Easter Sunday is regarded as the most important Christian holiday, which is why Christians around the world celebrate it. While different countries celebrate Easter Sunday in different ways, and even on different days, Christians may still find a sense of familiarity wherever in the world they may find themselves on Easter.
Much of western Christianity follows the Gregorian calendar. According to this calendar, Easter Sunday will fall on April 1 this year. However, the Eastern Orthodox tradition still follows the Julian calendar, which means that Easter Sunday for Orthodox Christians fall on a different date. This year, Easter Sunday for Orthodox Christians will fall on April 8.
Serbia is one such country with a significant number of people in the Eastern Orthodox faith. Eggs also feature prominently in Serbian Orthodox Easter celebrations, but the eggs are dyed red instead of painted in pastel colors. The process of dyeing eggs is also quite intensive. They are each placed in individual socks with a flower, then boiled in a pot of water with red onions. The onions dye the shell of the eggs red, while the flowers leave a brown silhouette.
Lebanon also has an Orthodox Christian population. There, Orthodox Christians attend a church liturgy either at midnight between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, or on the morning of Easter Sunday itself. Afterward, they have a special lunch and visit with family and friends in the afternoon. A delicacy called Maamoul, which are small sugary cakes, also feature prominently in the celebrations.
In Sardinia, meanwhile, Christians are mostly of the western tradition. They reenact the end of the life of Christ in the days preceding Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday itself, Christians celebrate with a procession before going back home to have lunch with their families. The Sardinian town of Alghero is known to have the most notable Easter celebrations.
Although Indonesia has a Muslim majority, there are sizeable Catholic and Christian communities as well. While some Indonesians also celebrate Easter Sunday with Easter eggs and the Easter bunny like in the west, others celebrate in a more traditional manner. They usually celebrate Holy Week with processions and pilgrimages filled with group prayer. Particularly in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, people commemorate their dead loved ones on Holy Saturday.
To celebrate Easter in Jerusalem, meanwhile, is to celebrate in the very place where the events commemorated on Easter Sunday took place. Celebrations start on Palm Sunday, followed by processions, masses, and the Easter Vigil, which is held on Holy Saturday. On Easter Sunday, there is a procession around the tomb of Jesus. The celebrations end on Easter Monday, when a mass commemorating Christ's encounter with his disciples is held.
