Easter is the most important time during the Christian year. It celebrates the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Savior of Christians. Easter, as well as Holy Week, is celebrated by Catholics around the world. However, there are different traditions celebrated by various countries.

One country that celebrates Easter differently from the United States is Spain. However, Spain is not alone in their lavish celebrations and crazy parades, though. Much of Latin America celebrates in the same manner, with all activities ceasing before the week-long party.

“In Spain, Holy Week is a very big deal,” said Spanish teacher Mr. Kurt Paprocki. “The whole week turns into a celebration with different things happening each day of the week.”

Some cities take this celebration to the extreme, and vandalism and crime in countries like Costa Rica can reach an all-time high. According to the Tico Times, there were 34 violent deaths during Holy Week in Costa Rica in 2016. The majority of these deaths, not only in Costa Rica but across Latin America, occur in traffic accidents where a drunk driver was involved. Drowning is another cause of death, as people who have gotten drunk at night will wander to a beach early in the morning and drown.
Despite these downsides, Semana Santa is a huge celebration in Latin America, and parades are common during the Triduum. Many cities also have living Stations of the Cross where Jesus’ last steps are retraced.

Since Easter is a celebration for Christians, Asian countries do not celebrate much at all as the majority of people living in Asia are not Catholic. Western and Eastern Europe celebrate in much the same way as the United States does, and no one in the world matches the gusto that the Latin Americans bring to Semana Santa.

“When I was in England,” said sophomore Zach Evans, “the similarities between American celebrations and English celebrations were striking.”

Africa is split between indigenous celebrations and rituals and other religions, so Easter is not as big of a deal in Africa either, except in predominantly Christian counties, such as Ethiopia.