This is the largest painted egg that I have ever seen so far.I saw this last weekend in our local old town near the historical Herzogkasten here in Ingolstadt.It´s size is over 2 meters and you cannot miss it because of its size. Just in time for the Easter celebration, this sight is the new magnet in our town! I have read that it´s a gift from our city´s partner Opole (@miastoopole). Probably we would have a giant Weihnachtsman in Christmas too!!

If you follow my Blog, I have posted before about how typical for southern Bavaria to have painted blue & white easter eggs and this one is no exception.Blue and white afterall is the color of Bavaria.If you are curious about how Easter is celebrated here , then you might head on to this post.

As soon as the frost is gone and Crocuses appears on the ground, followed by the sprouting of the yellow dazzling Daffodils ( or Narzizzen), my town has this early Spring glows that I really love. Little things like these really fascinates me .During my constant early morning runs, observing nature becomes my second habit.

But I am sharing this post because I wanna share my fasciation about the local culture here about painted Easter eggs.This is one of the culture shock for me during my early days here in Germany.Now that I am living here for almost 8 years, it becomes my second nature to adapt and accept this tradition…or let me say, succomb to this crazy German way of life.

Easter here in Germany is totally different from the way that we celebrate it in the Philippines. I am a born Catholic but I am not a religious person. When I was still living in the Philippines, Easter is such a chaotic, colorful, religious, almost over the top Catholic celebration every year for us.

Growing up , my childhood is filled with fond memories of what we do and observe during the Lent season.Of course I have done fasting, from Ash Wednesday where our foreheads are marked with a cross from ash up to exhilirating visiting 14 churches (or Station of the Cross) up to the most awaited Good Friday procession, it was all a delirious but excitement filled moments in my life.As a kid, we were always brought together to church with our grandmother and recited all the prayers that a catholic child can learn. I have known all the Easter stories, the life of Jesus and the crucifixion and up to his 12 Disciples.We all get excited watching all the Patron saints on parade, all dolled up, decorated with flowers and bright lights. It´s really like a movie.

But nothing of these things I have seen during Easter here in Germany.Absolutely life here is different! The only thing that I could share about Easter here (I mean from my own experience…) is all about the Eggs. The wonderful enigma of the hand painted eggs and the delicious deadly world of Chocolate eggs and Osterhase.First they spread eggs all over their places, and it´s not yet enough, they put all these painted eggs up to their fountains and railings. This is what they called “Osterbrunnen“.It is a very old tradition that originally came from Franconia in the 20th century.

We have lots of different Frauenkirche here, or Dom. These are grand churches here. Talking about architecture, every town has its own pride and I have seen quite a few of remarkable churches here, almost all of them are tourist magnet. One in our town is called the “Asamkirche” which is really a wonderful gem.Adorn with the works of the masters “Asam Brothers“.

The thing is, most of the churches here are always empty. There are regular mass being held and church celebrations but the christian traditions that I have observed before was nearly a no-sight here.Definitely no “Senakulo” here or the Passion Play or Staged Cruxifixion .I visited last year the town of Oberammergau near Garmisch-Partenkirchen and learned that this town is the center of the Passion Play here in Bavaria.Other than that, there´s nothing else.

So all in all, during the 2 weeks of Easter Break here, all i can see are real Bunnies running and grazing in our local parks! Really big bunnies, with those big eyes and very very nimble! Then comes the horrendous Easter eggs, the chocolate Easter Bunny and more hand painted eggs. Actually it´s one of the things that I have learned here—to paint and decorate eggs.Most houses are decorated with branches with colorful plastic eggs hanging, just like a Christmas tree. It´s called “Osterbaum“. More trendy version is a vase full of fresh-cut Pussy-willow branches and decoreted with egggs as well.

A month before even the last Frost of Winter, the shops and grocery shops are full of Easter bunny chocolates, easter eggs, easter goodies and all of these Easter sweet deadly goodies. I am thinking ” what in the world is this place” ? In almost every occasion, there is chocolate. First they put chocolates in your shoes and boots during Nikolaustag and Sinterklaas, then they put chocolate eggs in a decorated nest!?

The crazy chocolate culture here in Germany is so astounding and yet on the other side, it is quite unique.On our first year here in Bavaria, I bought these Osterhase, giant Easter chocolate eggs, but the next years, I have stopped.I just can´t buy it anymore.

Though I´ve stopped buying them, my neighbours, gifts from my in -laws and neighbours always overwhelms me. We always ended up having too much chocolate eggs , bunnies and other easter goodies that we can handle. For me, it is just too much.We like chocolates but we don´t really love eating them more than 1 piece!

Bavarians tend to gift each person in the house an Easter Bunny chocolate plus those eggs so its quite normal to have more than one. The local bakeries are full of baked Easter bunnies as well, doughnuts and the Easter breads, more like the Stollen during Christmas. Here, its more like all about eating and drinking during this feast. After all, Easter Sunday is considered as a Feast.

And take note, Germans have 2 legal holidays during Easter-Ostersonntag (Easter sunday) and Ostermontag ( Easter Monday) as if 2 days of chocolate-eating is not really enough. When I am seeing a kid munching on a giant Easter bunny chocolate, I almost cringe!I have a kid as well so I know the thrilling excitement of a child doing an easter egg hunt during Easter, but then I realized, after all the seeking and hunting, there´s nothing really more about it.But yes–for kids, it´s more than fun !

So if ever you visit Germany during Easter or early Spring, don´t be surprised by the amount of chocolate eggs and painted eggs here. It is just the real thing.I guarantee you, almost every household here have chocolate easter eggs and Bunnies in their pantries during Easter.Even at work, it´s normal to get chocolate Easter bunnies from colleagues!

When my yellow Forsythia blooms in the Early Spring, I decorated it as well with these painted plastic eggs. I am going with the flow. I have enough chocolate eggs in the pantry from this year´s Easter collection,reminding me of how sweet it is, the German Chocolate Easter extravaganza!

What about you, how is Easter celebrations in your area?

It´s April, have a great one dear friends! Until then, Tschüß!