Frohe Ostern!

There were many who asked me if the Germans also celebrate Easter. And it is a coincidence that yesterday flipping through the newspaper, I read about a politician who mentioned that, for Germany, Easter festivity was even more important than Christmas. I am not sure of that because I have not experienced Christmas yet, but what I can say is that Germany has some awesome traditions, and Easter is no exception. As I told you, Easter celebrations had started off some time ago with a bang, the Karneval party. But do not let that fool you: that was just the beginning.

The Easter season in Germany is a vibrant one. Something that caught my attention was the decoration of trees (known as Osterbäume) with brightly and cheerful coloured Easter eggs, which can be bought at special Easter markets found all around. However, for many it is a tradition to decorate the eggs at home, out of emptied eggshells or real boiled eggs. We have made our own ones yesterday.


Furthermore, the people are used to attend Oster Feuer (Easter Bonfire) on the Saturday before Easter, an exciting celebration where they get together to burn "last year's Christmas trees" (I write it as a quote because they burn almost an entire forest haha). As you can see in the picture, the flames frequently reach a height of almost five meters. This is often a social event with enough food, beer, and BBQ's. We travelled to a friend of my host family and spent the evening grilling and sitting near the fire. We grabbed some roastbratwursts (typical roasted sausages) and set out to find the perfect spot to enjoy the fire. In Germany it is not very popular to roast marshmallows but bread called stockbrot (a type of bread whose dough has been rolled and twisted over the end of a stick, and baked over an open fire).


'Ostereier suchen' (Easter Egg hunts) are also a popular family tradition in Germany. It is common to get a visit from our furry friend, the Oster Hase (Easter Bunny), even if you are a teenager. Today it was very funny when we had to search for chocolate eggs hidden in the garden behind the house.

The 'honey moon' has past, and not everything is rosy now. As an expat there are many things I miss from home, especially the way the people relate to each other, the involuntary hugs and all that warm stuff to express your feelings. But at the same time I can only smile because I really am blessed to have the opportunity to experience this beautiful German time, and to be accompanied by incredible people who are interested in my emotional state and personal development.