For more examples check:

http://festivals.iloveindia.com/easter

Easter Around The World

One of the holiest festivals in the Christian calendar, Easter, is celebrated around the world,
with great fanfare and religious fervor. While the religious observations of the festival follow
the Christian church, the basic contours of Easter celebration may vary in different countries,
due to regional influences. These variations straddle almost all the aspects of Easter
celebration. In the majority of countries, Easter bunny is the prominent Easter symbol, while
in France, Easter fish and bells are the major Easter icons. Pre-Lent carnivals are held across
the world, with Rio de Janeiro carnival being the most famous one. In many Eastern
European countries, Easter egg decoration is an integral part of Easter celebrations.

However, in today's age of rampant commercialization, the religious significance of Easter is

fast losing its relevance. People are increasing embracing the festive aspect of the festival and
Good Friday and Easter Monday have become a welcome extension to the weekend and a
chance to go on the first spring vacation. Over the years, the festival has taken the shape of a
wonderful occasion to hang around with the long lost friends, close relatives and family
members, and to have a lot of fun together. In our related section, know all about Easter
celebrations around the world.

Easter In Australia
The island nation of Australia celebrates Easter with great fanfare and traditional fervor.
Being a land of aboriginal tribes and exotic animals, Australia celebrates Easter by imbibing
its unique native elements. The Christian churches in the country follow the Easter Christian
Calendar to celebrate the festival, which begins with Shrove Tuesday and ends with Whitsun
(or Pentecost), which is 50 days after Easter Sunday. Good Friday is a day of mourning. On
Easter Sunday, churches are bedecked with flowers, to commemorate the Resurrection of
Lord Jesus Christ. Explore information on the traditions and celebration of Easter in
Australia, in the article.

Easter Celebration In Australia

Chocolate Easter Eggs

Chocolate Easter eggs and other traditional Easter confectionary have become an important
part of Easter celebrations in Australia. During the festive season of Easter, many
organizations take the opportunity to raise funds by selling tickets in raffles for baskets of
Easter eggs. Beautifully decorated eggs are put on sale. On the other hand, you can also find
people decorating Easter eggs beautifully, with the help of colorful paints. Making chocolate
Easter eggs is one of the traditions of the Aussies. Many families arrange Easter egg hunt
competitions for kids, at their premises.
Easter Bunny
The legend of Easter bunny is very much an integral part of Easter in Australia. On Easter
morning, the bunny 'delivers' chocolate Easter eggs to children. However, since rabbits are
unpopular among the locals, because of the damage they do to agricultural crops, in 1991 a
campaign was started by the Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation, to replace the Easter Bunny
with the Easter Bilby (an endangered native species). The bilby is a small rodent with a long
nose and has rabbit-like long ears.

Sydney Royal Easter Show

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is Australia's largest annual event. It showcases the rich
Australian heritage, ranging from bushman culture to the urban city life. It takes place
annually, at Sydney Olympic Park for over a two week period, which includes the Easter long
weekend. The show is a reflection of rural Australia with rural and farming communities
exhibit their livestock and produce.

Other Events
There are many festivals held over the Easter holiday in Australia, apart from Sidney Royal
Easter Show. Performers and audiences travel long distances to attend music festivals
including the National Folk Festival in Canberra, the East Coast International Blues & Roots
Festival at Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, and the Australian Gospel Music
Festival in Toowoomba in Queensland. By walking along the streets of the wonderful city of
Sidney, you will get to see colorful gift galleries with the latest stock of presents for Easter
and relish on the amazing food. So, next time you visit Australia, be sure to witness the
festivities of Easter there.
Easter In Brazil
Easter is an important Christian festival, celebrated in
different ways all over the world. The traditions seen
in the US would vary with those seen in the interiors
of Africa or the Asian continent. Being the largest and
the most populous country in South America, Brazil
grabs special attention during the festive season of
Easter. Brazil celebrates the festival in autumn,
because of its geographical location - majority of the
parts of the country are located in the Southern
Hemisphere, where spring season is from September to
November. The celebrations of the festival in the
country are marked by colorful traditions and customs.
Go through the following lines to know all about the
traditions and celebrations of Easter in Brazil.

Easter Celebration In Brazil

Easter celebration in Brazil begins with the Holy Week

rituals, which involve the blessing of the palm
branches, woven in intricate patterns representing
crosses, banners, letters and other related objects. Like
in many other countries, worshippers in Brazil take out
procession walks, carrying statues of Mary and the
body of Lord Jesus Christ. 'Pacoca', a special Easter
delicacy prepared by mixing crushed nuts (preferably
peanuts) and other ingredients including sugar to form
a paste, is given to the visitors.

The world-famous Rio Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

precedes the Easter celebration in Brazil. The Carnival
takes place during the days, preceding 'Ash
Wednesday', the first of 40 days of the Lent season.
'Sambodromo', a 700-meter long parade strip, is
thronged by a huge crowd comprising of locals and
tourists. On the last Sunday and Monday nights before
Lent, the enchanted onlookers cheer up the Samba
dance troupes, participating in the jamboree.

Other towns and cities in Brazil, such as Recife, also

have celebrations during the Carnival period, that are
well known for their folkloric representations and two
well known folk dances - the Maracatu and the Frevo.
As the Easter day approaches, people would keep
themselves busy in the preparations for the festival.
The streets are filled with shops and stalls raised
especially for selling special Easter bunnies, on
discounts. On Easter day, gala carnivals are organized
everywhere throughout the country, to commemorate
the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ.

Worshipping the popular symbols of Easter is a

popular custom in Brazil. Macela flower, which
blooms only in the lent, is worshipped by the devotees
of Lord Jesus Christ, in the country. On Palm Sunday,
people would bring the flower to the church service, as
to receive the blessings of the priest. The flower is
later on used as a herb, which is believed to cure many
diseases. Thereafter, mouthwatering dishes are served.