Worldwide Easter traditions

Brought to you by Frost Magazine and Vyke

Users of Vyke – the UK-based provider of low-cost international calls over the internet (VoIP) – have shared their Easter traditions on its blog and Frost magazine. From food to religion, bells to bunnies, paragliding to water fighting, each country’s custom shows why this holiday is truly an international one:

· Ukraine – a traditional dish of egg and yam is served each year

· UK – hot cross buns, filled with dried fruits and spices with a cross on top (symbolizing the crucifixion) have come to mean as much as the traditional chocolate Easter egg

· France – tradition states the ringing of the Easter Bells on Sunday morning is what makes chocolate eggs magically appear in children’s baskets

· Nigeria – it’s a traditional family pursuit to decorate the simple every day breakfast egg between parents and their children

· Poland – ‘lany poniedziałek’ or ‘śmigus-dyngus’ – Poland has the Easter Monday custom of water fights! This began innocently by sprinkling young ladies with a bit of perfumed water, and developed into regular water fights in the streets

· Ghana – Every family gathers for a feast known as ‘the picnic’. The holiday is also quickly becoming renowned for the Annual Ghana Paragliding Festival, the sixth of which is this year

· Ireland – all of the public houses shut (!) and the country observes a no meat eating policy on Holy Friday, enjoying fish in its place

· Austria – between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday morning mass, there are no church bells ringing. According to religious lore, they all fly to Rome so altar boys use ‘Ratschen’ (wooden rattles)

· Philippines – Easter involves little girls dressed as angels and a procession that usually starts very early in the morning, before dawn

· Romania – Children take part in Government organised contests such as ‘The Easter bunny gives you a gift’

· Brazil – Locals construct straw renditions of Jesus’s betrayer – Judas, beat them up, and then set each ablaze

· Australia – No Easter bunny for our antipodean friends. In pest conscious Australia it’s the Easter bilby instead. The bilby is an endangered Australian animal with long soft ears

· Sweden – it’s the Easter hare and not the bunny that delivers Swiss chocolate delight

· U.S – although now widespread, its believed the egg-hunt originated in the US

Commenting on the response: Vyke Chief Executive, Tore Hellebo said:

“Our user base is right across the world, so we thought a nice way to bring everyone together, whilst celebrating differences, was through a universal holiday like Easter.

“We were right, as everyone celebrates it, but in much localised ways.”