41. Bring An Umbrella For Easter In Poland

Where: Poland
Cost: A soaking, possibly
In Poland, Easter is known as Smigus-Dyngus, and, if you’re out and about on that holy day, you should bring an umbrella and waterproof clothing. Tradition in Poland has it that young kids are able to soak whoever they want with water on Easter.

Bring An Umbrella For Easter In Poland ©Stanislaw Tokarski/Shutterstock
Water guns, water balloons, and buckets of water are popular on Easter, and those who count themselves “young at heart” can join in on the fun. This tradition dates back centuries ago to fertility rituals when it was just young women who could expect to get water dumped on them. These days, the Polish are more equal-opportunity with their Smigus-Dyngus traditions.

42. Burning The Devil

Where: Guatemala
Cost: A clean house
You have to clean, clean, clean if you are in Guatemala before Christmas. Guatemalans spend the week before the holiday cleaning up trash and piling every bit of waste into a gigantic pile. Atop the pile, they then place an effigy of the devil.

Burning The Devil @rovemeto/Pinterest
Then commences La Quema del Diablo, also known as The Burning of the Devil. Guatemalans burn the devil, along with any bad juju from the previous year, and start a new, better year from the pile’s ashes.

43. The Ghost Festival

Where: China
Cost: $10-$20 for a lantern*
The Ghost Festival, known as Teng Chieh in China, marks not only a full moon, but also the end of the Chinese Lunar New Year. People hang bright lanterns outside their businesses and homes, creating an incredible display of colorful, flickering lights.

The Ghost Festival @Google/Pinterest
Teng Chieh also consists of parades and celebrations, and plenty of food is made. This food is presented to the ghosts of the celebration, which is designed to bid them a safe journey from this life to heaven.

44. Pangangaluluwa

Where: Philippines
Cost: N/A
Every All Saints Day, Pangangaluluwa takes place in the Philippines, and it bears some resemblance to the West’s Halloween. Pangangaluluwa involves children dressing themselves as ghosts and knocking on doors in exchange for candy and sweets.

Panganagaluwa ©Holger Motzkau/Wikimedia
Filipinos also travel to their hometowns to sit beside the graves of their deceased relatives, sometimes sleeping there overnight. The family plays games, eats, and remembers the lives of the dead on Pangangaluluwa, celebrating their life and death throughout the night.

45. Red-Dyed Eggs On Easter

Where: Greece
Cost: $3.89 for a dozen eggs*
For Greek Orthodox Christians, a long-standing Easter tradition involves eggs dyed red. These red eggs are a staple at Greek Easter tables, and they are associated with the crucifixion of Jesus. The red represents the blood that Christ shed.

Red-Dyed Eggs On Easter ©TADDEUS/Shutterstock
It is also a color that symbolizes triumph and life. These eggs are colored red on Holy Thursday. The saying goes that these eggs will last forty days without being refrigerated, and, if a priest blesses them on Easter, they can last as long as an entire year.

46. Dia De Los Muertos

Where: Mexico
Cost: $94 spent on the holiday on average per Mexican household*
This unique, beautiful tradition started in Mexico, and it has become famous throughout the world due to its bright, elaborate costumes and decorations. Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) consists of festivals, events, and people praying and celebrating life.

Dia De Los Muertos ©Eve Orea/Shutterstock
Mexicans build altars in their homes to honor the deceased on Dia De Los Muertos, which takes place shortly after Halloween each year. The altars are covered in flowers and other items, and the graves of the deceased are decorated with gifts for the spirits.

47. Feeding The Dead

Where: Portugal
Cost: Extra places at the table
Every Christmas in Portugal, as with many places in the world, there is a traditional Christmas feast known as consoda. During this feast, not only places for the living are set but also places for deceased relatives.

Feeding The Dead ©Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
By feeding the dead, the Portuguese ensure that their household will have good fortune. In some places in the region, crumbs from dinner are left on the hearth for departed relatives to snack on after dinner and through the night.

48. Christmas Matchmaking

Where: The Czech Republic
Cost: A shoe
Unmarried women are at the center of this Czech Christmas tradition, which purports to tell them whether they will be married within a year or not. Every Christmas Eve, unmarried women stand with their back to their front door.

Christmas Matchmaking @Google/Pinterest
They then remove one of their shoes and toss it over their shoulder. If the shoe lands with its toe facing the door, the woman will be married in a year. If its heel faces the door, that means the woman is in for another year of unwedded bliss.

49. Soul Cakes

Where: England
Cost: $2-$8 to make*
Soul cakes are traditionally baked for Halloween in rural, English villages. These cakes are given to kids on the holiday, and the kids knock on doors to sing and pray for the souls of the deceased. These sweets represent those souls.

Soul Cakes @simplethingsmag/Instagram
This was once widespread across the country, though it has died down now. The tradition dates back to Medieval times when it was once common to carry a horse’s head on a stick along with your soul cakes. The cakes are gifted to recipients around town in the hopes that they pray for the souls of the caregiver’s family.

50. Italian Cheese Instead of Bunnies

Where: Italy
Cost: $5-$10 per pound of cheese*
You can swap your chocolate bunnies for cheese ones if you are in Italy, particularly if you are in Panicale, an Umbrian town. In Italy, there is no Easter bunny, so there aren’t really the same chocolate traditions as in the States.

Italian Cheese Instead of Bunnies ©Rimma Bondarenko/Shutterstock
You’ll still find plenty to eat on Easter in Italy, including salami, bread, and a lot of cheese. In Panicale, there is a competition on Easter to roll a 10-pound wheel of cheese around the walls of a village with as few strokes as possible. The winner’s prize? A battered wheel of cheese.