Top 10 Bizarre Easter Celebrations From History

In Lancashire and Yorkshire, "Pace Egging" involved mummers performing plays in exchange for eggs or money. Dating back centuries, the tradition features characters like St. George, the Bold Slasher, and a Doctor who resurrects the slain. It survives today in Heptonstall and other towns.

In the 1920s-1930s, the Soviet government organized "Komsomol Easter" counter-celebrations with anti-religious carnivals, mock processions, and theatrical burnings of religious effigies. Workers were offered free entertainment to keep them from attending church services.

In Haux, France, an Easter Monday tradition involves cooking a giant omelette in the town square using over 15,000 eggs, feeding more than 1,000 people. Legend claims Napoleon enjoyed an omelette so much while passing through that he ordered the townspeople to gather eggs for a feast the next day.

On Holy Saturday in Corfu, Greece, residents hurl clay pots, pans, and water jugs from their balconies and windows, smashing them on the street below. The thunderous crash is believed to ward off evil spirits and welcome spring. The tradition may have Venetian roots dating to the 16th century.

Across Latin America, Greece, and parts of Europe, effigies of Judas Iscariot are burned or exploded on Easter Saturday. In Venezuela and Mexico, the effigies are often made to resemble unpopular politicians or public figures, adding social commentary to the religious ritual.

In Luedge, Germany, giant wooden wheels packed with straw are set ablaze and rolled down a hillside on Easter Sunday night. The tradition, dating to at least 1753, is believed to ensure a good harvest. If the wheels stay lit all the way down, the crop will be bountiful.

On Easter Monday in Czechia and Slovakia, men lightly whip women with braided willow sticks called pomlazka. The tradition, meant to transfer the willow's vitality and youth, is accompanied by the women giving decorated eggs and shots of slivovitz in return.

In western Finland, massive bonfires are lit on Easter Saturday to scare away witches believed to fly between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The tradition blends Orthodox Christian practice with pre-Christian folk beliefs about spirits wandering freely during Easter week.

On the Greek island of Chios, rival churches in Vrontados fire tens of thousands of homemade rockets at each other on Easter Saturday night. The goal is to hit the opposing church's bell tower. The tradition, called Rouketopolemos, dates to the Ottoman era when real cannons were confiscated.

In Lancashire and Yorkshire, "Pace Egging" involved mummers performing plays in exchange for eggs or money. Dating back centuries, the tradition features characters like St. George, the Bold Slasher, and a Doctor who resurrects the slain. It survives today in Heptonstall and other towns.

In the 1920s-1930s, the Soviet government organized "Komsomol Easter" counter-celebrations with anti-religious carnivals, mock processions, and theatrical burnings of religious effigies. Workers were offered free entertainment to keep them from attending church services.

In Haux, France, an Easter Monday tradition involves cooking a giant omelette in the town square using over 15,000 eggs, feeding more than 1,000 people. Legend claims Napoleon enjoyed an omelette so much while passing through that he ordered the townspeople to gather eggs for a feast the next day.

On Holy Saturday in Corfu, Greece, residents hurl clay pots, pans, and water jugs from their balconies and windows, smashing them on the street below. The thunderous crash is believed to ward off evil spirits and welcome spring. The tradition may have Venetian roots dating to the 16th century.

Across Latin America, Greece, and parts of Europe, effigies of Judas Iscariot are burned or exploded on Easter Saturday. In Venezuela and Mexico, the effigies are often made to resemble unpopular politicians or public figures, adding social commentary to the religious ritual.

In Luedge, Germany, giant wooden wheels packed with straw are set ablaze and rolled down a hillside on Easter Sunday night. The tradition, dating to at least 1753, is believed to ensure a good harvest. If the wheels stay lit all the way down, the crop will be bountiful.

On Easter Monday in Czechia and Slovakia, men lightly whip women with braided willow sticks called pomlazka. The tradition, meant to transfer the willow's vitality and youth, is accompanied by the women giving decorated eggs and shots of slivovitz in return.

In western Finland, massive bonfires are lit on Easter Saturday to scare away witches believed to fly between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The tradition blends Orthodox Christian practice with pre-Christian folk beliefs about spirits wandering freely during Easter week.

On the Greek island of Chios, rival churches in Vrontados fire tens of thousands of homemade rockets at each other on Easter Saturday night. The goal is to hit the opposing church's bell tower. The tradition, called Rouketopolemos, dates to the Ottoman era when real cannons were confiscated.