Not everyone celebrates Easter with a visit from the famous Bunny!  Check out some of these Easter traditions from around the world:

Africa

Christians attend a 3 p.m. Easter service that ends before sun sets (approximately 6 p.m).  (Because many churches have unreliable electricity, the service usually ends before dark.)  The church is decorated with clothes made up in the form of butterflies, flowers, banana trees, and other symbols of nature. 

After the service traditional dancing is held outside the church.  People then return home for a meal with family members.  The menu often includes boiled or roasted rice with meat or chicken.

Australia 

Because Australia is in the southern Hemisphere, Easter is celebrated in the fall instead of in the spring. 

Instead of the traditional rabbit, Australians prefer the "Bilby" as their symbol for Easter.  These small animals, which are native to Australia, have rabbit-like ears, a long pointed snout and long black tail.  You can read a story about Burra Nimu, the Easter Bilby, by clicking here. 

Bulgaria

The brightly colored  red egg is the symbol of Easter for the Orthodox Christians around the world. Easter breads, called "kolache" or "kozunak" are also a holiday tradition.  These breads, which taste a little like Italian "panettone" may be decorated with red eggs.  This bread is taken to church on Saturday evening and blessed by the clergy. 

The eggs are cracked after the midnight service and during the days following. One egg is cracked on the wall of the church. At Easter dinner, each person selects and egg and  take turns tapping it against the eggs of others.  It is foretold that the person whose egg does not crack with have a year of good luck.

Finland

Finnish Easter traditions not only celebrate the resurrection of Christ, but also recognize the arrival of spring. Homes are decorated with little pots of rye-grass seeds, since green grass is a symbol of spring.  Pussy willow and birch twigs are cut,  brought into the house and placed in a vase of water, so they will bloom early.  

Easter is becoming a more secular holiday for the Finns, offering them an opportunity to take a spring vacation to the southern beaches or go skiing in Lapland. In some parts of Finland, children would walk around their home on Easter night, ringing a cowbell to signify the end of the "silent week."  

Mämmi, a dark brown porridge made of water and sweetened rye malt, is the traditional Lenten dish in Finland.  It is eaten colr or spread on top of bread.  

Interestingly, the Finns have an Easter tradition that is very similar to Halloween in the U.S.  Children with sooty faces  go begging, carrying broomsticks, coffee pots and bunches of decorated virpovitsa willow twigs. They go from door to door, reciting good luck poems in return for money and sweets. 

France

In France, people traditionally eat a leg of mutton on Easter.  It is called the Paschal lamb, which has roots in the Bible story about Abraham and Isaac.  (Abraham killed a lamb instead of his son Isaac.)  The French also hide chocolate or sugar eggs in the garden for their children to find. 

Germany

In Germany the Easter holiday has strong religious overtones. Fish dishes are eaten on Good Friday; an Easter Vigil service is held on Holy Saturday which extends through Easter Sunday.  After services, families gather together to enjoy a special Easter dinner, including dyed eggs and a cake shaped like a lamb. 

All of the old Christmas trees are gathered and burnt in a special place.  This tradition, which is called the Easter Fire, symbolizes the last sign of winter and the transition into spring. 

Greece

Easter is the most important religious holiday in Greece. The Easter Vigil service is a very important part of the holiday.  During that service, church members circle the church at midnight, holding candles while the priest performs the blessing. Afterwards, they greet each other with the words "Christos anesti, Christos anesti," which means "Christ has risen, indeed He has risen."  

After church, families go home and enjoy a lemon, egg and rice soup called Avgolemono.  Easter Sunday is a time for families. They gather together and enjoy a meal of traditional foods, including roasted lamb and Tsoureki bread imbedded with red eggs (the red eggs symbolize the blood of Christ). Like Bulgaria, they enjoy cracking the eggs to see who will have good luck in the coming year.  

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Start a new Easter tradition!

Read the story of 

Benjamin's Box

Or even better yet, act it out with Resurrection Eggs

Or set up a beautiful Resurrection display

(Item # 04223K from Abbey Press.  Click link above to go to their site)

Re-enact the Easter story with this felt board set

(Item #IN-12/1679, Oriental Trading Company)

For secular Easter tradition ideas, click here