Celebrating Easter in Germany is much more than a trip to church, an Easter Egg hunt, brunch, and a nice hat. Easter is a major holiday in Germany, and the events go beyond home and church. Preparations start well before Easter Sunday! and don’t end there. Many Easter traditions we follow here in the US and elsewhere stem from German customs.…
Category: German Easter Traditions
Why is the Thursday before Easter called Grünerdonnerstag in Germany?
The Thursday before Easter is called Heiliger Donnerstag (Holy Thursday) in the Church Calendar. So, why is the Thursday before Easter called Grünerdonnerstag in Germany? The word “Heilige” or “Holy” makes sense; after all, the day is an important part of the Karwoche (Holy Week). The Thursday before Easter is associated with the Last Supper and the end of Lent.…
Burning Easter Wheel In Germany- UNESCO Heritage in Lüdge
Cover image by Nifoto, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsIn 784, Charlemagne visited the town of Lügde and, according to his chronicler Einhard, witnessed large oak wheels stuffed with straw set on fire and sent rolling down the Osterberg to greet the Spring. What an impressive sight! Burning wheels of fire careening down the hill with sparks flying all around. Although…
Ostara and Easter- A Legend that May be Younger than You Think
While digging into stories about Easter in Germany, I frequently encountered references to the Germanic pagan goddess Ostara. Ostara and Easter appear to be so entwined that even the word Ostern (Easter) comes from this goddess of Spring. Sources attribute many non-religious Easter symbols, like eggs and rabbits, directly to her. So, I thought, HA! The perfect thing to write…
German Easter Candy and Sweets to Fill Your Easter Basket
When I was young, we looked forward to receiving packages from my Opa a few times a year. Brown paper wrapped packages, tied up with string (actually twine… but Julie Andrews never mentions twine in her song). They came at Christmas (in the odd year he didn’t visit), our Birthdays, and Easter. After Mama carefully untied the knots and saved…
Sorbian Easter Eggs- How are they made, and who are the Sorbs?
Sorbian Easter Eggs are some of the most beautifully decorated Easter Eggs I’ve ever seen. My mother introduced us to them when we were children, and she remembered them from her childhood. My Opa, her father, is from Weißwasser, a town in eastern Saxony, Germany, that once belonged to Upper Lusatia or Upper Sorbia. While my family isn’t “Sorbian,” the…
The German Easter Holidays- Easter Weekend in Germany
Celebrating the German Easter Holidays is much more than finding eggs and a church service on Sunday. You celebrate the Easter weekend in Germany! Although the country is becoming more secular, Easter feels much more celebrated or acknowledged than in the US. I’m not talking about the commercial aspect. Yes, there are colorful eggs and decorations in every store. Still,…
Eierlikör Torte Recipe – Perfect for Easter or the Kaffeeklatsch
After enjoying the delicious Eierlikör Torte at Richart: Cafe am Markt in Munich, I decided to tackle this tasty German Torte Recipe for Easter. The cake base is a chocolate cake fortified with ground almonds, and the frosting is whipped Cream. What makes this Torte special (and the part that gave me the most trouble) is the Eierlikör. That’s just…
Write to the Osterhase, Hanni Hase, at the German Osterpostamt
Do you know someone who is excited about the Osterhase (Easter Bunny)? Why not get out some paper, pencil, and maybe some colorful markers, and let your little one write a letter to the Osterhase, Hanni Hase in Ostereistedt! The idea for an Easter Bunny Post Office came from an Advertising company in Hamburg in 1982 as part of the…
German Easter Nest Tradition- From Germany to Texas
My friend Chuck grew up in Yorktown, Texas, about an 1 ½ hours south of New Braunfels (the heart of German Texas), where his great great grandfather Johann Jost settled in 1848 after leaving Womelsdorf, Germany. Much of his family is still there. Because of the pandemic stay-at-home order, his sister is sorting through Afflerbach family history, and recently came…