Easter Customs Around the World

Find out how other cultures around the world celebrate Easter by reading these fun facts!

In France no church bell may sound from Good Friday until Easter Sunday in observance of Christ's silence in death. Parents tell their children that "the bells have flown away to Rome" and on Easter morning the children look to the sky hoping for the bells return.

German villagers paint Easter eggs with patterns that have been in their family for generations.

Austrians make elaborate eggs where a leaf is attached to the egg and the egg is dyed. When the egg dries the leaf is removed to reveal its image on the white shell.

The British bake Easter Simnel Cake, a traditional fruitcake dotted with marzipan balls that represent the 11 Apostles excluding Judas.

Italians bake Easter Bread shaped like a crown decorated with confectionary eggs and Paska, Ukranian bread, is dressed with tiny lambs, flowers, and Easter symbols made from dough.

The Polish are renowned for making Pisnaki eggs whereby, through a process of drawing a design on the egg in beeswax and several dips in dye, a gorgeous Easter treasure is created.

A painful old Polish custom at the end of Lent, on "Switching Day" boys would swat their girlfriends with red willow switches. Then, the girls would get them back with a swat on Easter Tuesday.