German Easter Customs (Osterbräuche): Introduction

Easter, Ostern in German, is a very special time in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and in all of the German-speaking countries of Europe. Catholic and Protestant Christians celebrate the arisen Christ with many different traditions. Even those Germans who rarely see the inside of a church other than for Christmas or Easter (most of them) enjoy celebrating Easter. But they may favor the Easter Bunny (Osterhase), a German creation, over the more religious aspects of Easter.

But the entire German Easter celebration covers a longer period than you may think. As any good, well-informed Christian knows, Easter Sunday is actually the culmination of a series of traditional observations that start with Karneval or Fasching and the following Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch). In fact, the date of the Movable Feast of Easter is what determines when Karneval (Mardi Gras) takes place. After that, the holidays (“holy days”) of Palm Sunday and Good Friday lead up to Easter. As in most of Europe and the British Commonwealth nations, the Monday after Easter is a public holiday in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This means that the Easter weekend is a long weekend.

Below is our overview of Germanic Easter and springtime customs and traditions. You will also find links to more in-depth information written by people who have been there and done that – and want to share it all with you. – Also see our Dates for Easter 2022-2025 calendar below.

JUMP TO: Easter Bonfires (below) | Easter Bread | Easter Bunny
Easter Eggs | Easter Fairs | Easter Fountains | Easter Markets
Easter Tree | Easter Walk | Holy Week | Easter Dates

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Easter Bonfires • Osterfeuer

This religious and also secular Easter/springtime custom is common in Germany, Austria, parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. Some Catholics and Protestants in the US link the Easter Fire to the Paschal Candle, and consider the small Easter Fire used to light the candles symbolic of the Resurrection that lights up the darkness following the death of Jesus on Good Friday (Karfreitag). The more secular celebrations in Europe involve a large bonfire in an open field on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, sometimes with food stands offering bratwurst and other snacks, along with alcoholic and soft drinks – as a kind of Volksfest, sometimes even with with carnival rides for the children.

Berlin has at least two Easter bonfires, one at Britzer Garten (Neukölln; park entry fee) and another at Wendenschloss Lido (Köpenick, free admission) on the banks of the Dahme River. Click on the links (in English) for times and details.

There are regional differences in dates (usually Holy Saturday, but also on Easter or more rarely Easter Monday) and names: In the Harz region the fires are called Ostermeiler, in Bavaria they are Osterbrände. There has been some controversy over ecological factors (smoke pollution, endangered small animals, and out of control fires). New laws in some areas have placed restrictions on Easter bonfires in Austria and Germany.

Easter Fires in Texas
Fredericksburg, Texas (pop. 8,911; named after Prince Frederick of Prussia) was one of the few locations in the US where you could see an Easter bonfire, actually many of them. The Texas custom was a unique blend of inspiration from the town’s German immigrant history and local history. On the night before Easter, Fredericksburg’s residents allegedly commemorated an 1847 peace treaty with the Comanche Indians. (Fredericksburg was founded in 1846.) Apparently, when the treaty was signed, the Indians had lit signal fires on the nearby hills. Unlike in Germany, there are numerous Easter fires in Fredericksburg, spread out among some 20 hills surrounding the Texas town. As is common in Germany, the Texas fires were lit on the Saturday night before Easter. Due to dry conditions and fire risk, in 2022 Fredericksburg joined other towns in the Texas Hill Country in abandoning this springtime tourist attraction.

The Indian treaty connection has been disputed by some historians. The original treaty signing took place on 1 and 2 March 1847. But in that year Easter was on 3 April, a month after the treaty ceremonies. Many of the original German settlers came from parts of Germany with a strong tradition of Easter bonfires, giving more weight to the German heritage component of the Texas fires. Perhaps the two events merged in the minds of the Texas Germans over the years, but in any event, the fires definitely have their roots in German tradition.

Fredericksburg’s Easter Fires Pageant – an event held off and on since 1946, and featuring a cast of people dressed as bunnies and Indians – used to take place around Easter at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds. The event seems to be a wee bit more Texan than German, as might be expected. Fredericksburg also holds its own annual three-day Oktoberfest (6-8 October 2023).

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Easter Bread • Osterbrot

Easter bread is an overall classification for mostly sweet-flavored breads to break a fast, as at Easter. You can buy it in a bakery or bake it at home. As with many traditions in German-speaking Europe, Easter Bread (Osterbrot) is a regional custom. Different regions have different recipes and names for Easter Bread. Hefezopf (“braided yeast bun”) is a widespread treat that also has a variation called Hefekranz (“yeast wreath”). The dough is made with sugar, flour, butter, eggs, and yeast – usually with cranberries, raisins, or almonds added. For Hefezopf the dough is braided in three sections into a loaf. A Hefekranz just bends the braids into a round wreath shape. The Swiss “Zopf” version is not sweet and usually has four braids. Another variation uses the same dough and ingredients, but is shaped into a round loaf with a cross scored across the top for Easter. Hefezopf is also enjoyed for Christmas, New Year, and and other holidays or special days. Other varieties of Osterbrot include: Attendorner Ostersemmel (not sweet), Osterfladen, Aachener Poschweck, and Osterpinze (Southern Austria, Italy, Slovenia).

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Easter Bunny (Osterhase)

Everyone loves Easter bunnies. The Osterhase tradition actually originated in Germany. Learn more in The Easter Bunny is German and Easter: Writing to the Easter Bunny (Osterhase).

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Easter Eggs • Ostereier

When we talk about German “Easter eggs” (Ostereier) it is important to be specific about the way they have been decorated. Are they dyed (gefärbt), painted (bemalt), real (echt) or plastic (künstlich)? Decoration can range from elaborate Hessian or Sorbian designs on hollowed-out eggs, or plain dyed eggs (pink, yellow, blue, etc.). Of course there are many different decorative techniques: dyed with etching, dyed with wax patterns (with the wax later removed, or not), more elaborate hand painting, and other methods. (See the photo below for more.)

Then it’s also a matter of how the decorated eggs are used. The Easter egg hunt (with or without egg rolling) is also a popular custom in the German-speaking countries, as are both big (outdoor) and small (indoor) Easter trees.

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Easter Walk (Osterspaziergang)

The Germans are nature lovers and hikers. The Easter walk tradition is a natural for them. This custom even inspired a poem by Goethe known as “Easter Walk” (Osterspaziergang). Learn more: German Easter Customs: The Easter Walk

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Easter Fairs • Volksfeste zu Ostern

The following German Easter and spring fairs take place around Easter or in the spring (March, April, May). These are family-friendly Oktoberfest-like events, but on a smaller scale and at a different time of year. They are similar to a US county or state fair, with amusement rides plus food and drink. Some of them normally also have a second event in the fall.

• Bremer Osterwiese – Bremen Easter Fair (closed on Good Friday) – See the website (in German) for dates and more information.
• Cannstatter Frühlingsfest – Stuttgart (see “Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest” below)
• Dippemess (spring) – Frankfurt am Main (closed on Good Friday and Mondays, except Easter Monday); there is also a fall Dippemess. The fair dates back to the 14th century and takes its name from the local dialect word “Dippe” – for the ceramic bowls and pots that were originally sold at the fair.
• Frühjahrssend – Münster – The Spring “Send” fair rauns around Easter. There are also summer (July) and fall (October) Send fairs.
• Frühlingsfest Hannover – “Hanno-Park” Spring Fest at Hanover’s Schützenplatz fairgrounds – Free admission to the grounds – Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except for Easter Monday; Wednesdays are family days (50% off rides; face painting for the kids plus other events). See the website (in German) for fair hours and more information.
• Hamburger Dom (Frühlingsdom) – Hamburg Spring Festival (closed on Good Friday). Discounted family day on Wednesday. See the website (in German) for more information.
• Nürnberger Volksfest (spring) at the Festplatz. See the website (in German) for fair hours and more information.
• Öcher Bend (Osterbend) – Aachen’s 17-day “Bend” Easter fair on the Bendplatz takes place in the spring. See the website (in English) for more information.
• Osterplärrer – Augsburg’s Easter fair’s name comes from its origins about 1,000 years ago when das Geplärre (noise, racket, yelling) from the market caused it to be moved to its current location, a former drill field. See the website (in German) for fair hours and more information.
• Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest (Kleiner Cannstatter Wasen) – Spring Festival

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Easter Fountains • Osterbrunnen

The German tradition of decorating public fountains or wells (Brunnen) for Easter began in the region called Franconia (Franken), located mostly in northern Bavaria and northeastern Baden-Württemberg. The relatively recent Easter custom (early 1900s) later spread to other parts of Germany in the 1980s.

Typically Easter fountains are decorated with crown-shaped greenery adorned with painted eggs. This is called an Easter crown (Osterkrone). Sometimes the crown is a stand-alone structure created for a public location with no fountain. The custom has also branched out to other structures, such as stone bridges. The decorative Easter crown is usually in place from Good Friday until two weeks after Easter, but the dates vary from region to region. In response to vandalism in recent years, the eggs used on the Easter crown these days are often plastic, requiring less time and effort to prepare.

Many historians consider the Osterbrunnen in the small town of Aufsess (Aufseß) in northern Bavaria in Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz, named for its rocky outcroppings) the first instance of a decorated Easter fountain in 1909. The first written record of an Easter fountain dates from 1913. Claims that the custom has ancient, pagan origins are dismissed by serious scholars. After the Second World War, public fountains became less important, and the custom faded. (Drawing water in silence at Easter for religious and medical purposes is considered one of the reasons for the origins of the Easter fountain custom.) But in the 1950s the custom was revived. Decorated wells in Heiligenstadt and Bieberbach became tourist attraction destinations for bus tours from cities such as Munich and Dresden. The tradition gradually spread north and west to other regions of Germany. The “source fountain” in Bieberbach was listed in 2001 in the Guinness World Records for its 11,108 hand-painted eggshells. For touristic reasons, various towns began competing with each other for the “best” Easter fountain. In 2014 the small community of Oberstadion in Baden-Württemberg set a new record of 27,000 eggs on its Osterbrunnen.

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Easter Markets (Ostermärkte)

An Easter market is similar to a Christmas market in German-speaking Europe, but obviously related to Easter cards, decorations, eggs, flowers, gifts, candy, and other items. Easter markets are most commonly found in southern Germany and Austria, but even in northern German cities, including Berlin, Cologne, Essen, Hamburg, Leipzig, and others, you’ll find them as well. Most Easter markets run for a week or two leading up to Easter, but the dates and times vary a lot. In some places the Easter market is a one-day affair. Some, but not all Easter markets remain closed on Good Friday (Karfreitag), considered a “quiet day” on the religious calendar. Some remain open on the days following Easter Sunday. Many Easter markets have a website where you can find the schedule and other market information. We link to a few below. Most are in German, but a few also offer info in English. Easter markets in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland:

Easter Markets in Austria
Vienna has several Easter markets: Schönbrunn Palace, the Old Viennese Easter Market, Freyung, Am Hof Easter Market, and others. But Graz, Salzburg, and other Austrian cities also offer Easter and springtime markets and events. Most of these websites are in German.

• Ostermärkte in Österreich – Easter markets all across Austria, in all of Austria’s nine provinces, from Wien (Vienna) to Vorarlberg
• Graz – Ostermarkt – Hauptplatz, plus several events for children
• Ostermärkte in Graz – Easter events and markets in the Styrian capital city
• Vienna’s Easter Markets – From Wien.info in English – Includes the Schönbrunn Palace, Freyung, and Am Hof Easter markets; links to several Easter market websites
• Schloss Hof – Easter Market – Bus or train from Vienna to Marchegg station, bus to Schloss Hof and Schloss Niederweiden
• Salzburgs Ostermärkte – Easter markets in Salzburg province; some are only one day, others longer

Easter Markets in Germany
Germany’s Easter markets are widespread. The dates and times vary. These websites can help you find more information.

• Bad Tölz – Ostermarkt
• Easter in Berlin – In English: Various locations and dates in the German capital, including an Easter bonfire on Easter Eve
• Berlin: Ostermärkte – Various locations
• Berlin – Karl-August-Platz – Ostermarkt
• Cologne (Köln) – There are many Easter and spring markets in the Bonn-Cologne area. This website has the details for 19 of them.
• Leipzig – Innenstadt (closed on Karfreitag)
• Nürnberg – Ostermarkt
• Wiesbaden – Ostermarkt

Easter Markets in (German-speaking) Switzerland
There are fewer Easter markets in Switzerland, and they tend to be one-day affairs.

• Bremgarten Ostermarkt (Zurich area) – Open only on Easter Monday
• Ostermärt Robenhausen – auf dem Rössliplatz
• Basel – Karwochenfestival

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Easter Tree • Osterbaum/Osterstrauch

This German Easter tradition is actually two different things. This can be a little confusing, because the English phrase “Easter tree” (or bush) can refer to: (1) an outdoor tree or bush decorated with (usually plastic) Easter eggs, or (2) an indoor tree-like or bush-like arrangement of dry twigs/branches set in a vase to form an egg-adorned twig “bouquet.” In German it becomes a little clearer: der Osterstrauß (Easter bouquet, arrangement) is the indoor “flower” arrangement; the Osterbaum is outdoors in a public space or in one’s own yard or garden. The photo below shows an indoor Osterstrauß.

There are other styles of Osterstrauß with fresh-cut branches/twigs from catkin/pussy willow, forsythia, cherry, or other blooming trees or bushes. In this case, around Maundy Thursday (Gründonnerstag; see below) the twigs are cut, placed in a vase, and decorated with eggs, figures, etc. If all goes well, just before Easter or on Easter, warmed by the room temperature, the blossoms appear.

Also see: Eggs on trees – five favourite German Easter traditions – Chloe writes about Easter trees and other German Easter traditions that she enjoys.

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Holy Week • Karwoche

The Easter observance (in Western Christianity) culminates in the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, known as Holy Week or Passion Week in English, and Karwoche in German. The Kar- prefix comes from Old German Kara, meaning sorrow or grief. Holy Week is a week of sorrow over the death of Jesus, before the joy of celebrating his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Each day of Holy Week represents a specific stage of Christ’s journey, from his arrival in Jerusalem to the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday and the Passion (suffering) of Jesus on Good Friday. Holy Week concludes with Christ’s rest in death and descent into Hades on Holy Saturday, the Saturday before the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Below we examine each stage and day.

Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag)
Holy Week begins with the commemoration of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Palm fronds/branches (Palmwedel/Palmzweige) are a sign of this day, reflecting the palm branches that Jesus’ followers laid before him as he entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.

On Palm Saturday in many Tyrolean and Bavarian towns you will see traditional processions with people carrying palm branches (Palmzweige). In southern Germany and Austria it is customary to make and display Palm bouquets (“Palmbuschn/Poimbuschn” in Tyrolean/Bavarian dialect) or Palm brooms or sticks (Palmbesen/Palmstock) for Palm Sunday. These brooms, bouquets, or nosegays are traditionally made of seven natural plants symbolic of God’s protection and blessings. These include: boxwood (Buchsbaum), cedar (Zeder), holly (Stechpalme), ivy (Efeu), juniper (Wacholder/Kranewitt), erica (Erika, Heidekraut), pussy willow/catkin (Palmkätzchen), and yew (Eibe). The bouquets are blessed by the local priest on Palm Sunday, then distributed to the churchgoers. The bouquets are taken home and placed next to the family’s crucifix, although this varies from region to region.

Holy Monday (Montag der Karwoche)
Holy Tuesday (Dienstag der Karwoche)
These two days of Holy Week play no significant role in the liturgical ceremonies of the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. Very little information is found in the Gospel about these days, and what little detail there is tends to be vague or conflicting.

Holy Wednesday (Karmittwoch)
The fourth day of Holy Week, Good or Holy Wednesday (Karmittwoch), commemorates the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (for 30 pieces of silver). It is also called Spy Wednesday in Western Christianity. In German there are also some interesting regional dialect terms for this day: krummer/schiefer Gütentag (“crooked good day” in Westphalia since 1386); Platzmittwoch in southern Germany (for the market square, Marktplatz, where traditional Easter lamb could be bought).

Maundy Thursday/Holy Thursday (Gründonnerstag)
The word “maundy” refers in general to the washing of the feet of the poor, and in particular to the commemoration of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, only a day before his death on the cross. “Maundy” has its roots in Old French and Middle English, from Latin mandātum, a mandate or command. The command part referring to a Latin biblical phrase (“Mandatum novum do vobis” (“a new commandment I give to you”; John 13:34), attributed to Jesus during the Last Supper.

The German term Gründonnerstag (“Green Thursday”) is said to come from the custom of giving penitents a green branch as a token for completing their Lenten penance, but various other explanations have been proposed. One of the more likely ones claims that grün in this case does not really refer to the color green. It actually comes from the Old German word grunen or greinen, meaning to cry. But few Germans are aware of this, and many of them observe the custom of eating green foods on this day, including spinach or Frankfurt’s famous green sauce. A leek yeasted cake called Grüner Kuchen (green cake) is traditionally baked on Green Thursday in Hesse.

Good Friday (Karfreitag)
Karfreitag in Germany is the sixth day of the “Quiet Week” (Stille Woche), another name for Holy Week (Heilige Woche). The term kar comes from Old German kara, meaning lamentation or sorrow. For religious families it is a day of fasting. (The last day, the 40th day, of Lent is the following day, Holy Saturday, Karsamstag.) The only food permitted is fish. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his subsequent death. No church bells ring, no songs are sung, and no music is heard, as this is a day (and a week) of lamentation and sadness.

Holy Saturday (Karsamstag)
Holy Saturday is the seventh and last day of Holy Week, and the last day of Lent. On Holy Saturday, Christians commemorate the Harrowing of Hell, the descent of Christ into Hades, while his body lay in the tomb. Christians of the Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican and Reformed denominations begin the celebration of the Easter Vigil service on Holy Saturday, the eve of Easter Sunday, which provides a transition to the season of Eastertide. In German, Christ’s descent into the underworld is known as der Abstieg Christi in die Unterwelt or, more commonly, as the Höllenfahrt Christi (“Christ’s trip to Hell”). According to Christian belief, while in the underworld realm of the dead, Christ brought salvation to the souls held captive there since the beginning of the world. Holy Saturday, on the eve of Easter, marks the end of Holy Week.

Easter Monday (Ostermontag)
Easter Monday is not part of Holy Week, but it is a legal holiday in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, similar to December 26, Boxing Day, the Second Christmas Day (Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag/Stephanstag). Many European countries observe a legal holiday on the Monday after Easter, as do Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom (other than Scotland). The United States does not.

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Dates for Easter 2022-2025

NOTE: Unlike the United States, most Christian countries around the globe – including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and the former German colony Namibia – also observe Easter Monday, the day after Easter, as a public holiday. Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter (usually) on a different date because they use the Julian calendar and different methods of calculation. In 2022 Orthodox Easter fell on 24 April, a week after the Roman or Western Easter, based on the Gregorian calendar. There are years when East and West observe Easter on the same date. In 2025 both churches will observe Easter on 20 April. That last happened in 2017 (16 April) and in 2014 (20 April).

Ostern • Easter
2022
Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch): 2 March
Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag): 10 April
Good Friday (Karfreitag): 15 April
Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag): 17 April

2023
Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch): 22 February
Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag): 2 April
Good Friday (Karfreitag): 7 April
Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag): 9 April

2024
Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch): 14 February
Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag): 24 March
Good Friday (Karfreitag): 29 March
Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag): 31 March

2025
Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch): 5 March
Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag): 13 April
Good Friday (Karfreitag): 18 April
Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag): 20 April

Frohe Ostern! Happy Easter!

German Easter Vocabulary

We have two special annotated Easter glossaries to help you learn Easter-related vocabulary.

• Easter English-to-German Glossary – An annotated English-German glossary
• Easter German-to-English Glossary – An annotated German-English glossary

Also see: Easter: Writing to the Easter Bunny (Osterhase) – Children in Germany (and elsewhere) can write to the Easter bunny.

More | The Easter Bunny is German
More | Holidays and Celebrations

Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Easter and Other Movable Feasts in Austria, Germany and Switzerland
• History of Germany – A summary of German history from the 9th century to the present
• History & Culture – Austria, Germany and Switzerland
• Cultural Comparisons: The USA and Germany – Comparison charts