Easter customs and traditions in 5 European Countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, France and Portugal

2. Easter mass is held in every church in Italy, with the biggest
and most popular celebrated by the Pope at Saint Peter's
Basilica.
Easter is a festive holiday throughout Italy. Religious parades and celebrations are
held in many towns and cities nationwide. A statue of Jesus or his mother
Mary is carried in street processions that involve large crowds of people.
Holy Week begins the Sunday before Easter Sunday, on Palm Sunday, and there are
religious services and processions throughout the week leading up to Easter
On Good Friday, the Pope celebrates the Via Crucis or
Stations of the Cross in Rome near the Colosseum. A huge
cross with burning torches lights the sky as the stations of
the cross are described in several languages. At the end, the
Pope gives a blessing.
Easter meals are vary and
include eggs, Easter pie, and
lamb.

3. During the Holy
Week housewives
make Easter
cleaning in view
of Springtime.
On Holy Thursday in all the churches Mass in Cena
Domini with the rite of washing of the feet, procession
of the Apostles and a visit to the Altars of Repose
improperly called Tomb.
Particular furnishing for the altar of repose
for the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday
‘a zuppa ‘e cozzeche
(mussels soup).
According to the
tradition the king
Ferdinando I couldn’t
overindulge in sins of
gluttony, so he reserved
himself the pleasure of
eating fish at least on
Holy Thursday
People have to visit
seven churches and
then they can have a
walk on t the main
streets, called struscio.
The Casatiello napoletano
is a rustic cake stuffed with cheese,
pancetta, salami and whole eggs.
It is traditionally eaten on the evening of
Holy Saturday.
Pastiera napoletana
Is a typical Easter cake made of a shortcrust pastry with a
filling of ricotta cheese, eggs and cooked wheat berries,
flavored with orange flower water.
It is traditionally prepared on Holy Thursday or Good Friday to
ensure that the ingredients have enough time to infuse and
rest before it is consumed on Easter Sunday.

4. Colomba pasquale is
a dove-shaped Italian
cake, as a symbol for
peace. Its dough is
similar to that of the
panettone, but with
candied peel instead of
raisins, and topped with
almonds and pearl
sugar.
Symbolizing rebirth,
Easter eggs are
everywhere in Italy, either
as chocolates or as
decorated boiled eggs.
Traditionally the main dish of the Easter meal consists of lamb.
A traditional Easter dish in Rome and the Lazio region are, for
example, crispy lamb ribs, known as abbacchio a scottadito
(literally meaning “burnt finger”) with fresh artichokes, which are
the seasonal vegetables par excellence at that moment.
Another typical Eastern dish is cosciotto al forno con le patate
(roast leg of lamb with potatoes), popular in other regions of Italy.
Also known as crescia di Pasqua or torta al
formaggio, Pizza di Pasqua is a salt cake typical
of central Italy served for breakfast on Easter or
as antipasto during the Easter meal. It is made
with flour, eggs, pecorino, parmigiano.
Torta Pasqualina
A salt pie made of 33 layers of phyllo sheets (the
number of years of life of Christ) following an
ancient recipe believed to date back to 15th
century. It is stuffed with chard or artichokes,
eggs and seasoned with marjoram or other herbs.
On Pasquetta, fresh beans (broad
beans or fava bean), are consumed
with pecorino cheese as a snack or
appetizer in Lazio and the southern
regions of Italy. The tradition goes
back to Ancient Roman times.
A plain dish served for easter as
an appetizer are salame e uova
sode (salami and boiled eggs)
known as fellata di pasqua.
Symbolically the eggs represent rebirth and the salami
the fortune of the farmers, who awaited the festivities
to put the salami on the table.

5. Easter is one of the most significant holidays in the Bulgarian
calendar. Starting with Palm Sunday, the holy week leads up to the
Great Day. In the country, the festival is popularly known as
"Velikden", which literally means 'the faith in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ'. Easter traditions in Bulgaria are a derivative of the Eastern
Orthodox Church rituals. In tune with worldwide Orthodox
traditions, bright red colored eggs and Easter breads known as
"kolache" or "kozunak" are the prominent symbols of Easter in
Bulgaria. In the article, explore all about the traditions and
celebrations of Easter in Bulgaria.
Easter Celebration in Bulgaria-congregation: At midnight on
the Saturday before Easter Sunday, people in Bulgaria gather at
church, with red painted eggs and bread. The priest proclaims three
times "Christos Voskrese" (Christ has risen) and the congregation
replies "Vo istina voskrese" (Indeed he has risen). One of the Easter
breads is specially decorated with one or more (but an odd number)
of red eggs. After a special sequence of services, the clergy blesses
the breads and eggs brought by the people.

6. Good Luck Crack: The Bulgarian 'good luck crack' is a unique Easter tradition in all over the world.
Eggs are cracked after the midnight service and over the next few days, during the festive season of
Easter. On Easter, the eggs are cracked before lunch. The egg that is cracked on the wall of the church
is the first egg that people eat after the long fast of Lent. People take turns in tapping their eggs
against the eggs of others, and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have
a year of good luck. He/she is considered as the most successful, healthy and happy person for the
rest of the year.
Easter Presents: The tradition of presenting Easter eggs to loved ones is a tradition followed since
ages, in Bulgaria. According to the tradition, in days preceding Easter, Christian families send a loaf of
bread and 10-15 red eggs as gifts to their Turkish friends. The person, who delivers the eggs, usually
receives money in return. Such breads and eggs are presented not only to the Turkish friends, but also
to the Spiritual parents, to the biological parents and to the near and dear, including relatives and
friends.

7. Traditional Easter Feast: Bulgarian Easter is believed to be incomplete without the
traditional recipes, indigenous to the country. The traditional Easter recipes served on
the festival in Bulgaria include 'Banista' (Bulgarian pastry), Easter cake “Kozunak”,
the lamb and coloring boiled eggs The traditional recipes are prepared and served on
the Easter Sunday. The entire family takes part in the feast. Friend and far away
acquaintances are also often called upon to join in the feast.
Easter egg cracking
The festival of Easter is celebrated with great enthusiasm by Christians all over the world.
The occasion commemorates the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from following
the rituals for the festival, people celebrate the occasion by having a lot of fun with their
near and dear. Playing games by making use of Easter eggs is a good old tradition. One
such game is Easter Egg Cracking, which can be played by people of all ages. If you want
to know how to play the game, then this article is what you need. Go through the
following lines and get the instructions for playing Easter Egg Cracking.
You Will Need: Eggs
Rules: Test the eggs first by knocking them against their eye tooth, and then choose the
best egg to use for the game.
-The contestants must agree beforehand on how much of their eggs will be covered by
their hands, as revealing a large part of the egg's shell is much more risky.
-The game begins with the contestants trying to crack the pointed ends of each other's
eggs.
-The person who loses must then turn his or her egg upside down. If a player cracks
both ends of someone's egg, then he/she wins the egg.

8. Easter is the largest religious celebration of Orthodox Christians. The Greeks of
Cyprus call it Lambri, which in English means brilliant or glorious. It is associated with
spring, family, food and family moments.
Easter begins with a 50-day fast. During fasting the faithful abstain
from meat, milk, cheese and all animal products (you know, basically
vegans!). In recent years, however, most believers only have a week of
fasting, which they call Great Week. During this week the faithful go
to church every night to hear Christ's passions and follow him to
Resurrection.
The week begins with Lazarus' Saturday. It is a great celebration since Lazarus after his resurrection came to Cyprus and became
the first bishop of Kiti (Larnaca). This is followed by the Sunday of Vaya (Palm Branches) or Sunday of Olives. The bells ring
solemnly in remembrance of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, while the faithful go to church holding olive branches.
On the Good Thursday they hang black covers in front of pictures of the church, while
the crucifixion is depicted in the evening. On Good Friday, the faithful go to the
Deposition and the Praises. The decoration of the Epitaph with flowers and in general
the whole ceremony is reminiscent of the ancient feast of the Cypriots, the Adonia. The
first Saturday morning is the first resurrection. The priest scatters laurels in the church,
the black covers fall while the faithful hit the church benches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QBSk2fKHhw (watch and have fun).
In the evening all the faithful gather to hear “Christ rise” and take the Holy Light home.
Easter Sunday is an opportunity for the whole family to gather around the table.

9. On Good Friday in our
village, women decorate the
Epitaph with flowers. The
process lasts until noon. At
night during the Divine
Liturgy the young men carry
the Epitaph outside the
church to the surrounding
neighborhoods and the
faithful follow it.
The most beloved custom of youth in
Cyprus is the Labragia. The preparation of
the "Lambragia" custom, which is the great
fire of the Lambri, begins days before with
the gathering of woods so as to light it up
on Saturday night. It lasts until the early
hours of Easter Sunday, and Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed Christ, is set on fire.
According to custom, the "Marti“ (March)
burns. Marti is a bracelet made of red and
white thread worn by children so they will
not be burned by the sun.
On Easter Monday in our school yard, the
community authority organizes traditional
Easter games. The event features contests,
prizes and plenty of food.
An example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsJHpI
55nZY
Labragia

10. The most famous Cypriot Easter dish is flaounes,
baked on Good Thursday. The flaounes are made
from a thin crust with cheese, egg, raisins and
mint. The whole family will get together early in
the morning and help prepare them.
After midnight the whole family gets together for dinner.
We eat a special kind of soup called “Afgolemoni“ (Egg
Lemon). You can also clink the dyed eggs and say
“Christos Anesti” (Christ Risen) and the answer is
“Alithos Anesti” (Really Risen).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FukDxPYDbC8
The painting of Easter eggs takes place on
Good Thursday, and their clinking takes place
on the day of the Resurrection, as soon as
Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen!) is heard. Red
eggs are directly linked to the Easter tradition,
as the red color of the eggs symbolizes not
only the blood of Christ but also the joy of the
Resurrection.
On Easter Sunday we eat
meat, roast lamb, which is
essential for a traditional
Easter table
Tsurekki is a traditional sweet
bread made mainly during the
Easter season. It is found in
many countries around the
world.

11. The Easter Hare, now known as the Easter Bunny, is a creature that,
according to tradition, distributes coloured or chocolate "Easter
eggs". This messenger is represented by a rabbit in English-speaking
regions, but in German-speaking regions it is usually a hare . In
France, a rabbit or hare can assume this role.
For several centuries, it has been forbidden to ring the bells of Catholic
churches between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday as a sign of
mourning. The children were then told that the bells were going to be
blessed by the Pope in Rome. On their way back home, they come to
ring the bells and lay the famous chocolate eggs in the gardens that the
children had been waiting for so long.

12. During the Easter weekend, in
the families' private gardens, the
parents have hidden chocolate
eggs and the children go in search
of these eggs and fill their baskets.
Then the little gourmands will
taste them, but not all on the same
day!
This "egg hunt" is also organised
by the town hall in the public
gardens, which allows families
living in apartments to take part in
the event.

13. Traditionally, the Easter meal consists of lamb, in
reference to the Christian religion.
Each region has its own way of cooking Easter lamb.
In Normandy, it is sometimes called "salt meadow
lamb" which has a particular flavour. It can be
cooked in cider, for example.

14. As Ireland is a typically Catholic country Religious ceremonies are held on the days leading up to Easter Sunday.
Wednesday-Sunday Children have no school.
On Easter Sunday children have
a special meal with their family.
Sometimes this includes lamb
with potatoes and Hot Cross
sweet buns for dessert.
As part of a religious promise
children often eat no sweets for
all of lent. This is 40 days and
40 nights. This is in honour of
what Jesus did in the desert.

15. Children get chocolate Easter
Eggs off the Easter bunny on
Easter Sunday. People often
give Easter eggs as presents also.
There are often Easter egg hunts
organised in many towns around
Ireland where children have to look
and find chocolate eggs like a
treasure hunt.
In some towns people get
together and act out the
stations of the cross as
Jesus did at Easter time.

16. Easter time is the time in Irish history when there was an uprising that began our fight to independence in 1916.
On Easter Monday in 1916 Irish people starting a rebellion that eventually ended in the country gaining
independence from Britain in 1922.
Preparing for Easter in Ireland
•On Good Friday no meat is eaten, or alcohol consumed
•People tend to get their hair cut and go shopping for new clothes
•People attend confession on Good Friday
•Priests may come to bless the house (tradition in most Rural areas)
Easter Sunday in Ireland
•Easter Sunday in most homes is like other Sundays
•Families get together and attend mass in their local church
•It is the tradition to wear new clothes on Easter Sunday and it said
signify a new start of life
•After Mass, the Easter feast begins consisting of Lamb, potatoes,
vegetables, stuffing, bread and butter. It marks the end of Lent.
•Easter Eggs are given to children and many
children take part in an Easter Egg Hunt
Easter Symbols include lambs, spring flowers,
eggs, birds (chicks), Easter Bunny

17. Easter (Páscoa) is a religious festivity that celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus.
It does not have a fixed date, but it is always celebrated on
a Sunday between the 22nd March and the 25th April.
There are important days associated with Easter:
- The 40 days before Easter are called “Quaresma”.
Most religious people abstain from eating meat on
Fridays during this season, as a sign of respect for Jesus
who was crucified on a Friday. It starts on Ash
Wednesday, after Carnival.
- The Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) is the Sunday
before Easter. Normally, godmothers receive from their
godsons/goddaughters flowers, or an olive tree branch.
There is a Mass service and some towns have
processions on this day.
- The Good Friday (Sexta-feira Santa) is the Friday
before Easter. It is a holiday and it represents the day
Jesus was crucified. In some places, people make
processions at night with candles.
There is
a mass service
celebrated in all
the churches
on Easter Sunday.
The service is
followed by the
Easter procession.

18. In our town (and mainly in rural areas) people do the Easter/Spring cleaning
(limpezas da Páscoa).
Most people do it not only to receive the priest and the Easter procession at
home, but also because it is the beginning of a new season. A time to get ride of
the old and prepare for the new.
After the mass service on Easter Sunday, there is the Easter procession
(Compasso – Visita Pascal). The procession carries the Christ on the Cross and takes
it to the houses of the parish (if people want it). It symbolizes the entrance of Jesus in
the houses. They also carry a small bell to announce people they are arriving. Once
inside, people kiss the cross and the house is blessed. It is more common in small
towns and rural areas. The owners of the house offer cakes, drinks, etc.
Traditionally people would make flower carpets outside their entrance doors
to welcome to Easter Procession. Flowers at the door indicate that those who
live there want to receive the procession.

19. Roasted lamb with
roasted potatoes is a very
typical meal on Easter
Lunch.
Pão-de-ló is a big fluffy Easter cake
made with lots of eggs and taken to
the oven in a clay recipient. There are
different versions of this cake
throughout the country.
Folar – Traditionally was given by the
godmothers to their
godsons/goddaughters on Easter
Sunday. The eggs are put in the middle
of the dough before going to the oven.
On every table and
everywhere there are
almonds. Almonds can
be pure almonds covered
in sugar; filled with
liquor; covered with
chocolate, etc.
Chocolate eggs – A symbol of
(re)birth, chocolate eggs are typical
on Easter and are normally gifted to
Kids.