-warm and colourful Easter celebration traditions at Baltics!

It’s that time of the year when social networks of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are being loaded with photos of spectacular colored eggs and beautifully served tables. It’s Easter time! Not only it associates with the beginning of spring but also it reflects our old traditions and quality time with our family. We are inviting you to know how the people of the Baltics celebrate this festive occasion.

The egg symbolizes the birth, life and the whole galaxy. That’s why the egg is the symbol of Easter and it is decorated in many ways. The Baltics do not dye them in color –  they have their own old and unique techniques for that: with hot wax, with onions shell, with flowers and herbs.

Bringing hand-made eggs to the guest house is a nice manner showing respect and love. And it is crucial to eat as many eggs as you can on that day!

The process of painting the eggs has its roots deep down in the pagan times of the region. The egg was thought of as a symbol of galaxy and life, thus inspiring the traditional egg-painting motives. As a result, the usual pattern of a painted egg contains miniature paintings of Sun, stars or trees. Nowadays, the egg-painting tradition is stronger than ever! Every family of the Baltic region creates their own masterpieces and some even sell them during local crafts fairs. It is popular to organize some contests on the Internet too, in order to elect the most beautiful painted egg!

If you ask any local in the Baltics, what is the first thing besides the rebirth of Jesus that associates with Easter – you will get probably get a unanimous answer – it’s the treasures of local cuisine! The Baltics follow Christian traditions and the Easter table is usually stuffed, as it is the most important Feast day after all. An ideal Baltic Easter table would include series of egg dishes, lots of specially prepared meats and, of course, the icons of the Easter – the painted eggs!

Easter in the Baltics boasts an impressive range of games such as the fight of the eggs to find the strongest one or egg rolling. The egg-fight happens during the feast. Basically, you bash a side of your chosen egg with an identical side of your opponent’s egg and the egg that has cracked is eaten. The victorious egg that beats all the others is joked to be kept until the next easter. In contrast, the purpose of the egg rolling game is to collect the highest number of eggs. You start with the equal number of eggs and roll them so that you hit the other ones. These games are very popular among the children and create a joyful atmosphere!

Fun fact: all the world has an Easter bunny and the Baltics have an Easter Granny. We can say it is similar to a Santa Claus. It is said that she lives in the forest and when the spring comes she decorates a lot of eggs and takes them to all well-behaved kids. In the morning kids can find eggs as a present on the windowsill.

Easter Palm is more like a saint feature than just a symbol. On Easter Sunday it is used to sprinkle the house with palm and holy water. It is believed it will lead to success and good harvest throughout the whole year.