Easter Celebrations Around the World

Nearly 2,000 years ago, three days after His crucifixion and death, Jesus Christ rose from the dead in a miracle that changed the world forever. Today, Christians around the globe celebrate His resurrection on Easter – but the way the holiday is observed varies from country to country.

Easter in the USA

In the United States, Americans celebrate Easter with several popular traditions. After attending church to recognize Christ’s resurrection, one of the most widely enjoyed events is the Easter egg hunt, during which candy and other treats are stuffed into plastic eggs and hidden for children to find. Families also dye hardboiled eggs in a variety of colors and await the Easter bunny.

The First Lady of the United States also organizes the annual Easter Egg Roll, an event during which children roll eggs down the White House lawn. First Lady Melania Trump recently announced that the 2026 Easter Egg Roll will include a patriotic twist in recognition of America’s 250th birthday.

Celebrations in Germany and Poland

Germany’s unique Easter celebration includes bonfires known as “Osterfeur.” Germans gather on Holy Saturday – the night before Easter – and light enormous fires. The tradition dates back to the early Middle Ages, according to the official website of Hamburg, Germany, which states: “At that time, a small fire – the Easter Fire – was lit and consecrated by a priest. Once the congregation had gathered around the Easter Fire, the priest would light the Paschal candle from the fire and carry it into the dark church. This was meant to symbolise the beginning of a new Easter Vigil and the rebirth of Christ.”

Elsewhere in Europe, the Polish celebrate Easter by dousing each other with copious amounts of water. The distinctive event is known as Śmigus-Dyngus, or Lany Poniedziałek, meaning Wet Monday. It takes place on Easter Monday and is “meant to cleanse [participants] of dirt and diseases, and later of sin,” according to Culture.Pl, a state-run cultural project.

“Śmigus-Dyngus has become a free-for-all: water guns, water bottles, water balloons from above – you never know where the water is going to come from! In some cases, even fire trucks have been known to join in the festivities,” Culture.Pl explains.

Easter Down Under

While the Easter bunny is a popular tradition in the United States, Australia has a different beloved animal that makes an appearance each spring: the Easter bilby. A bilby, also known as a rabbit-eared bandicoot, is a burrowing marsupial that lives in the desert.

Rabbits have caused extensive environmental damage to the island nation since Europeans brought them to Australia in the 19th century. As a result, the Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia and Save the Bilby Fund have promoted the Easter bilby to raise awareness of native wildlife conservation.

Whether celebrating with an Easter egg hunt, bonfire, water fight, or Easter bilby, the Christian holiday always points back to the same message shared across cultures and continents: the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope it brings to millions of God’s children around the world.

From the team at Liberty Nation GenZ: Happy Easter!

1. Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2. There are numerous fun Easter traditions around the world, including bonfires in Germany, water fights in Poland, and the Easter bilby in Australia.
3. One of the most popular events in the United States is the White House Easter Egg Roll.