8 Easter traditions around the world

It is a tradition present almost everywhere in Germany, often at the start of the Easter vigil. In the country, large fires are lit, generally by volunteer firefighters. Those are the Osterfeuer, meaning the “Easter fires”. The priest blesses the fire, lights the Easter candle before carrying it into a church, plunged into darkness since Maundy Thursday. The fire that brings the most people together is probably that of Övelgönne, on the banks of the Elbe.

Fire symbolizes the Sun which takes the place of the clouds, puts an end to winter and marks the arrival of spring. It refers to a pagan rite where peasants rolled large flaming wooden wheels down hills, again representing the Sun. In Christian tradition, fire symbolizes the Resurrection. A straw doll is sometimes burned at the stake, representing Judas.