2_0_DiscoverGermany_Issue36_March2016:Scan Magazine 1
26/2/16
12:56
Page 94
Weird and wonderful Easter traditions From weird games to delicious food, from recreational walks to ritualistic processions, Easter is one of the oldest of celebrations, met with a vast variety of traditions all over the world. And when it comes to traditions, Germany, Switzerland and Austria are masters in this arena. TEXT: THOMAS SCHROERS
Located right at the core of many Easter celebrations is a theme of light and the intention to bring light into the darkness. While this theme has its origins in the religious accounts that form the basis of Easter, it also expresses the human desire to drive away the darkness of winter. This said, one of the widest spread German Easter traditions is the Easter fire. Not only in small villages, but also in the cities, people gather around huge fires the night before Easter Sunday to admire the beauty of the flames. Having seen the Easter fire the night before, the Germans start their Easter Sunday with a delicious breakfast, which naturally includes Easter eggs. But before the eggs are eaten, there is another tradition called ‘Easter Egg-Kitschen’. This game is a friendly contest between two family members, both of which have a hardboiled egg
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in front of them. With their tips, these eggs are knocked against one another. The contestant whose egg is not broken wins the game. When breakfast and lunch are done, a further tradition is to take a long Easter walk, preferably through nature. This tradition is so ubiquitous in the German culture, that one of its greatest poets, Wolfgang von Goethe, included a poem called Osterspaziergang (Easter Walk) in his famous tragedy Faust. In the poem the narrator exclaims: “Here I am human, here I can be”, which expresses a feeling of belonging that many Germans have when they go on their Easter walk.
self. The important thing to note here is that many of these traditions only take place in special regions of the country. Hence, if you would like to take part, you have to find the right spot. In the canton Wallis a very important tradition is to share food. Come Easter, the people especially like to share bread, wine and cheese with each other. For many of the Swiss, these simple fares remind and refocus them on the importance of sharing and the importance of food in general. After coming together to eat and drink, the Swiss turn to some more playful Easter traditions. One of these is the old Zurich custom ‘Zwänzgerle’, which is meant to help children get additional pocket money. This is how it works: children take a peeled hardboiled egg and stretch it towards the adults.The adults now have to throw a coin onto the egg. When the coin gets stuck into the egg, the adult has won and takes the money and egg. When it does not, the children are allowed to take the money.
Sharing food and playing games Much like Germany, Switzerland has developed many different Easter traditions it-
Another playful tradition is ‘Knütteln’, which is nowadays only played in the vil-