Happy Easter in Germany

Is Easter celebrated in the same way in Germany as it is here? Consider the public holidays and the closed shops. On Easter Monday and Good Friday, you will find yourself facing closed doors. Visit a number of Easter events or the beautifully decorated gardens. Want to write a note to the Easter Bunny? You can do that in Germany. Where are you celebrating Easter? In Germany?

Easter

Believer or not, Easter is a celebration for young and old. After Christmas, it is also a popular holiday for our neighbors. For believers, it marks the end of the Lenten period and the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus; for non-believers, it is the end of winter, the beginning of spring, and a good opportunity to invite friends, acquaintances, and family for a delicious Easter brunch. In Germany, the Easter celebration does not differ much from ours. However, there are still a few small differences and fun customs.

 

Easter

In Germany, Easter is called Ostern. This is said to derive from the Germanic fertility goddess Ostara, also known as Eastra or Eostre. Various myths circulate about this Ostara. For instance, she is said to have appeared on earth in the form of a hare whenever spring began. Another story tells that the goddess saved a wounded bird from death by transforming it into a hare that could lay eggs one day a year. In yet another version, Eastra became angry with a hen that was hiding her eggs. She transformed the hen into a hare that had to search for eggs. However, according to scientists, Eastra never existed. She is mentioned only once, in 725, by the English monk Bede. After that, it was Jacob Grimm who linked Ostara to Easter rituals. Whatever the case may be, Ostara certainly lives on in the German 'Ostern'.

 

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is a week before Easter Sunday. Masses are held in churches and palm branches are blessed. These blessed palm branches are hung in homes and protect the house against lightning strikes for the coming year.

 

The five German Easter days

In het Duits heten de paasdagen Gründonnerstag, Karfreitag, Karsamstag of Osteramstag, Ostersonntag en Ostermontag.

 

Holy Thursday

Gründonnerstag stands for Holy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Good Friday. On this day, Christians commemorate Jesus washing his feet, the Last Supper with his twelve apostles, and the institution of the Eucharist.

 

Good Friday

Karfreitag is Good Friday. Good Friday is the Friday before Easter. On this day, Christians commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus. According to the Bible, Jesus was condemned to death by crucifixion by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, at the urging of the Sanhedrin. This punishment was carried out on the hill of Golgotha ​​near the city of Jerusalem.

 

Holy Saturday or Easter Saturday

On Saturday, Jesus is placed in a cave. Its exit is blocked by an enormous boulder. In many villages, children take to the streets on Christmas Eve with a wooden instrument, a kind of rattle. With this rattle, they go Easter rattling. They practice for weeks in advance to learn the right rhythm. The sound is meant to compensate for the silence of the church bells.

 

Easter Sunday

Ostersonntag is Easter Sunday. Mary Magdalene discovers that the tomb is empty. A moment later, Jesus appears before her. The bells are rung again at twelve o'clock noon. While the children stand with their noses in the air to see the bells fly overhead, the parents go about their work. After the bells have rung, the children may start searching for eggs.

 

Easter Monday

Ostermontag is Easter Monday. In Germany, people go into the fields early in the morning to hold Easter egg races. Easter Monday is also a public holiday in Germany.

 

How do the Germans decorate for Easter?

Easter decorations in Germany are virtually the same as ours. The only major difference is that the Germans also like to decorate their gardens and front doors. Colorful eggs are hung en masse on trees and bushes. These are usually made of plastic. But of course, people also sometimes blow out eggs themselves and then decorate them. These decorated Easter trees are a legacy of the Germanic peoples, who revered 'sacred trees'. Indoors, too, Easter branches in vases are decorated with eggs, feathers, bells, birdhouses, etc. The front door is not forgotten in Germany either. An Easter wreath on the doorknob or an Easter bunny and wheelbarrow on the threshold are essential elements during these days. In the front garden, real Easter scenes are set up with lambs, hares, wooden or metal tulips, and baskets of eggs.

 

Easter bonfires, Easter wheel and Oster-Klappern

The Easter bonfire

In some places, Easter bonfires are lit. To do this, wooden blocks are stacked on top of each other and then set on fire. Villages compete with one another to build the highest and largest Easter bonfire. These bonfires herald the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Since Easter also stands for a new beginning, in some places good resolutions or bad habits are written on a piece of paper. These notes are then thrown into the bonfires. In this way, a fresh start is made in life as well.

 

The Easter wheel

In other places, on Easter Monday, giant wheels (raden) are filled with straw. At night, these wheels are set on fire and let roll down the hills. A wheel that reaches the bottom without falling over predicts a good harvest. This tradition stems from the Celtic god of thunder and springs, Taranis, who is depicted with a wheel.

 

Easter clattering

In some regions, the Oster-Klappern is kept alive. Children, and sometimes adults, walk through the streets in small groups, holding a small wooden tool that “clatters.” Sometimes it is simply two wooden spoons that are tapped together. In some areas, a song accompanies it. It is a centuries-old tradition that had fallen somewhat into oblivion but has been revived in many villages. In the past, people collected eggs during the Oster-Klappern; now, children receive money or candy. Associations often raise funds for their organizations in this way.

 

A note to the Easter Bunny

Just as we write a letter to Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, since 1983, people in Germany have also been able to write a note to the Easter Bunny! It is not only German children who are allowed to write; letters from other children are also welcome. The address of the one and only Easter Bunny:

Hanni Rabbit

At the edge of the forest 12

27404 Ostereistedt

Germany

No fewer than some 50.000 letters and postcards from all over the world arrive at this address every year.

 

German Easter brunch

Just like us, the Germans prepare a delicious Easter brunch for Easter. In fact, the German Easter brunch looks the same as ours, featuring a number of specific German products. For instance, you will find quite a few items containing quark. Easter bunnies, for example. The taste is a bit like that of a smoutenbol or oliebol, but finer. Pumpernickel and very dark brown bread also play a major role on this holiday. Furthermore, you will find plenty of braided bread, in a wreath or oblong shape, with or without a hard-boiled egg. Another classic at the German Easter brunch is carrot cakes and cheesecakes.

 

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Just across the border for Easter, a few tips:

https://www.geheimoverdegrens.nl/