Spring Celebrations

Customs
Spring Celebrations

Many non-Christian religions before and worship the sun as the giver of light and life as a God and celebrate spring festivals such as why the Iranian Nouruz. Their appointment is often at the equinox on 20th or 21 March ajar.

Even some of today's Easter traditions are traced back to Germanic and Celtic sun cults such as the Easter fire and the Osterrade.

Neo-pagans celebrate as Ostara Easter Festival after an allegedly ancient Germanic goddess Ostara, whose symbols as an indication of Easter egg and Easter bunny. This fertility symbols are as Easter in the German language but only since the 17th Century occupied. A rabbit as an Easter symbol in Christian sources from South Eastern Europe occupied since late antiquity, and its origin from a Germanic spring cult is not used.

National and regional Easter
In German-speaking countries and the Netherlands are looking for the children hid brightly painted eggs and candy that were hidden by an "Easter Bunny". There is also the custom of twigs in vases or on trees in the garden with colorful Easter eggs to decorate. When there is an Easter pastry cakes in rabbits or Lammform. Easter egg traditions are to the Ostereiertitschen, Easter eggs and push Eierschibbeln.

In Catholic communities, the church bells between Good Friday and Easter are not rung. In some communities, mainly in southern Germany, but also in Luxembourg, instead, children and young people with special draw ratchets or rattles through the village to call on the services and the Angelus prayer.

In France, Austria and also in predominantly Catholic regions of Germany are told the children that the bells fly to Rome on Good Friday and Easter Sunday come back to explain why they do not ring. The bells would hide on the way back from Rome sweets for the children. The search for the hidden candy is in France, in contrast to the German-speaking countries, instead of on Easter Monday.
In some parts of the food blessing on Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday is the custom, whereby traditional Easter meals (Easter ham, sausages, tongue, horseradish, eggs blessed). In children, the "Eierpecken" very popular: Each participant will receive an egg and pushes it along with that from another participant. The person whose egg remains entirely up to the end wins.

In Poland, food blessed on Holy Saturday for breakfast on Easter Sunday (see Święconka). On Easter Monday we sprinkled each other with water (see Śmigus-dyngus).

In Greece, Russia, Serbia and Sweden, hard-boiled eggs are painted red to symbolize the new life that was purchased by the sacrifice of Christ. In Russia it is also customary to leave food in addition to traditional Easter eggs (Kulitsch, Pasha) to consecrate on Holy Saturday.

In Greece, after the resurrection of the liturgy Majiritsa, eat a soup made from the entrails of the lamb, which is then in the course of Easter Sunday on a skewer grilled. During the Easter welcomes you - as in all other Orthodox countries - with the Easter greeting: Χριστός ἀνέστη! ("Christ is risen!") The so greeted replies: Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη! ("He is risen indeed!").

In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania on Easter Monday is a custom is practiced, where the men women with water, sprinkle in Hungary with perfume, and with a kind hand-Rod - pomlázka (Czech Republic) - korbáč (Slovakia) - the one with colorful ribbons adorned, is "symbolic" (ie without hurting beat) (often the girls are so severe hit on the legs that they do not dare to go out of the house). According to tradition, this should get the health and beauty of the women in the coming year. Women who are overlooked, can be offended in some circumstances. In return, the woman gives the man a colorfully painted egg or even a small amount of money. In some areas, the woman can then return the favor in the afternoon or the next day by men poured over with a bucket of cold water.

Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, and the Sorbian-speaking areas in Germany (Brandenburg, Saxony) are probably the countries with the most elaborate Eierbemal tradition. On the Pisanki (pl.) or Писанки (Ukr) and velikonoční kraslice (cz.) (paintings on eggs) can be applied with liquid wax ornaments, cooked the eggs in a dye solution and in one with grass or similar material designed basket away.

In Italy there is the "torta di Pasquetta": a kind of ring cake with boiled eggs, spinach and so-called "Easter Dove". On Good Friday takes place in many places a procession in which the cross is borne in silence through the streets. The resurrection is traditionally celebrated on the second holiday with family and friends with a picnic.

In Finland beat friends and each other easily with a birch rod in order to remember the palm branches with which Jesus was received in Jerusalem. On Easter Sunday children draw with drums and horns through the streets to end the mourning period. In Finland, Easter is the feast of the candles.

In Mexico we celebrate for about two weeks, a kind festival with music and dance. The streets are decorated with garlands. On Good Friday it is quiet, and it will be held processions.

In Sweden, women go at night, secretly and silently to a source to get the Easter water. Will they not seen it to be and with the water to wet their loved ones, then they win so his love. Easter is celebrated with fireworks and noise. The "Easter witches" are driven out symbolically on Easter. On Maundy Thursday, the Swedish children dress up as "Easter women" (Påskkärring). They run with long skirts and head scarves in the streets and begging at the doors for candy, as "payment" they present selbstgemalte Easter pictures.

In England you leave the colorful eggs to roll down steep roads, etc., until the skin is completely broken.

In the U.S. there is the traditional "Easter Parade on 5th Avenue in New York City. People dress up and go with brightly decorated floats through the streets. At the White House in Washington finds the egg rolls ("The White House Easter Eggs Roll" instead), each participant one by the President and his wife signed wooden egg is replaced.

In the Philippines it is customary also the custom with bunnies and colored eggs. If the Easter bells are ringing, the parents of young children grasp the head and lift it up. They believe that the children are greater.

draw in Australia, engaged couples Easter running water from a stream and keep it up to her wedding on. Before they go to church, they sprinkle each other with it. This will bring good luck.

In Croatia, a kind of smoked ribs peer is blessed in the church and then served with horseradish and hard boiled eggs as an Easter dinner.

Other customs of various origins are:

* Easter well
* Easter Fuchs
* Easter casting
* Easter candle
* Holy Cross
* Easter laughter
* Easter postcard
* Easter ride
* Easter Shooting
* Holy Water
* Smack Easter
* Zwänzgerle.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostern

See Also: Sending Flowers, Online Florist, Florist