Easter customs in New Zealand
Easter (Lord Easter Day) is one of the important festivals in Christian countries and believers. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon of the vernal equinox every year. Christians believe that Easter symbolizes rebirth and hope and commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his death in 33 AD. However, today, many folk customs related to Easter do not originate in Christianity.
In New Zealand, Easter is a very important public holiday. People call Easter Friday "Good Friday" and Easter Monday "; from Friday to Monday, plus two days on the weekend, the Easter holiday is a long four-day holiday.
In Easter in New Zealand, the most representative mascots are eggs and rabbits. The ancients often regarded the egg as a symbol of fertility and resurrection. Later, Christians gave the egg a new meaning, believing that it was a symbol of the tomb of Jesus, from which future life was born. People dye eggs red at Easter, which represents the blood shed by Jesus during his crucifixion and also symbolizes the happiness after the resurrection. There is also an ancient custom of giving boiled eggs to children on the street to play games. They roll the eggs forward. Whoever breaks last will win, and all the eggs will belong to him. In today's New Zealand society, people generally buy Easter eggs as gifts for family, children and friends, instead of dyeing eggs.
The Easter bunny is the most popular symbol of Easter. Because the appearance of rabbits reminds people of spring, rabbits are also one of the most fertile animals, so they are regarded as a representative of spring's vitality. Of course, New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere, and Easter comes when New Zealand enters autumn. Therefore, the Easter Bunny, which represents spring, only continues the festival tradition of European immigrants who come to New Zealand.
Whether it is Easter eggs or rabbits, major supermarkets in New Zealand will put these goods on shelves in advance a month or two before Easter is approaching; the most common ones are Easter eggs and rabbits made of chocolate. They are beautifully packaged and at a moderate price, making them more suitable as gifts.
On Easter Monday, most New Zealand businesses are closed, including supermarket chains and shopping malls and most restaurants; only gas stations and some convenience stores and a few coffee shops and grocery stores are open.
On Good Friday, merchants in New Zealand hold crazy discounts, and it's a great deal to buy large household items, appliances or furniture during this period.
For New Zealand people, Easter means that the best season and time of the year are about to pass. Starting from May, the climate across New Zealand will quickly cool down, and soon enter New Zealand's long rainy winter. Since Easter is a relatively long holiday (4 days), it is the custom of New Zealand people during this holiday to take their families on a relatively distant place; after returning home from the tour, they must take their heart and start working and studying seriously. For many tourism operators in New Zealand, Easter is their last opportunity to make money before the low winter tourism season. After the Easter holiday, tourism operators in many areas of New Zealand will suspend business due to the colder weather and fewer tourists, and will reopen until September and October.