Easter Holidays
It’s nearly that time of year again! Are you on the lookout for an Easter holiday that will maximise your free time during spring this year? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will share some tips, tricks, and ideas to make the most out of your spring break. We will show you some beautiful destinations to travel to over the holiday, as well as a few Easter curiosities!
Easter Traditions Worldwide
The Christian celebration of Easter is marked in 95 countries across the globe. With so many cultures, traditions do vary quite a bit. Here are some of the best and most curious Easter traditions that go on every year throughout the Europe and the USA.
Easter in the USA
In the USA, many people celebrate with long Easter marches. In New York, thousands of people gather on Fifth Avenue every year. Another tradition is the so-called “egg rolling” or “Easter egg roll”. Hard-boiled eggs are painted with vibrant colours and raced down a hill. Participants guide the course of their lucky egg with a spoon – but it might not be the messier “egg and spoon race” that many of us remember from our school days!
Egg-rolling is well-known across the country, so much so that it is also played in front of the White House, with even the President joining in!
Easter in Bulgaria
Many Bulgarian families enjoy going to church for Easter and fighting with raw eggs after the service. Yes, that’s right, egg fights. It works like this: everyone has their egg in their hand and then tries to break the other person’s egg by any means necessary. The owner of the last egg standing is supposed to be blessed with good fortune the coming year.
This amusing tradition can also be practised over the breakfast table. If you want to have fun in the morning, simply challenge the other person to a Bulgarian egg fight.
Easter in Switzerland
Switzerland has its own unique Easter game: here, the adults have to try to throw a coin into a child’s hard-boiled egg, and if they fail, the child gets the coin. Of course, the nature of the game is that the coin doesn’t get stuck in the egg all too often. The almost impossible task treats the kids on Easter morning. Adults also have a great time, provided they don’t get too competitive.
Easter at the Vatican
For the more religious people among us, a visit to the Vatican is probably a must anyway. However, there is no better time to pay a visit to this very special city state than around Easter time. The pope holds an annual mass on Maundy Thursday. Many visitors from all over the world bring their national flags with them and cheer along during large masses and gatherings.
St Peter’s Basilica is so impressive that you have to see it to believe it. The floor space of 20,139 m² only gives you an approximate idea of its scale. It’s hardly surprising to learn that a total of nine master builders worked on the huge church.
If you want to spend Easter in a truly unforgettable way, we highly recommend a visit to the Vatican. Generally speaking, a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica is worth it simply for the atmosphere. Plus, the weather in Rome is particularly nice in the springtime.
Easter in Germany
Due to its central western position, Germany is a popular European destination for a short Easter break.
North Sea
The North Sea region offers many beautiful coastal spots and islands for a relaxing trip. We especially recommend the small town of Dorum, between Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven.
From Cuxhaven, you can take a boat to the small island of Helgoland. In Bremerhaven, we highly recommend both the art museum and the German Maritime Museum. The whole area is beautiful, and the water is never far away. There are plenty of leisure activities for both children and adults. A personal recommendation of ours is to get a kite and fly it in the strong North Sea wind.
Easter Hiking
With green forests, chirping birds, and mild weather, spring is the perfect season for hiking!
North Rhine-Westphalia, on the border with the Netherlands and Belgium, offers fantastic opportunities. One great hiking route with stunning views leads you along the Wupper river, from Burg Castle in Solingen, to the Schaberg. The highest railway bridge in Germany, the 107 metre-high Müngsten Bridge is also found in the Wupper valley. So, head to Wuppertal to enjoy this great hiking trail. And while you’re there, you might as well take a ride on the famous Wuppertal suspension railway, or Schwebebahn!
If you’re in the mood for a more traditionally Christian hike, you can also walk the Way of St. James. This route, which originated in the 11th century, is the pilgrimage route that St. James is said to have taken. Whether or not you actually walk all the way to the destination of this pilgrimage route, Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain, depends on the how long of an Easter holiday you have! There are many options to join or leave the trail, or to walk only part of the way. In Germany, for example, it’s possible to start from Aachen, Cologne, Frankfurt, Mainz, Trier, Speyer or Würzburg.
Easter in the Alps
The Alpine region is home to a multitude of awesome skiing resorts for people looking for a bit more adrenaline in their Easter break. We’ll take you through a few across the area…
Zermatt Ski Area
The Zermatt ski area in the Swiss Alps boasts 200 km of world class pistes and 32 lifts. It is also home to the highest three-cable gondola lift in the world, reaching up to 3,883m. This makes the top station the highest in Europe. The 38 Swiss Alpine giants, together with the 14 glaciers, offer you breathtaking views and a fantastic winter backdrop.
Ski Resort Schnalstaler Gletscher
This glacier ski area in South Tyrol attracts many winter sports enthusiasts thanks to its unusually short waiting times at the lifts. At an altitude of 3,212m, the ski area offers a range of blue, red, and black runs.
Zillertal Ski Region
We highly recommend the Austrian Zillertal ski area. Here, you will find 542 km of pistes with a high point of 3,250 metres, a total of 180 ski lifts, numerous ski routes, snow parks, and a mountain railway.
Conclusion
Easter is a beautiful festival with a long and rich tradition. Whether you are celebrating the religious occasion, hunting for Easter eggs, or just enjoying the time off in the spring, it’s always worth making the most out of this time of year. Time is best spent together so get your loved ones around and have fun!
