For many Canadian’s Easter is a special time of year spent indulging in chocolate, organising egg hunts and enjoying a traditional Easter lunch with the family.
Easter in Canada is an exciting egg-shaped affair. But before you indulge in any chocolate you need to get to grips with how the holidays fall, which can be quite hard to follow. Like here in the UK celebrations start on Good Friday, which for most is a statutory holiday, unlike Easter Monday – so don’t bank on a long weekend. Unless you live in the province of Quebec that is, where the Easter break is the other way around. However, if you work for a federal organisation – the equivalent of a civil servant – you are likely to get both Good Friday and Easter Monday off come what may. Got it?
For some Canadians Easter is a spiritual time of worship and reverence, while for others it is simply a chance to partake in some fun family experiences in the warmer spring weather
Whether you get two days off work or one there are many ways in which you can celebrate Easter in Canada. For some Canadians Easter is a spiritual time of worship and reverence, while for others it is simply a chance to partake in some fun family experiences in the warmer spring weather, following what can be a long, cold winter.
Easter egg hunt
A popular Canadian tradition is the making and decorating of Easter eggs. Using store-bought plastic eggs, or real eggs that have been hollowed out, kids will colourfully decorate their oval shaped canvas using dyes and paints. The colourful eggs are then hidden around the house or garden and a thrilling Easter egg hunt ensues. There are also community Easter egg hunts taking place across Canada. In these organised events there is often a prize for whoever finds a special, or golden, egg.
Hunting for decorated eggs is a popular tradition in Canada
Chocolate eggs and bunnies
Like here in the UK chocolate eggs are also a huge part of Easter in Canada. In the weeks building up to Easter the supermarkets and grocery stores will dedicate more and more shelf space to all manner of chocolate eggs and bunnies. For anyone with a particularly sweet tooth, there are often real bargains to find as the stores slash the prices on leftover stock once the celebrations are over!
The decorated eggs are then hidden around the house or garden and a thrilling Easter Egg hunt ensues
Food
The humble Hot Cross Bun is not as widely available in Canada, but can be found in some stores around Easter time if you look hard enough. Canadian do however enjoy a traditional Easter lunch where the whole family get together. Typically the meat served is a baked ham, with an array of side dishes including maple baled beans and potatoes, with apple tart or cape breton scones for pudding.
A Giant Egg
Canada is also home to world’s largest pysanka – a traditional Ukrainian Easter egg – which weighs in at 5000 pounds, stands at 31 feet tall, is 18 feet wide and took over 12,000 hours to complete. Constructed in 1975 to honor the Ukrainian settlements in Edmonton, Alberta, the giant pysanka egg in Vegreville has become a very Canadian symbol of unity and is known across the globe as a striking example of architectural endeavor.
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