Easter is one of the most recognizable holidays of spring. Children hunt for brightly colored eggs, chocolate bunnies line store shelves, and families gather to celebrate.

However, many of the traditions surrounding Easter are surprisingly strange: Why does a rabbit deliver eggs in America? Why do church bells sprout wings and fly over France? And what could possibly explain a giant cart full of fireworks exploding in an Italian city square?

Over the years I’ve explored some of the stranger and lesser-known traditions connected to Easter. These stories show how different cultures have added their own unique twist to the holiday. 

Below are five fascinating Easter traditions that show just how imaginative – and sometimes downright bizarre – this spring celebration can be.

1. An Egg-Laying Rabbit

🐰Does the Easter Bunny Lay Easter Eggs?

One of the most puzzling questions about Easter is linked to two of its most famous symbols: bunnies and eggs. 

So… does the Easter Bunny actually lay Easter eggs? Well, normally, the answer would be, “Of course not – rabbits don’t lay eggs.” Yet the Easter Bunny is somehow able to fill baskets with mounds of colorful eggs, which he goes on to hide for children to discover. So where do those eggs come from?

The story behind this strange combination of rabbit and egg goes back centuries and involves folklore, a spring goddess, and a tradition brought to America by German immigrants. 

👉 Read more: Does the Easter Bunny Lay Easter Eggs? – Discover the legend that explains how a rabbit became the world’s most famous egg deliverer.

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2. Egg-Delivering Animals

🦊Easter Animals That Deliver Eggs Around the World

While the Easter Bunny is the egg-bringer of choice in the US, the UK, and many other countries, not every culture relies on a rabbit.

Around the world, a surprising collection of animals have taken on the role of egg bearer. Some are actual birds – which makes a bit more sense. But others, such as the fox, bilby, or rooster are just as puzzling as a rabbit. These traditions reflect local folklore and show that magical egg delivery can take many forms.

👉 Read more: Easter Animals and Egg Deliveries Around the World. – Meet the surprising creatures responsible for bringing Easter treats in different countries.

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3. Bunnies vs Bells

🔔American Easter Bunny vs. French Easter Bell

In France, children eagerly await their Easter eggs – but they aren’t expecting them to be delivered by a rabbit – or any other animal for that matter. 

According to French tradition, church bells fly away on Good Friday and return on Easter Sunday morning. As they fly back to their bell towers, they scatter eggs and sweets for the children below. 

That’s right – Easter eggs in France are delivered by… bells! This has to be the most unusual explanation for where Easter eggs come from. 

👉 Read more: American Easter Bunny vs. French Easter Bell. – A look at two very different Easter egg delivery traditions. 

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4. Bejeweled Easter Eggs

💎Fabergé Easter Eggs: Imperial Tokens of Love

Not all Easter eggs are meant to be hidden in gardens or tucked into baskets. 

In imperial Russia, Easter eggs became extraordinary works of art. Russian tsars commissioned the famous jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé to create elaborate jeweled eggs as Easter gifts for members of the royal family. 

These intricate creations turned a simple holiday symbol into a dazzling display of wealth and affection.

👉 Read more: Fabergé Easter Eggs Were Tokens of Love. – Discover how these magnificent creations became some of the most famous Easter gifts in history.

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5. Crazy, Exploding Easter Cart

💥Celebrate Easter with a Bang in Florence, Italy

If Easter traditions sometimes seem unusual, Florence, Italy may have one of the craziest of them all.

Every Easter Sunday, the city celebrates with the scoppio del carro or “explosion of the cart.” A mechanical dove on a zipline zooms out the cathedral door and ignites a decorated cart packed with fireworks which is waiting in the square outside. It creates a spectacular display meant to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

👉 Read more: Celebrate Easter with a Bang in Florence, Italy. – This centuries-old tradition is one of the most unique Easter celebrations in the world – and certainly one of the loudest.

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Curious Easter Traditions Around the World

From egg-laying rabbits and other unusual egg-delivering animals to flying bells, jeweled imperial eggs, and exploding carts, Easter traditions can be wonderfully weird and unexpected. 

These different customs reveal how cultures across the world have blended folklore, religion, and celebration to create the Easter holiday we know and love today.

Were there any Easter traditions here that you hadn’t heard of? Do you know of others not mentioned? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you would like to keep up with all my curious histories, subscribe to follow my blog (at the top or bottom of this page).

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