{"id":3340,"date":"2021-04-05T09:49:35","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T07:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.textmaster.com\/blog\/easter-and-retail-in-europe-what-peculiarities-exist-in-which-countries-at-easter\/"},"modified":"2021-04-02T18:38:56","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T16:38:56","slug":"easter-retail-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.textmaster.com\/blog\/easter-retail-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter and retail in Europe \u2013 what are the traditions in other countries?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Europe, what people associate with Easter<\/b> will depend on the specific country they’re in. De<\/strong>spite a number of common features, different countries have developed some curious Easter customs<\/b>. So, who brings the Easter eggs? And are these hen’s eggs painted in bright colours, or just chocolate eggs? From egg and water fights<\/b>\u00a0to travelling church bells, flying witches, and costume parades to local\u00a0cakes, fish chocolate and lamb dishes,<\/b> it’s all here \u2013 If you want to successfully reach your clients<\/strong>, you need to localise your products and communications and adapt them to the characteristics of each country<\/strong>. Here\u2019s an overview.<\/p>\n

Easter time is retail time!<\/b><\/h2>\n

However, it’s not only the food industry<\/strong><\/a> and retail<\/a><\/strong> that are in demand around the Easter period, the tourism<\/a><\/strong>, outdoor, lifestyle and eCommerce<\/a><\/strong> sectors are as well.<\/p>\n

Online shopping is more popular than ever,<\/b> especially during the holidays, as it is less stressful and more convenient.\u00a0Easter gifts <\/b>are enjoying increasing popularity.\u00a0What gifts are given? This depends on the country, however, in Germany<\/a>\u00a0for instance, sweets, chocolate, painted boiled eggs, flowers & plants, toys, books, clothing, shoes, beverages and culinary treats all play a role. Online trade is booming.<\/p>\n

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Would you like to know more about localisation and translation?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Is the \u201cGerman\u201d Easter Bunny a successful export at Easter?? <\/b><\/h2>\n

Statistics from 2017 have already revealed the number of chocolate bunnies that are produced in Germany at Easter time: around 200 million Easter Bunnies<\/strong> are produced in Germany each year, and approximately 90 million are exported abroad.<\/p>\n

However, did you know that in other European countries the “German” Easter Bunny<\/b> plays barely any role at all<\/b>? And that Easter time is a time where “fertility” is celebrated?<\/p>\n

In spite of the similarities, often due to religion, very different<\/b> customs<\/b> have developed in many countries<\/b>. We took a closer look and have picked out some Easter-related<\/b> facts<\/b> that may have an effect on your local sales in various<\/b> countries. Localisation<\/b> is becoming more and more important to your business’ success \u2013 don’t believe us yet? See for yourself – you’ll be surprised.<\/p>\n

\"EN-Easter-Infographic-2020\"
\nDownload infographic as PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

Germany <\/b><\/h3>\n

In Germany, the\u00a0Easter Bunny<\/strong>\u00a0brings hen\u2019s eggs,\u00a0often dyed and painted in bright colours,\u00a0<\/strong>as well as other\u00a0sweets such as chocolate Easter Bunnies and eggs<\/strong>.
\nOften a so-called\u00a0Easter nest<\/strong>\u00a0is created (a basket with the treats, along with artificial grass) and then hidden so that young and old alike\u00a0can hunt for<\/strong>\u00a0it. Hiding places can be picked out in your home garden, or on a beautiful walk. Does this sound strange? There are even large organised events for this or\u00a0competitions such as competitive egg-eating, egg-and-spoon racing or \u201cEierditschen\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>(here, eggs are hit against one another and the winner is the person whose egg doesn\u2019t break) etc. Also not to be forgotten: the traditional\u00a0Easter Lamb<\/strong>\u00a0(cake), the\u00a0Easter <\/strong>bon<\/strong>fire custom<\/strong>\u00a0as well as the typical\u00a0decorations<\/strong>\u00a0such as coloured eggs (blown or made of plastic,)\u00a0and bunches of pussy willow\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0daffodils<\/strong>\u00a0(known as Osterglocken, literally \u201cEaster Bells<\/strong>\u201d).<\/p>\n

France<\/b><\/h3>\n

In France there are only\u00a0chocolate eggs<\/strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0and dyed and painted hen\u2019s eggs are uncommon. A hunt for Easter eggs is a common feature, however\u00a0for our French neighbours, it is <\/strong>a<\/strong> \u201cbell\u201d that brings the eggs!<\/strong>\u00a0To be precise, children are told that the\u00a0church bells<\/strong>, which are silent from Holy Thursday onwards, have flown to Rome to collect their blessing for the coming year. On the journey home, packed full of\u00a0sweets, they drop\u00a0fish and seafood made of chocolate\u00a0over fields, meadows and gardens. Good Friday is not a public holiday, and the holiday begins on Easter Sunday. Celebrations are enjoyed as a family with traditional meals such as\u00a0leg of lamb or Easter quiche<\/strong>. The\u00a0daffodil\u00a0is also very popular here.<\/p>\n

Hungary <\/b><\/h3>\n

Traditionally,\u00a0Hungarians abstain from eating meat throughout the entire Lent period<\/b>. The Hungarian word for Easter is \u201ch\u00fasv\u00e9t\u201d and more or less means \u201ctake meat\u201d, and many people bring\u00a0meat with them to church\u00a0to have it blessed before they eat it. However, this is not the only unique Easter custom:\u00a0on Easter Monday,<\/b> women and girls have buckets of water poured over them by men reciting Easter poems!\u00a0The so-called \u201cdousing\u201d is a farming tradition and is meant to promote fertility \u2013 women are said to \u201cbloom\u201d and \u201cflourish\u201d. Nowadays, it is more common for them to be\u00a0sprayed with water or perfume. By way of thanks, the men then receive a\u00a0red Easter egg<\/b>. In\u00a0Poland\u00a0they have a custom like this where they celebrate\u00a0\u201cWet Monday\u201d\u00a0\u2013 however,\u00a0without any poetry.<\/p>\n

Bulgaria<\/b><\/h3>\n

In Bulgaria the\u00a0eggs are only painted red<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 symbolising the blood of Jesus. Once the paint is ready,\u00a0the eldest in the house uses it to paint the children\u2019s faces<\/b>\u00a0to bless them with health and strength. There is\u00a0no hiding or hunting for eggs,<\/b>\u00a0but both young and old do get to have some fun, with an\u00a0\u201cegg throwing contest\u201d<\/b>\u00a0taking place immediately after Easter Sunday mass. Eggs are thrown at the church walls, and whoever\u2019s egg remains intact has won a year of success. Traditionally, a\u00a0lamb dish and a cake<\/b>\u00a0(with an egg still in the shell baked in) are then enjoyed, along with all of the previously broken eggs. Other eggs are broken during\u00a0\u201cegg fights\u201d<\/b>. The loser must\u00a0eat his broken egg immediately<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Spain<\/b><\/h3>\n

Holy Week, or\u00a0\u201cSemana Santa\u201d<\/b>\u00a0sees believers in\u00a0gowns with tall hoods\u00a0carry\u00a0holy statues\u00a0in\u00a0parades\u00a0through the streets. As they do so, hymns are sung to commemorate the Passion of Christ. On Easter Sunday, the Spanish celebrate together as a family. Traditional dishes include\u00a0roast lamb, stockfish, sweet or savoury filled pasties\u00a0in various forms (\u201cPanades\u201d or \u201cRobiols\u201d) as well as a traditional\u00a0Easter cake <\/b>(Monas de Pascua)<\/em> made from leavened dough, including a baked egg with the shell left on. This is\u00a0cracked against a friend\u2019s head\u00a0and then eaten.\u00a0Chocolate doesn\u2019t play a major role\u00a0at Easter, although there are other\u00a0sweet and fried treats<\/b>\u00a0such as \u201cTorrijas<\/em>\u201d and \u201cBu\u00f1uelos<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Italy<\/b><\/h3>\n

It is not without reason that Italy is so often associated with good food, and so it goes without saying that there is a\u00a0feast on the table on Easter Sunday, <\/b>usually involving lamb or seafood. The\u00a0\u201cTorta di Pasquetta<\/em>\u201d\u00a0(a savoury cake with cooked egg and spinach) and the\u00a0\u201c<\/b>Colomba Pasquale<\/em>\u201d<\/b>\u00a0(traditional sweet ring cake in the shape of the\u00a0Easter dove<\/b>) are also very popular. On Good Friday, there are silent\u00a0processions with participants carrying crosses on their backs\u00a0\u2013 in Southern Italy they dress similarly to people in Spain.\u00a0On Easter Monday,<\/b>\u00a0the Italians celebrate \u201cLittle Easter\u201d<\/b>\u00a0together with friends and family on a\u00a0day trip or plan a relaxing picnic. Packing some huge, colourful\u00a0chocolate eggs with a surprise gift<\/b>\u00a0(such as small toys, jewellery etc.) inside is a must!<\/p>\n

Scotland<\/b><\/h3>\n

A classic Easter meal in Scotland consists of a “Sunday roast”<\/b> (roast lamb or ham) and “Simnel Cake”<\/b> (fruit cake decorated with 11 marzipan balls, which symbolise the 11 apostles). In many Scottish families the Easter egg hunt<\/b> is the main focal point, with a hunt for the Easter nest<\/b> that the “Easter Bunny\u201c<\/b> has hidden. Chocolate eggs, Easter chocolates, marshmallow bunnies and jelly beans,<\/b> as well as “Hot Cross Buns\u201d <\/b>(milk rolls with sultanas and spices, decorated with a cross) are also incredibly popular. In old tradition, various “egg rolls”<\/b> are arranged. Colourful hard-boiled eggs are rolled down streets and hills<\/b>. The winner is the person whose egg rolls the further and is not broken, or whoever was the fastest. Fun yet serious at the same time – the rolling eggs symbolise the rolling away of the stone from in front of Jesus’ tomb.<\/p>\n

England<\/b><\/h3>\n

In England, things are\u00a0jovial and sporty<\/strong>, especially in the town of Olney. For around 500 years,\u00a0\u201cPancake Thursday\u201d<\/strong>, a traditional pancake race, has been organised on Holy Thursday. The custom originates back to a housewife who, when making pancakes, was so surprised by the ringing of the church bells that she ran to the church complete with\u00a0saucepan, apron and a bonnet<\/strong>\u00a0on her head \u2013 the rules of the competition are still based on this today. On Good Friday, on the other hand,\u00a0hot cross buns<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0fish<\/strong>\u00a0are eaten all across England. Gifts are also hidden by the \u201cEaster Bunny\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0and today are most commonly made of\u00a0chocolate,<\/strong>\u00a0although until the last century birds\u2019 eggs were instead painted in bright colours and given as gifts. On Easter Sunday,\u00a0roast lamb<\/strong>\u00a0is traditionally served as part of a celebratory meal, and a\u00a0simnel cake<\/strong>\u00a0is also served with afternoon tea.\u00a0Egg-rolling competitions<\/strong>\u00a0are also commonplace in England and in some places\u00a0\u201ctapping with a pussy willow\u201d is traditional<\/strong>\u00a0(by touching your counterpart with the branch, you grant him luck for the coming year).<\/p>\n

Finland<\/b><\/h3>\n

Witches are the symbol of the holiday period<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 according to an old Scandinavian belief, they fly between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Traditional\u00a0Easter fires<\/strong>\u00a0were originally intended to drive them away. Nonetheless, it may be best to skip an Easter visit, as every now and then you might just find yourself caught up in a spot of \u201cbirch whipping<\/strong>\u201c. The birch branches are actually associated with the palm leaves used to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. Therefore, on Palm Sunday, young girls with\u00a0their faces covered in black soot, headscarves and brandishing pussy willow branches decorated with feathers\u00a0go from house to house threatening to hit people on the hand with the branch. You can appease them with\u00a0sweets or change. On Easter Sunday<\/strong>,\u00a0mutton\u00a0is often served, in various forms. The\u00a0dyeing and painting of boiled eggs\u00a0is also a Finnish Easter tradition.\u00a0However, they do not participate in egg hunts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sweden<\/b><\/h3>\n

On the other hand, things are a little bit nicer in Sweden:\u00a0decoration in Sweden consists of birch branches with colourful feathers<\/strong>. The Easter custom in Sweden begin on Holy Thursday: Children dress up as\u00a0\u201cEaster ladies\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(wearing long skirts and headscarves) and hand out Easter letters<\/strong>. As thanks they are rewarded with\u00a0sweets or a little money. However, in Western Sweden on the other hand, they attempt to drive away the evil Easter witches with\u00a0Easter fires, <\/strong>fireworks and anything that makes a lot of noise. It\u2019s not particularly inviting for young Finnish Easter visitors! \u201cP\u00e5skgodis<\/em>\u201d <\/strong>(large papier-mach\u00e9 or plastic eggs filled with sweets) are popular here.\u00a0Chocolate Easter bunnies are more of an imported thing,<\/strong>\u00a0and have seen an increase in popularity. Other than this, people eat\u00a0lamb, eggs, salmon and herring. Men should also watch out during the night, as they may\u00a0get soaked with water\u00a0in their sleep!<\/p>\n

Localisation and translation are your guarantees of success! <\/b><\/h2>\n

As you can see: in spite of the similarities,\u00a0every country has different customs and products<\/strong>\u00a0that they particularly like to purchase, use or modify on these special days.\u00a0Your sales strategy for online retail and your advertising efforts should definitely be tailored to suit the country in question<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s not only the retail sector that can look forward to this holiday period \u2013 so can the\u00a0<\/strong>tourism industry<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Easter usually comes with holidays. However, you should bear in mind that Good Friday and Easter Monday are not necessarily public\u00a0holidays\u00a0in every country. This also has an\u00a0influence on the\u00a0world of shopping<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This selection of countries and customers makes no claim to being comprehensive, as\u00a0other regional traditions\u00a0are celebrated in many<\/strong>\u00a0places<\/strong>. They do, however, demonstrate the importance of acting regionally within the respective countries.<\/p>\n

The TextMaster Team would like to wish you a happy Easter holiday!<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Translation<\/a><\/span>