Easter in Holland & Finland

THE NETHERLANDS In the Netherlands, Easter (or “Pasen”) is a holiday that is not associated with Christianity anymore. The focus is more on celebrating spring, life, and family. As a small kid, you would wake up really early on the first day of Easter, Easter Sunday, ready to go and search for the chocolate eggs the Easter bunny hid in your garden or house. The eggs were of course not hidden by a bunny, but by your parents, who would have to wake up even earlier to find the craziest hiding spots. Sometimes a chocolate egg would be found months later, because it was hidden too well! Usually, this day is also used for having a brunch with family. The whole family gathers at a restaurant to be together and eat bread and eggs. Besides eating chocolate eggs and brunch, other Easter activities are decorating the house with Easter branches, usually from a willow, itself again decorated with plastic eggs, chicklets and flowers. Also, for the little kids, eggs would be boiled so that they can be painted and decorated. In the evening, you can always watch Jesus Christ Superstar or The Passion of the Christ; movies that are normally broadcasted during Easter. The second day of Easter, Easter Monday follows. This day is not reserved for anything special. It is a Monday, but most people do not have to go to work. Most families plan fun activities on this day, although a lot of them go furniture-, bathroom- or kitchen shopping	by Kim van Stratum
by Liisa Holopainen	FINLAND Pääsiäinen (easter) in Finland has lost its religious meaning but remains as the first big celebration of the year. Few traditions are visible throughout the country but as Finland is one of the biggest in Europe, area wise, differences are notable as well. From my own childhood I remember that the preparations started about a week before the actual Easter holiday. First we’d start growing ester grass, I would sit down with mom and dad around  the kitchen table full of boiled or chocolate eggs that looked real and we’d start painting them. I’d also go to the woods on our backyard to collect branches of willow and mom would bring all different colors of feathers and we’d also decorate the branches. On Palm Sunday I dressed up as a little witch and went from door to door, recited an old poem that promised health and youthfulness for the coming year. At the end I’d give out a willow branch and get an chocolate egg in return, this was the coolest thing ever as a kid.   On actual easter, our home would be decorated with yellow and green using grass, willow branches, decoration chickens and bunnies, even the curtains were changed to match easter…The most traditional eater food is called Mämmi, which looks and tastes disgusting but a tradition is a tradition J Better ones include lamb, potatoes, pasha etc.  All in all, I’d say that as a kid, easter was about spending time with my family, enjoying the long holiday from school, eating tons of chocolate and welcoming spring (yes, we get it later in the northJ ). Now a days, I’d still decorate my flat, have few eggs, and consider easter as a another excuse to go out for a party.

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