Cities With Excellent Easter Celebrations

Easter season is upon us, which means it’s time to start sharpening your egg hunting skills! But if you’d rather spend the holiday celebrating elsewhere in the world, we won’t judge. There are plenty of excellent places to celebrate Easter all across the globe.

Vatican City

If your focus on Easter is celebrating the religious aspects of the holiday, there’s no better place than Vatican City. The independent city-state offers masses all throughout Holy Week, with the Pope giving a large address in St. Peter’s Square on the big day. Once mass is over you can freely explore Rome.

Athens

Easter in Athens is a weeklong event actually is celebrated in accordance with the Byzantine calendar. Festivities begin on Good Friday with the traditional march of Christ’s tomb carried across town. The following night locals carry unlit candles to the Holy Flame where they’re lit, then follow it up with a display of fireworks and revelry. On Easter Sunday everyone comes together for a giant feast of spitfire roasted lamb and colorful eggs.

Beirut

Christians make up nearly half of the population of Lebanon, so you can imagine they go all out for Easter. Ornate decorations are hung throughout Beirut, chocolate and bunnies appear in shops and restaurants, and the Church masses can last half a day or longer. Come Easter Sunday the locals begin to feast after breaking a 40-day fast. Celebrations tend to include tons of maamoul, a Lebanese sweet that is essentially a cookie made with semolina and butter, then stuffed with sugared dates or nuts.

Stockholm

Easter in Sweden is more reminiscent of Halloween than our traditional celebrations for the holiday here. Children dress up as witches and hand out letters to neighbors and friends, in exchange for eggs, money and treats. Family takes center stage on Easter Sunday as locals head out for religious services that seem more fun than serious. There are also the feasts, which feature fish and herring. Then, participants will compete in an egg rolling competition to see who can roll theirs down roofing tiles without breaking them.