Did you all notice our bunny ears on the Lavasoft logo? Happy Easter everyone!

With the holiday around the corner, we thought we would take this opportunity to educate all of you on Swedish traditions.

Easter, still largely a religious occasion around the world, has become a secular holiday in Sweden. Most people these days see it as a "long weekend" and a chance to eat, drink and merry with relatives/friends at home or at the cottage.

The most common images associated with the holiday here are Easter Witches (påskkärringar - see picture), birch twigs with brightly colored features (påskris), and yes, eggs (...)!!

Children generally dress up as these witches, with aprons, head scarves, painted red-rosy cheeks and freckles, and go door-to-door with cards and drawings all in the hopes of getting a little candy.

Homes are usually filled with daffodils and lilies, and most have birch twigs on display adorned with feathers and small eggs.

Speaking of eggs - they're everywhere at Easter. Kids paint them, get candy in them (cardboard eggs), and hunt for them. Easter egg hunts are just starting to become popular here.

To say that Swedes eat a lot of eggs at Easter is definitely an understatement. More than 2,000 tonnes were consumed across the country during Easter week last year!

Read more about the history of Swedish Easter traditions at Nordic Way.