroling on Easter Monday and
  symbolically whip girls on the legs. In the past,
  pomlázka was also used by the farmer's wife to
  whip the livestock and everyone in the household,
  including men and children. There would be no
  Czech Easter without the pomlázka.
• Boys used to make their own pomlázkas in the past
  (the more twigs, the more difficult it was to
  braid one), but this tradition and skill is long
  gone and pomlázkas can be bought in stores and
  street stands. Some men don't even bother and use
  a single twig or even a wooden spoon!

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Poland

• Poland is known all over the world for its faith
  in Orthodox Christianity. Hence, the country
  celebrates Easter in a very conventional style,
  mainly adhering to the traditional ways. Almost
  the entire populace of the country believes in
  orthodox Christianity, which is the reason for
  religious practices preceding almost all the
  celebrations. In Poland, Easter celebrations
  start with Holy Saturday, when the Blessing
  Basket is prepared. In it, colorful eggs, bread,
  cake, salt, paper and white colored sausages are
  kept.

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• The basket is taken to the church, to have it
  blessed by the priest. Polish people believe that
  the forty days of fast, observed during the Lent
  period, are not over until the basket is blessed.
  On Palm Sunday, Polish people take palm branches
  and twigs, which symbolize Christs entry into
  Jerusalem, to the church. These twigs and
  branches are, then, blessed and used for curing
  sick domestic animals and blessing pregnant
  women.

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Decorating

• On Easter, the entire family gathers at the
  breakfast table, decorated with green leaves,
  with a sugar lamb placed at the center. After
  wishing each other happiness and good luck,
  family members relish the Easter feast blessed by
  the priest. Some of the popular dishes are Beet
  and Horseradish Relish Cwikla, Gypsy Mazure
  Mazurek Cyganski, Raisin Mazurek Mazurek
  Rodzynkami and Mazurek Royale Mazurek
  Krolewski. The day after Easter is observed as
  the Switching Day in Poland, wherein boys swat
  their girlfriends with a small willow branch. On
  Easter Tuesday, the girls strike the boys back.

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Germany

• In Germany, Easter is called by the name of
  Ostern. Easter holidays for children last for
  about three weeks. Good Friday, Easter Saturday
  and Easter Sunday are the days when people don't
  work at all. In Germany also there is tradition
  of huge bonfires on Easter Saturday evenings.
  These Easter fires are burnt as symbolize the end
  of winter and bad omen. This is very popular
  tradition and large numbers of people assemble to
  enjoy it. Then, there is the tradition of
  families having breakfast together on Easter
  Sunday. Easter baskets full with sweets, eggs and
  small presents are hidden and children have to
  find them out. Colorful Easter eggs are decorated
  with traditional designs and are exchanged
  amongst friends.

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Russia

• In Germany, Easter is called by the name of
  Ostern. Easter holidays for children last for
  about three weeks. Good Friday, Easter Saturday
  and Easter Sunday are the days when people don't
  work at all. In Germany also there is tradition
  of huge bonfires on Easter Saturday evenings.
  These Easter fires are burnt as symbolize the end
  of winter and bad omen. This is very popular
  tradition and large numbers of people assemble to
  enjoy it. Then, there is the tradition of
  families having breakfast together on Easter
  Sunday. Easter baskets full with sweets, eggs and
  small presents are hidden and children have to
  find them out. Colorful Easter eggs are decorated
  with traditional designs and are exchanged
  amongst friends.

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Italy

• Dominated by Christian faith, Italy celebrates
  Easter with great fanfare and vigor. Known as
  'Pasqua' in Italian, Easter makes the entire
  country have fun with games and concerts. The
  proverb Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi
  meaning Christmas with your relatives, Easter
  with whomever you want, perfectly suits the
  festive spirit of Easter in Italy. The festivity
  begins with Carnival activities, which form a
  preface to the season of Lent, which signifies
  grief and misery. Venice, Ivrea and Sicily are
  the greatest hotspots, where Easter celebration
  is held with splendor and magnificence. Another
  prominent Easter ritual in Italy is the Barano
  d'Ischia, the customary dance and merino and the
  popular horse race. Delicacies and mouth-watering
  dishes are not too far behind when its Easter
  celebration time in the country. The festival
  also marks a luxurious and extravagant feast,
  wherein all the traditional delicacies are
  prepared. Agnellino, or the roasted baby lamb,
  forms the most important dish on the occasion.
  Another must-have in Ital, during Easter, is
  eggs, found as the main component in many dishes.

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Thank you for your attention!

• Katalin Szabó
• Viktória Tóth
• Lilla Pintér