Easter singing, Easter bonfires, egg painting, going to church: this year in Brandenburg, numerous customs are being maintained at Easter, including among the Sorbs in Lusatia. They are considered the “Easter people”. According to the tourism association, visitors to the Spreewald can still experience Sorbian and Wendish customs on the Easter weekend today. Guests can also try out what is probably the best-known custom, decorating Easter eggs, for example with wax and goose quills.
The Sorbs/Wends have lived in Lusatia for around 1500 years. According to official estimates, around 60,000 people make up the Sorbs and Wends in Upper and Lower Lusatia today. The egg is still considered a symbol of awakening life and fertility.
Easter singing has also revived in recent years, for example in Dissen, Ruben and Jänschwalde (all Spree-Neisse). The custom dates back to ancient times. Sorbian girls used to parade through the village streets on Easter night. They sang hymns until sunrise and joyfully proclaimed the resurrection of the Lord. They learned the songs from their lead singer, the so-called Kantorka, on winter evenings while working at home.
Diana-Susanne Schuster from Drachhausen is one of them. She learned Sorbian at school. Early Sunday morning at sunrise she will appear in front of the windows of the houses in the village with up to 14 Easter singers, the studied Slavist told the German Press Agency. Based on the story of the Bible, the resurrection of Christ is proclaimed with hymns. The pagan background is singing for a good harvest. In the afternoon singing takes place in the churches.
Many visitors are expected to attend the traditional Wendish church service on Easter Sunday in Burg (9.30 am) in the Spreewald. This is a reminder of an old tradition once a year. On high church holidays it was customary to wear a black costume. Neckerchief, apron and headscarf were made of black damask silk. Church attendance begins with a family service with music and singing. Spreewald women appear in completely black traditional costumes.
In other state church communities in Brandenburg, new traditions have developed with the corona pandemic. The wind ensemble Gloriosa from Kahren in the Spree-Neisse district will be making its way through numerous villages on Easter Monday, serenading the residents in front of restaurants and fire brigades.
Easter bonfires also take place in many districts, including Uckermark, Märkisch-Oderland, Oder-Spree and Barnim. They are considered a symbol of the sun and are traditionally lit on the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. In the meantime, there is no uniform date for the custom in the communities nationwide.
