Celebrate Easter Away from Home

Easter is a time to be celebrated with friends and family. There are many who look forward to this time of the year to come together. It is celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, and to celebrate the victory of life over death and evil over darkness. However, those who look forward to a vacation with their family, are often unable to do so Christmas because many like to be in their own house at that time of the year, and winters can also be quite cumbersome to travel, especially for the elders of the family. In such cases, Easter is the ideal time to travel. And although many do not want to leave their house at this time of the year too, to witness the religious festival in other countries, especially the way of celebrating Easter among the other orthodox churches of Europe, is also an experience of a lifetime.

• Greece: For such reasons, you may go to Greece. Although, there are certain churches in Europe that too follow the traditions followed in the Greek Orthodox church, they true nature of those traditions can be best seen in some of the old churches of Greece, which till today follow the traditions that they have inculcated after conversion. The architecture of their churches is also another thing to behold, with certain pagan influences visible quite easily. They have a special kind of wheat cake on the Easter day, and the women mourn for Christ, by remaining in the church through the night, stopping only at dawn, when the first light of daybreak breaking the darkness, symbolizing the new beginning that Easter is symbolic of.
• France and Netherlands: In France and some other countries of the region like Netherlands, the bells of the church remain silent from Good Friday and only on the morning of the Easter Sunday do they ring again, hailing in Easter. It is said that the bells fly away to bring in blessings and other goodies and return on the Easter morning with them. The church bells chiming together lend a distinct atmosphere which is both heavenly and earthly.
• Ukraine: You can visit Ukraine just for pleasure of witnessing the sheer art of egg painting. The people of Ukraine have taken egg painting to an entirely new level and Easter is the time that this art flourishes. You will also notice that eggs are painted red and they are kept in the house on the alter, and it is said that they help in warding off evil. The eggs are also brushed on cattle so that they may return home or can be found if lost.