Slovakia
Easter Monday in Slovakia is marked by an unusual ritual when Slovak women are doused with water and whipped in a custom believed to ensure a woman’s fertility and beauty. A compulsory part of Easter celebrations, men partake in the making of a special hand woven willow cane decorated with ribbons. Early on Easter Monday, groups of men usually set out with their willow cane or “korbáč” in hand, which they use to whip their female friends and relatives on the back of the legs and backside, often also throwing buckets of water at them. In exchange the men receive a gift such as hand-painted eggs, homemade pastries, chocolate bunnies and vodka shots. The branch is taken from the willow tree since it is the first tree to ‘awaken’ in the spring and, according to folk tradition, the fertility and vitality from the branches is passed onto the women through the act of whipping. This Easter Monday ritual is definitely more favored by men than women in Slovakia.
Sweden
While in other countries Easter is more of a religious holiday, it has become a secular one in Sweden. Several Easter customs are unique to Sweden, such as the filling of paper eggs with sweets, the lighting of bonfires to scare away witches, and the decorating of birch twigs with colored feathers. Trick-or-treat became an Easter tradition in the 19th century and was originally practiced only by adults.
Today in Sweden, children typically dress up as witches wearing long, old-fashioned skirts and brightly-colored scarves. They hold a broom in one hand and a kettle in the other. To complete the costume, they draw freckles and big red circles on each cheek. Once in costume they go around from house to house asking for sweets. This is often followed by an Easter egg hunt and the eating of more sweets.
Greece
Easter is the most important religious holiday in the Greek Orthodox religion. During Holy Week many people take off from work. Preparations begin on Thursday with the baking of traditional Easter sweet bread (tsoureki) and dying eggs red (which symbolizes life). These eggs get knocked together before eating to see whose egg will remain intact. On Thursday evening, the mourning period begins and in many villages women still sit in church throughout the night. On Friday, a day of mourning, processions pass through villages and towns carrying Christ on the cross as a symbol of his death. On Saturday, preparations begin for the upcoming feast. Saturday night, everyone goes to church holding a special white candle, which they light after midnight. Once everyone’s candle is lilt, the celebrations and feasts begin.
Spain
Easter, and the week leading up to Easter (known as Semana Santa), is the most important religious holiday observed in Spain. Each region, city and town follows its own traditions. The most extravagant celebrations are in the Southern Andalusian cities where processions make their way through the streets every night during Holy Week.
Life-sized statues of saints and other religious symbols are typically carried in parades by men from the local religious fraternities. During the processions people take turns singing saetas, a flamenco style song of lament. In major cities the processions go on for miles and last until the early hours of the morning.
Philippines
In the Philippines, the predominant religion is Catholicism. There are some aspects of Easter, however, that are unique to the Philippines. On Holy Thursday it is traditional for people to visit as many churches as possible. On Good Friday, passion plays are held throughout the country portraying Christ’s pain and suffering. The Easter Salubong (or encounter) is a special type of procession which occurs only in the Philippines. Early in the morning on this occasion, two processions head out in opposite directions: one made up of men led by an image of Christ, and one composed of women following a black-veiled Virgin Mary. When the two groups finally meet at the church, young girls dressed as angels in white remove Mary’s black veil. The procession then changes from solemn to festive. On the island province of Marinduque, Easter week is celebrated with the Festival of the Moriones, when locals, called the moriones, wear elaborate costumes and fearsome masks representing Roman centurions. Morion is a type of helmet that was worn by 16th century European soldiers.
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