Postcards from Germany: Easter Traditions in Germany
By Ashley Moore
For Guymon Daily Herald
April 11, 2009
As with Christmas stockings and trees, many of the American holiday traditions surrounding Easter have their origins in Germany. The Easter bunny, Easter eggs and Easter trees have all been a part of German spring celebrations for centuries.
Before Christianity came to Germany, the springtime was welcomed with festivities involving eggs and bunnies, both of which serve as symbols of fertility and new birth. Over time the Osterhase, or Easter bunny, became an important figure for German children who eagerly searched for the bunny's hidden eggs and candies on Easter Sunday. Egg hunts remain a popular practice to this day.
The decoration of Easter eggs is another ancient tradition in Germany. Also dating back to pagan times, the custom was originally intended to reflect the brightness of the new spring's sun. Today, however, painting eggs is an enjoyable pastime for children and serious artists alike as painted eggs range from the amateur to the elaborate. Often hung on small trees within households, restaurants and other establishments, decorated eggs are also sometimes used to decorate bushes and trees to mark the holiday.
Despite the pagan origins of many of the holiday's symbols, for Christians in the predominantly Catholic areas of Bavaria, Easter is still one of the year's most important religious holidays. Passion plays are performed and special church services are held. Maundy Thursday is called Gründonnerstag, a day on which Germans should eat something green, and fish is customarily eaten on Good Friday. Since Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent fasting, it is typical for Germans to prepare large feasts consisting of a range of foods that always includes copious amounts of sweets. Chocolates and candies are musts during Easter time, with Lindt chocolate bunnies and delicious crème-filled chocolate eggs serving as particular favorites.
I'd like to wish you all "Fröliche Ostern" (Happy Easter) as well as thank you for your reading this column. Today's article marks the year anniversary of "Postcards for Germany," which has been a joy to write and share.
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