Children across the United States are excitedly awaiting a visit from the Easter bunny this year. Plastic eggs will be hidden, real eggs will be decorated and tons of chocolate candies are waiting to be devoured. Our lenten resolutions will come to a close and families everywhere will be attending Easter Mass. However, the United States is not the only country celebrating Easter.

In France, Catholics celebrate Easter with flying bells. According to tradition, bells in all the churches fly to the Vatican on Good Friday and then return Easter morning to symbolize the joy in Jesus’ Resurrection. When the bells return, they are filled with chocolate and eggs. Similar to the Presidential Egg Roll, people in France will roll raw eggs down a hill. This is representative of the stone being rolled away from Jesus’ tomb.

Easter in Brazil is taken very seriously. There are celebrations every day of Holy Week that resemble mini carnivals. Huge hollowed out milk chocolate eggs packed with goodies are a typical present for Brazilian children. On Easter Sunday, the streets are lined with handmade carpets for a procession in many cities, especially Ouro Preto.

Italians celebrate Easter similar to Brazilians. Intricately decorated chocolate eggs fill the shops and large hollowed out chocolate eggs filled with prizes are given to children. There are parades throughout Italy and a major one takes place in Sicily where 2,000 priests accompany a statue of either Jesus or Mary down the streets. St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City holds over 15,000 people, but the crowds on Easter Sunday sometimes force the Mass outdoors to St. Peter’s Square. Easter Monday is just as important in Italy as Easter Sunday. It is recognized as a national holiday and is a time for celebrating with friends.

In Bulgaria, Easter is considered one of the most important holidays. Lamb is always eaten for dinner on Easter Sunday to symbolize Christ’s sacrifice. A braided bread called Kozunak is a popular food along with red eggs to symbolize Christ’s body and blood. There is a common ritual in Bulgaria where family members select eggs and then tap them against each other. The person whose egg has not cracked at the very end is the winner and will have good luck for the rest of the year.

Even though the Easter bunny will not be hopping around in these countries, they still have some unique traditions. It might be the time to start integrating some worldly customs into our Easter celebrations. Candy filled chocolate eggs would be a welcomed addition to anyone’s family gathering this year.