Easter Sunday is a significant day on the Christian calendar. Easter Sunday will be celebrated on March 31 and many of those celebrations will feature some notable traditions. Some traditions are undoubtedly familiar to practicing Christians, while others might come as a surprise. As Easter approaches, faithful Christians and others intrigued by the holiday can consider these notable traditions from around the globe.
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Fireworks in Florence
The folk tradition of Scoppio del Carro ("Explosion of the Cart") takes place in Florence, Italy. The Uffizi Gallery reports this tradition can be traced to the First Crusade in 1099. During the first Easter in Jerusalem, Crusaders gave the blessed fire to the people as a symbol of purification. That custom has endured in Florence, where each Easter Sunday morning around 10 a.m. a candle is lit in the church of Santi Apostoli. That same candle is then used to light an antique cart loaded with fireworks, marking the beginning of a display that lasts around 20 minutes.
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The Carpets of Semana Santa
Carpets might not be the first thing most Easter celebrants think of when pondering the holiday, but that might be the case for anyone who's ever spent the holiday in Antigua, Guatemala. Guatemala's Semana Santa ("Easter Festival") features detailed carpets of colored sawdust adorning a Good Friday processional route. Preparation for the colorful and stunning display begins months in advance as the intricate carpets require ample time to produce.
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Whips in the Czech Republic
Among the more unique Easter traditions takes place each Easter Monday in the Czech Republic. In adherence to this tradition, known locally as pomlázka, boys, and sometimes men, gather willow branches and braid them together into whips. The whips are then decorated with ribbons before boys visit girls (or men visit women) who they know and lightly tap them with the whips. The tradition is believed to bring women luck, vitality and fertility.
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Kite festival
Celebrants create and fly homemade kites on Good Friday Kitefest, which features bold, geometric designs. It's also traditional to eat codfish and hot cross buns during Holy Week. On Easter Sunday, the faithful participate in sunrise services on various Bermuda beaches.
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Re-enactments
Costa Ricans take Holy Week and Easter quite seriously. Each town hosts parades and processions during Holy Week, providing dramatic re-enactments of Jesus' journey through Jerusalem to his crucifixion and resurrection.
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The Passion of Jesus
Good Friday visitors to Trafalgar Square can see a classic dramatization of Jesus' resurrection. "The Passion of Jesus" is a 90-minute performance that attracts thousands of visitors.
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Church bells
Many people visit the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral to hear its bells toll throughout Easter Sunday. A fire destroyed a portion of the cathedral roof in 2019 and repairs are still under way. There also are Paris Easter egg hunts. Parisians and tourists also can visit La Sainte Chapelle, which offers Easter concerts consisting of classical music and choral singers.
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Solem celebration
Israel is a melting pot of both Jewish and Christian faithful. Easter is a solemn celebration here. In Old Jerusalem, faithful pilgrims and priests walk the Via Dolorosa, which is the same path that Jesus took on the day he was crucified. The Way of the Cross, which is what the procession is called, is among the most amazing sights in the world.
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Special mass
Easter is special in Italy and particularly in Vatican City, the home of the Pope. The Pope holds a special mass on Easter in Saint Peter's Square, which traditionally draws huge crowds. Elsewhere in Italy, masses take place at area churches and many towns host parades and other celebrations.
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12 in 12
Holy Week reenactments take place in devout areas of Mexico. Residents in other areas may take part in silent processions through town, or by visiting 12 churches in 12 days.
These are just some of the unique traditions many Christians adhere to as part of their Easter celebrations.