Easter traditions and customs around the world. From “The Stroller Explosion” to throwing pots in the street

Almost every country has customs and traditions related to Easter or the first day after this holiday. For example, Jamaicans break eggs on Good Friday at dawn. I put the egg white in a glass of water, and after sunrise the heat creates various shapes in the resulting mixture. In these shapes you can read your future, say the locals.

Dancing is prohibited on Good Friday in Germany. Nightclubs, where people usually party on Friday nights, are forced to close, risking fines of €1,500.

Children in Sweden and Finland dress up as Easter witches on Easter Sunday and go door to door with willow branches. They sing a song said to ward off evil spirits and receive a chocolate egg in return.

In Bermuda, people fly kites on Good Friday. The tradition is believed to have started when a local teacher had trouble explaining the resurrection of Jesus in Sunday school, so he flew a kite to explain the concept.

The people of Haux (France) make an enormous omelette on Easter Monday. They use over 4,500 eggs and feed up to 1,000 people. Each family cracks a few at home and then takes them to the main square where the eggs are cooked for lunch.

On Maundy Thursday in the small towns of Guatemala the streets are covered with colorful carpets in preparation for the Good Friday procession. Some have historical motives, others religious – ranging from Mayan traditions to Guatemalan history.

The ‘cart explosion’, ‘pot throwing’ and Easter egg substitute in Papua New Guinea

In Florence, Italy, locals celebrate a 350-year-old tradition known as the Scoppio del Carro, or “Explosion of the Cart,” which dates back to the First Crusade. An ornate cart is loaded with fireworks and then driven through the streets by people dressed in colorful 15th century costumes. Once the carriage reaches the Duomo, the Archbishop of Florence lights a fuse setting off fireworks.

On Maundy Thursday, the traditional “dance of death” is performed in the medieval town of Verges, Spain. People dress up as skeletons and dance from midnight to 3am.

On Holy Saturday morning, the traditional “throwing of the pot” takes place on the Greek island of Corfu. People throw pots, pans and other objects, often filled with water, out of windows. Some say that the custom comes from the Venetians, who on New Year’s Day used to throw away all their old objects. Others believe that throwing pots welcomes spring, symbolizing new crops to come.

In Poland, throwing a mug or a bucket of water at another is to respect the tradition called Śmigus-dyngus, People gather on Easter Monday for and splash each other with buckets of water, guns or anything else they can get their hands on. Legend has it that girls sprinkled in this way will marry within a year.

In Hungary (but also in northwest Romania), on the first day after Easter, boys spray girls with perfume, but only after receiving their consent. Instead, they are treated to cookies and booze.

In the Czech Republic, boys tie ribbons to willow branches on Easter Monday and lightly “whip” girls to wish them good luck and health. The practice is not well received by all, with many Czech women disagreeing with this Easter custom

Papua New Guinea found a creative substitute for chocolate Easter eggs, which wouldn’t last long in the heat there. They use the trees and branches near the churches to hang tobacco and cigarettes, which are then given to congregants after Easter Sunday services.