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Colorful Easter in Upper Lusatia Experience traditional and impressive events in all their diversity

Colorful Easter in Upper Lusatia

Experience traditional and impressive events in all their diversity

Easter rider © Jens Michael Bierke

Welcome to the land of easter

Impressive traditions: Easter among the Sorbs

The Sorbian customs during Easter are special in Lusatia. The brightly decorated eggs are small works of art that are exhibited in museums and sold in special markets. The Easter Egg Museum in Sabrodt and the Schrothholzscheune in Bergen are fascinating insider tips in addition to the Sorbian Cultural Center Loop and the Sorbian Museum in Bautzen. Ten Easter rider processions pass through the region, nine of them with a Sorbian background.

Easter commemoration: the procession to the holy grave Görlitz

With this path, believers traditionally remember the suffering of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. It leads from St. Peter's Church through Görlitz city center to what is probably the most faithful copy of the Holy Sepulcher. At the end there is a prayer at the Holy Sepulcher. Like its model in Jerusalem, the Görlitz Way of the Cross is around 1,000 paces long.

According to church information, the procession to the Holy Sepulcher in Görlitz is the largest in central Germany. The complex is considered to be one of the oldest faithful replicas of the Jerusalem burial chapel in Germany. At the end of the 15th century, the Görlitz merchant Georg Emmerich had the holy grave built.

Discover other exciting stories about the Holy Sepulcher in Görlitz on a geocaching tour: evkulturstiftunggr.de/geocaching

Colorful works of art for your home

Unfortunately, your Easter holiday in Upper Lusatia has to be canceled this year? - Not quite! We have put together some traditional techniques for decorating Sorbian Easter eggs with step-by-step instructions for you. At least a piece of Upper Lusatia and Sorbian culture will come directly into your living room!

More on this.

Colorful and versatile: Bautzen, the Easter city

The Easter blowing in Bautzen looks back on more than 80 years of tradition. When the wind instruments can be heard on Easter Sunday, the choir starts the Easter message: “Christ is risen”. Hundreds of Bautzen residents and their guests enjoy the atmospheric concert. The city is particularly well-known for egg pushing on Protschenberg, which brings young and old together on Easter Sunday. The colorful market bustle here and in the city center delights the many guests.

An Easter rider procession starts from Bautzen to Radibor and returns from there in the late afternoon. This living tradition has been cultivated for many centuries. About 50 riders carry the Easter message on their richly decorated horses. The Easter riders pray about the resurrection of Christ in Sorbian and German. This Sorbian custom is a unique religious event of supraregional importance.

Not only popular with children: the Easter Bunny Post Office in the KiEZ Querxenland

The Easter bunny Olli visited Upper Lusatia in 2005 and was very happy about the many traditions and customs during Easter. Here he wanted to stay. In Eibau, he finally got the idea of opening his own post office. He now receives more than 2000 letters a year. They don't just come from Germany. He also receives mail from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Switzerland, the USA, Japan, Spain and Norway. The Easter bunny Olli and his wife Lotti Langohr have had their Easter Bunny Post Office in Seifhennersdorffor several years. There they process their letters together with the hard-working employees from the KiEZ "Querxenland". And each and every one of them is carefully answered! Easter wishes, poems, self-painted pictures and stories not only delight the two Easter bunnies.

Easter in Upper Lusatia - Jutry we Łužicy, Welcome - Witajće k nam

Brightly painted Easter eggs, richly decorated Easter bouquets, traditional traditions and varied Sorbian customs - experiencing the Easter season in Upper Lusatia is something very special.

The colorfully decorated Easter eggs using wax batik, wax bossier, scratching and etching techniques are like real pieces of jewelry. At markets, in museums and at tourist information offices, guests are cordially invited to try out the various decorating techniques. In Görlitz, the Good Friday procession leads to the Holy Sepulcher, probably the most faithful replica of the Jerusalem tomb.

From Easter Sunday to Easter Sunday, shots can be heard in many places. However, there is no real shooting here, but rather carbide-tipped milk cans are popped.

The Easter riders proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ singing and praying on Easter Sunday. A total of nine processions ride in and around Bautzen. In Ostritz, too, the bells ring at 1 p.m. to announce the Saatreiter procession. On their way, the riders read out the Easter gospels. An equally remarkable custom on this day is the fetching of Easter water. The special water is even said to have healing powers. But be careful: if you speak even one word during this tradition, it loses its effect. Bautzen is known as the Easter town of Upper Lusatia. In addition to various markets and Easter riding, there is also egg-pushing here on Easter Sunday. The churches invite you to prayers on Easter Sunday or Easter Monday.

There is even an Easter Bunny post office in Upper Lusatia. In the KiEZ Querxenland, children can visit the Easter bunnies Olli and Lotti Langohr, who receive their first letters for processing at the beginning of the year. In the zoos and animal parks of Upper Lusatia, special events are very popular on Easter days. The leisure hits of Upper Lusatia, such as the dinosaur park and the maze in Kleinwelka, open the new season.

Our insider tip for you is a visit to the Schrotholzscheune Bergen during Easter ( www.schrotholzscheune-pattoka.de).

Attention: Due to the corona pandemic, the traditional Easter riding 2020 will not take place.

Easter riding procession

Thehighlight of the festival is the Easter ride, which takes place on Easter Sunday. From Bautzen, around 50 festively dressed riders on elaborately decorated horses make their way through the surrounding villages to Radibor to carry the Easter message. There are nine processions in total, singing and praying in Sorbian and German to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Sorbian-Catholic Lusatia. This unique custom can be witnessed from the roadside and the lively tradition of the Easter processions has been cultivated in Bautzen and the surrounding area for many centuries and, after interruptions, is once again a permanent fixture in the life of the Sorbian Catholic communities. Surrounded by tens of thousands of people on the streets, the Easter riders with their festively decorated horses carry the message of Christ's resurrection to the neighboring church communities.

Further information on the processions

WDR - Your reporters: I am a Sorbian

Accompany the WDR reporter Johannes Büchs on his documentary and take a look into the life of 12-year-old Larissa.
Sorbian customs are cultivated in her family and are part of everyday life.
In addition to the Slavic language, you will also get to know the classic traditions of .

Watch and discover new things!

Events around Easter

questions and answers

Where can I find more information about the customs and traditions of the Sorbs?

You can find extensive information on the topic of customs and traditions at :
tourismus-sorben.com/sorbian-braeuche

You are also welcome to visit the homepage of the Sorbian Cultural Information (SKI) Bautzen:
info.sorben.com/ski-kulturinformation

How can I make Sorbian Easter eggs myself?

We at have put together some traditional techniques for decorating Sorbian Easter eggs with step-by-step instructions. This will bring at least a piece of Upper Lusatia and Sorbian culture directly into your living room!

Find out more.

Where can I buy the colorful Sorbian Easter eggs?

The Sorbian Easter eggs can be purchased all year round at the Sorbian Cultural Information Center in Bautzen.

Contact: Postplatz 2, 02625 Bautzen, Tel. +49 3591 42105, Web. www.ski.sorben.com

How and when can the lively Easter Bunnies be reached in the Easter Bunny Post Office?

The Easter Bunny Post Office can be reached by post all year round.

Address:

Oberlausitzer Osterhasenpostamt Viebigstrasse 1 02782 Seifhennersdorf

Impressions

Let yourself be carried away to the "Osterland" Oberlausitz. The processions of the Easter riders, Easter markets and the decorating of Sorbian Easter eggs are some of the traditions that can be experienced.

© 2024 Marketing-Gesellschaft
Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien mbH

With the partnership support of the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz
and regional savings banks.