Easter in Germany

As the fresh new leaves start to come out on the trees and tulips spread their colour around the parks, you can feel Springtime in the air. The days are getting longer, the sun is out and people are walking with a bounce in their step. I never realised April in the Northern Hemisphere would feel so good! Everything comes alive again, after lying dormant for the long, grey Winter. The birds sing their merry tunes and the scent of blossom floods the streets! Sometimes, you even see little wooden easter eggs hanging from the bushes and trees. Yes, the Easter holidays are upon us!

Easter and springtime combine to make a wonderful festive season. Here are some of the ways people like to celebrate in Germany:

Hang colourful Easter eggs from the trees

Everywhere you look, you can see eggs of all different shapes and sizes hanging off bushes and trees.  Inside, people decorate their pot plants with lovely wooden eggs.  It is a bit like decorating the Christmas tree!

Feast on chocolate, cake and coloured eggs

There are endless chocolate bunnies hopping around the supermarkets and plenty of coloured eggs (or you can make your own if you feel like being creative).  This year, I even had a carrot cake with marzipan decorations on top!  Easter egg hunts are common too, but you will need to go to England to get your fix of hot cross buns.  In Germany, they are nowhere to be seen!

The Easter Fires

I had never heard of the Easter Fires until I moved to Germany.  Each town does it differently, but basically a huge bonfire is lit in order to scare away the Winter for good.  I was happy to join in this celebration!  We went to Britzer Garten in Berlin, where a massive pile of wood was waiting to burn and fire-fighters stood by with hoses, just in case!  The fire crackled in the darkness, a band played old-school tunes and I sipped on beer to welcome in the spring!

I hope you have all had a very Happy Easter! How did you celebrate?