Hi Everyone,
Happy Easter and Happy Passover! Let’s face it, holidays, much like families, can come with some pretty strange traditions. Below, I’ve outlined five strange Easter Traditions from around the world.
1. Denmark: On Easter, children in Denmark dress up as witches and warlocks and go door-to-door asking for candy. It’s similar to trick-or-treating but there’s one catch, the children are expected to bring a gift to every home in exchange for the candy. The kids give each house a willow branch as a thank you for the candy and it’s believed that the willow branch blesses the owner’s home. Candy for a blessing, not a bad trade!
2. Finland: Here, people literally watch the grass grow to signify the start of spring. Families bring a plot of matured grass into the home as a focal point and the children will decorate the plot with painted eggs and bunnies to signify fertility. A picture of such can be found here.
3. France: In France, the significance of the Easter Bunny has been replaced with church bells. Days leading up to Easter the churches will stop ringing their bells in tribute to the passing of Jesus. Parents tell their children that the bells have taken off and flown to Rome to pay homage to the Pope. On Easter, the bells return and drop candy and Easter eggs for the children. We have a bunny, they have flying inanimate objects. Makes sense.
4. Poland: Sit at any Polish dinner table on Easter and lo and behold you will find a beautiful buttered lamb centerpiece. That’s right, a buttered lamb. People sculpt butter into the shape of a lamb for a centerpiece that is supposed to be eaten during dinnertime. Mmmmmm, warm hand-sculpted butter………
5. Norway: In Norway, the entire country decides that it’s going to take the entire week of Easter. That’s right….everything. No school, no work, no banks, grocery stores, government, etc. Everybody stays home. A small exception is made for grocery stores the Saturday before Easter. For everything else, you’re going to have to wait until the holiday is over.
As you can see, traditions can be strange, but let’s not forget that despite the oddities of tradition it is these traditions that provide sentiment to many families. Traditions are about making memories and creating a unique family legacy. When we work with families to create an estate plan it is exactly that person’s legacy and memory that we are looking to preserve. If it’s been a while since you have reviewed your estate plan, please contact us today. Let’s make sure that your lasting memory is the one you intend to leave behind.
Until next time, Amy