I’ve loved sharing some of our favorite traditions for each holiday over the last year and now it’s time to focus on Easter, which is increasingly becoming my favorite. I even got lots of new ideas from our readers on Instagram (thank you!) to do with the kids. There are so many beautiful ways to celebrate this season. Here are some things to consider if you’re interested in adding in some of your own!

Easter Traditions

Easter is arguably the best holiday because we are finally emerging out of winter (maybe?). But before we really dig into it, let’s start with some basics.

What is Easter?

As a reminder, Easter a time when Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, while also marking the beginning of spring. Different cultures and countries celebrate Easter in different ways, but there are some major traditions that are common across the world.

Easter Eggs

Eggs have long been associated with Easter, with many people considering them a symbol of new life. In many cultures, eggs are decorated with bright colors and patterns to celebrate the occasion. In some countries, such as Greece, it’s traditional to dye eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Here in the United States, it’s common to have Easter egg hunts, where children search for hidden eggs filled with candy or small toys.

Over the years we’ve done various versions of decorative Easter eggs like:

Painted Easter eggs

I used artist Mary Delaney as inspiration for these painted eggs. I keep them in an egg carton for easy storage!

Dried flowers on Easter Eggs

These dried flowers on Easter eggs are a pretty way to bring in the spring blooms. We also used some printable stands from our shop.

Honeycomb Easter Eggs

I love that you can make any arrangement of colors with these paper Easter egg honeycomb decorations.

More Easter Egg ideas

There’s also our new felted Easter Eggs, a new classic.
Nesting Easter eggs, where we painted on a wood set.
Easter egg name settings
Turn your Easter egg into a column
Easter egg pom poms
How to dye eggs naturally
And more ideas here

Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny is a popular symbol of Easter in many countries, particularly in the United States. According to legend, the Easter Bunny brings baskets of eggs and other goodies to children on Easter morning. Children may leave carrots out for the Easter Bunny as a treat, just as they would for Santa Claus at Christmas time.

Some carrot crafts to consider

We have this adorable carrot craft idea from this template where you can stuff whatever you’d like into it. Great for friends!

Carrot fringe treat bag

A carrot treat bag–so cute!

Carrot surprise ball

One of my favorite things to put into an Easter basket is a surprise ball. Make a handmade one with this carrot idea!

More carrot craft ideas

There’s also this carrot orange treat bag, if you want to cut out the chocolate.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns are a traditional Easter treat in many countries, particularly in the United Kingdom. These sweet buns are usually spiced with cinnamon and studded with currants or raisins. The cross on top of the bun is made from pastry or icing and symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus.

Hailey on our team grew up making resurrection rolls, which are a bit simpler!

 

Easter Lamb

In many countries, particularly in the Mediterranean, it’s traditional to have lamb for Easter dinner. The lamb is often roasted or grilled and served with vegetables and potatoes. In some cultures, such as Greece, the lamb is prepared with herbs and spices and is often served on a spit.

Easter Parade

In the United States, many cities hold Easter parades on Easter Sunday. These parades often feature floats, bands, and people dressed in colorful Easter outfits. The most famous of these parades is the Easter Parade in New York City, where people wear extravagant hats and show off their Easter finery.

DIY homemade paper hats

If you’re looking to create some Easter hats, here’s a good start!

Easter Cards

Sending Easter cards to friends and family is a popular tradition in many countries, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. These cards often feature religious or spring-themed images and are accompanied by messages of goodwill and love.

In Denmark, where I lived for a few years, they have a tradition of writing Easter letters. We made our own version here.

Good Friday Processions

In many countries, particularly those with a Catholic tradition, Good Friday is marked with solemn processions. These processions often feature statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus and are intended to commemorate the crucifixion of Christ. In Spain, for example, there are many famous Good Friday processions, including the Procession of the Torches in Seville.

Lots of people also focus on Palm Sunday. A good reminder. We made this simple paper palm leaf version, which would be fun to do with kids!

Easter baskets

A big part of the tradition these days is filling the Easter basket as delivered by the Easter bunny. Here we made a fabric basket with a DIY here.

There’s also this printable Easter basket
And looking for baskets to buy? Here’s a whole post!

Easter Vigil

The Easter Vigil is a religious service held on the evening of Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. It’s the first celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus and includes the lighting of the Paschal candle, the reading of Bible passages, and the baptism of new converts.

Swedish Easter tree

In Scandinavia they cut fresh blooms and decorate them called Påskris.

We’ve done a few different versions (I LOVE this tradition!). We collected branches and put on homemade egg poms one year.

For me it’s about finding the most beautiful branches! Here’s the post for this one.

Feather Easter egg tree

The actual Swedish tradition is to fill it a branch with feathers so we did this one year.

Tradition ideas from our readers

Of course, our readers always have the best ideas. Here are some of them.

• Hiding baskets: always has a new book, and an Easter dress for the girls
• Making a lamb cake and homemade perogies
• We make Easter hats every year!
• Egg hunt for all the kids
• Portuguese sweet Easter bread with an egg from godmother
• As kids we’d hunt for Easter eggs then gather around to watch the Sound of Music
• Brunch and chocolate
• Watch the 10 Commandments.
• I made a family Easter basket! Everyone still gets goodies but it doesn’t feel like too much
• My mom always gave us socks
• The Easter bunny comes on Saturday so Sunday is religious focus

I love hearing about traditions from all religions. Thank you so much for sharing! Do you have any to add to this list?