Easter traditions around the world

After Valentine’s Day, the next big holiday to appear our calendars is Easter. In my family, we celebrate by having a big family meal at my grandparents place. An impressive ham is carved on the cutting board and traditional Easter fix-ins like eggs and pies are served during dinner. I have never given too much thought about how we celebrate Easter in Canada but this year, I wanted to discover what celebrating Easter is like in other countries.

Here are a few things that I have discovered.

Easter Bilby not Easter Bunny in Australia:
Chocolate is big is a lot of countries like Canada, the United States, Brazil and Spain. In countries like Canada and the US, chocolate is usually given to children in the form of a rabbit to celebrate the Easter Bunny. Australia uses a different kind of animal to spread some Easter cheer to the population. Australians see rabbits as being a little more than pests who destroy their crops. Therefore, in this country, chocolate is distributed by the Easter Bilby. Like its cousin the rabbit, a bilby is rodent that has big ears, unlike the rabbit however, it’s an animal that the Australians actually appreciate.

Eggs are big in France, literally:
It seems that eggs are a part of many Easter traditions around the world, however, in Haux, a little village in France, eggs are a really big part of their Easter celebration. While it is not clear how this tradition began, some people believe that it dates back to Napoleon ordering that a big egg dish be prepared for this soldiers during their travels. Taking this part of French history to heart, on Easter Monday, the cooks of the village prepare a huge omelet meant to feed the 1 000 village habitants. The omelet is composed of over 5000 eggs, 21 quarts of oil and 110 pounds of bacon, onion and garlic.

A different kind of roast is served in Peru:
Ayachucho is small city in Peru that houses a total of 33 churches, one for each year Jesus was alive. During the Holy Week, which last 10 days, many religious and non religious activities take place in the streets that are decorated by flowers during the day and illuminated with fireworks at night. Many different dishes are served during the holiday. The traditional Easter Sunday feast is composed of 12 dishes ranging from a mixture of corn and meat to roasted guinea pig which is usually accompanied by chichi, a Peruvian beer that is brewed from fermented maize.

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/easter/traditions