Jenny and Erin

Bet you are expecting to read a whole bunch of mumbo-jumbo about the pagan origins of the Easter Holiday. Nope - boooring. Too many people have been there and done that. Besides, once one starts digging the “evidence” that gets trotted out every year as support is a pretty thin. Instead, I thought it would be fun to look at how other cultures celebrate the holiday after church services are done.

America has the bunny, eggs, family get-togethers and lots and lots of candy! True to my word I am not even going to touch on the time of year of Easter (spring equinox – just ripe for fertility rites), or the potential meaning behind bunnies (fertility symbol throughout the ages and many cultures), or the of eggs (hmmm, fertility symbolism again). Sorry, I promised. I just can’t help pointing out how random Easter eggs, stuffed pink or blue bunnies and candy are when you think of the holiday we are celebrating.

Here’s what’s happening for Easter in Europe, home of many American’s ancestors, after services in Christian communities:

• Norwegians celebrate Easter with mountain skiing and egg decorating, as well as sporting a national obsession with unsolved murders. This obsession takes many forms; the main TV channels run crime and whodunit shows, magazines print true-crime stories which the public is invited to try to solve and all of the milk containers have true murder mysteries on their sides.
• Finland and Sweden celebrate with a touch of the old pagan celebrations after services. In addition to painting Easter eggs, children are dressed up as witches and go door to door getting candy and giving decorated pussy willows. This mix comes from blending old Christian Orthodox beliefs in which one’s house can be blessed with willow branches and a Scandinavian witch tradition. To see some really cool postcards of this Easter tradition, click here.
• The Netherlands celebrate Easter at sundown by lighting Easter Fires. It seems very similar to massive early spring bonfires I’ve attended!
• And last, but certainly not least, those crazy Czech’s (and Hungarians and Slovenians) surprised me the most. On Easter Monday tradition has it that men weave whips from birch or willow branches and ribbons and spank or whip women (in the same tone as our birthday spankings to children) in exchange for an Easter egg, small amounts of money or alcohol! This custom is tied to a local legend that women should be spanked to keep their beauty throughout the year and feelings are hurt if no one chooses to whip you (same vein I imagine as not getting any Valentine’s Day cards). The women have their turn; in the afternoon they can pour a bucket of ice-cold water on any man.

There’s more, much, much more but it’s time to stop. Seriously, my head’s spinning. Who would have imagined? Easter = Whips? Unsolved murders? Children dressing like witches? Sunset bonfires? A giant bunny leaving baskets full of chocolates and candies and hiding eggs for children to find in an “egg hunt”?

This entry was posted in Pagan America on Monday, April 2nd, 2007 by Jenny. You can follow responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.