Almost every country has customs and traditions associated with Easter or the first day after this holiday. For example, Jamaicans break eggs on Good Friday at dawn. I put an egg white in a glass of water and after sunrise the heat creates different shapes in the resulting mixture. Locals say that you can read your future in these figures.

Dancing is prohibited on Good Friday in Germany. Nightclubs, where people usually party on Friday nights, are forced to close, risking a fine of 1,500 euros.

Children in Sweden and Finland dress up as Easter witches on Easter Sunday and go from house to house with willow branches. They sing a song about warding off evil spirits and receive a chocolate egg in return.

In Bermuda, kites are flown on Good Friday. This tradition is believed to have started when a local teacher had trouble explaining the resurrection of Jesus in Sunday school, so he flew a kite to explain the concept.

Residents of Au (France) prepare a huge omelette on Easter Monday. They use over 4,500 eggs and feed up to 1,000 people. Each family breaks a few eggs at home and then carries them to the main square where eggs are prepared for lunch.

On Maundy Thursday, small towns in Guatemala cover the streets with colorful carpets in preparation for the Good Friday procession. Some have historical motives, others religious – from Mayan traditions to the history of Guatemala.

Cart explosion, pot throwing and Easter egg swap in Papua New Guinea

In Florence, Italy, locals celebrate a 350-year-old tradition known as the Scoppio del Carro, or “Explosion of the Cart,” which dates back to the First Crusade. An ornate cart is loaded with fireworks and then driven through the streets by people dressed in colorful costumes of the 15th century. When the carriage reaches the Duomo, the Archbishop of Florence lights the fuse, setting off the fireworks.

On Maundy Thursday, a traditional “dance of death” is performed in the medieval town of Verges, Spain. People dress up as skeletons and dance from midnight to 3am.

On Holy Saturday morning, the traditional “pot throwing” takes place on the Greek island of Corfu. People throw pots, pans and other objects, often filled with water, out of windows. Some say that this custom comes from the Venetians, who threw away all their old things on New Year’s Day. Others believe that throwing pots welcomes spring, symbolizing a new harvest.

In Poland, throwing a mug or a bucket of water at another means respecting a tradition called Śmigus-dyngus. People gather on Easter Monday and spray each other with buckets of water, guns, or anything else they can get their hands on. Legend has it that girls sprinkled in this way get married a year later.

In Hungary (but also in northwestern Romania) on the first day after Easter, boys spray girls with perfume, but only after their consent. Instead, they are treated to cookies and booze.

In the Czech Republic, on Easter Monday, boys tie ribbons to willow branches and lightly “whip” girls to wish them good luck and health. Not everyone has taken well to this practice, and many Czech women disagree with this Easter tradition

In Papua New Guinea, they found a creative replacement for chocolate Easter eggs, which did not last long in the heat there. They use trees and branches near churches to hang tobacco and cigarettes, which are then distributed to parishioners after the Easter service.