I’ve found this to be a thing in different parts of Europe, so I’m curious to learn about the other variations of the tradition.
Here in northern Croatia they’re called vuzmice or vuzmenke, after the local word for Easter – Vuzem. They can look [pretty impressive](https://prigorski.hr/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/vuzmica19.jpg). [Here’s one on fire](https://prigorski.hr/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/vuzmica-u-siljevcu-3.jpg).
The other occasion we have bonfires on is Midsummer’s eve, called Ivanjski krijesovi (John’s day’s bonfires, translated literally), but most of Europe has the same tradition. Easter bonfires don’t seem to be as widespread. The word krijes/kres (bonfire) is related to the Slavic pagan god Kresnik, associated with Midsummer, fire and storms, so there’s an interesting connection.
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Not that I have come across, the big date associated with bonfires here is Guy Fawke’s night: 5th November, and also called bonfire night. Equinoxes and solstices are the most pagan events, and some people might have bonfires then.
Hogmanay (midwinter/new year’s eve) often involves fire, being rather chilly.
We also lit “beacons” (large bonfires) at the Queen’s last major jubilee so we might do that again this year.
Not sure about Easter, but generally on spring time events:
In Luxembourg people burn wooden towers( usually made with those EU-pallets and some hay) to celebrate spring.
It’s called “Buergbrennen”, which translates to “burning the castle”. They can get quite impressive, I have seen some that are 15m high.
Russians burn a dummy out of clothes and straw, similar to a witch to celebrate the end of winter.
We have the saint john’s fires, but not the easter ones. Instead, we just craft šibáky( basically wicker whips) and punch girls and women with them at monday after easter. We also use to splash them with water.
Yes. Here in Lower Saxony (northwestern Germany) or at least in the north of it, almost every town part of every town has their own public easter fire (*Osterfeuer*/*Paaskefüür*) made of wood. It’s a pre-christian Germanic tradition that was adopted by the christians and is still strong today. Most people nowadays don’t attend them for religious reasons though.
Nope, instead of rolling spring/summer/fertility festivals into easter celebrations, we just kept celebrating summer solistice.
Bonfires have been extended to various other fireshows, walking on hot embers etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kupala_Night
And an audio background for readinf up on our casual paganism.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4cPsYVGpWWx9d3kOsCxe12
In Finland we still have a lot of pre-Christian traditions, and so in Easter we go kind of trick and treating, except that we’re dressed as witches. You bribe them with chocolate and other treats or even coins so they don’t bring you bad luck or curse your house. In return the witches give a decorated willow branch. There’s some regional divide in this, in my area this happens on Saturday but other regions do it on Palm Sunday thanks to church that tried to tie traditions together and make it about symbolising eucalyptus and palm branches that people laid on Jesus’ feet that day.
Anyhow then on Saturday evening there is a giant bonfire which is meant to get rid of all these witches and other bad spirits and protect your crops for the beginning season. Needless to say we also have bonfires in Midsummer which is basically the second biggest holiday after christmas.