Did you know…: Easter Customs from Around the World

Luxury Chocolate Easter Egg collection made in London, UK by Demarquette

This year Master Chocolatier Marc Demarquette is celebrating the Easter season by creating a special 2014 Chocolate Egg Collection. Each egg is filled with a deliciously creamy caramel of either Banoffee, Key Lime, or Sea Salt Caramel. The unique colourful design on the eggs will send you on a spiral journey of delicious Easter fun. And of course we have many other delicious creations that are perfect as presents and Easter Egg hunt treats.

While that is how we are celebrating at Demarquette this year, there are many different ways to celebrate Easter. Here is a look at just a few different customs throughout the world:

Poland: On Easter Monday in Poland, they celebrate a practice called Smigus-Dyngus. This is where boys carry around buckets of water, trying to get other people wet. Legend says that if a girl gets soaked, she will be married in the next year. Smigus-Dyngus originates from the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko on Easter Monday in 966 AD.

Corfu, Greece: In Corfu, the traditional ‘Pot Throwing’ festivity takes place on Holy Saturday morning. People throw pots and pans out their window, smashing them on the ground. Some think this practice is derived from the Venetians, who used to throw out all their old items on New Years. Others believe the throwing of pots is meant to welcome spring, symbolizing the new crops that will be gathered in new pots.

United States: For over 130 years, the White House has held an Easter celebration on its south lawn on Easter Monday. The main event has always been the Easter Egg Roll, where children roll their coloured Easter eggs across the lawn with a large spoon. The festivity has grown to include other events, such as an egg hunt, musical performances, and crafts.

Norway: Norway has an interesting Easter custom of reading crime novels on Easter. It is so common, that authors actually specifically write Easter thrillers, called Paaskekrimmens, for the occasion. The tradition is said to have started in 1923, when a book published promoted a new crime novel on the front pages of the newspapers during Easter. The ads looked enough like actual news that people didn’t know it was a publicity stunt.

Rome, Italy: Rome’s celebrations center around the Vatican. On Good Friday, the Pope commemorates the Via Crucis, which means the Way of the Cross, at the Colosseum. Mass is celebrated on the evening of Holy Saturday. Thousands flock to St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday to await the Pope’s blessing from the church’s balcony. It is known as “Urbi et Orbi”, or “To the City and the World”

No matter how you celebrate, we here at Demarquette hope you have a splendid Easter this year!

Marc’s tips on how to make your own Chocolate Easter Egg:

Why not make your own chocolate eggs too this year? It’s very easy and great fun – watch Marc on this short video clip courtesy of Channel4: How to make your own chocolate easter egg

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