BNA INDIA - March / April 2015

GERMAN TRADITIONS
celebrate Easter:
Thursday in English - is the last time Jesus ate with
n” in Germany does not in this case come from the
an word “grönan” which means
at just green food on this day.
eitag” in German, no church bells ring, no songs are
Jesus was crucified. The word “kar” comes from old
fasting where the only meal eaten should be fish.
sands of Germans gather around huge bonfires. Traarks
the end of winter and the coming of spring. It
evil winter spirits.
fertility and is traditionally eaten at Easter. Germans
he form of a lamb.
now done in many countries but it is particularly
rm of blessing them before they were eaten to mark
er fasting period.
is Spring cleaning and decorations are brought
into the home, budding twigs, crocuses and
daffodils, willow and birch, the first shoots of
grasses, or wheat sprouts. Easter trees, small
trees or branches, decorated with eggs, have
long been a part of German Easter celebration.
An inseparable part of the holiday is the gorgeous
Easter meal taken after a long period of
severe fasting.
A few weeks before Easter Sunday (this year
on 5th Aptil) in Germany, you can also see in
many towns an Easter Market, called Ostermarkt
in German, where they sell decorated
Easter eggs, chocolate eggs and bunnies,
spring ornaments and more Easter crafts. Germans
love to decorate their house and garden
with Easter decoration. Many of these Easter
decorations come directly from the pagan
Frühlingfest's (spring fête) symbols of fertility
such as the egg (Ei) and the rabbits (Hasen)
that became the Ostereier (Easter eggs) and
the Osterhasen (Easter bunnies). Of course
little Easter chocolate eggs are also left by the
big Easter Bunny (Osterhase) around bushes
and trees for kids to find on Easter Sunday.
On the next pages we will present you two
traditional Easter dishes: Eggs in Green Sauce
and Lamb.
BNA INDIA March / April 2015
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