Easter cross
The Easter cross is part of the Easter tradition in some German and Austrian regions and consists of a temporary light installation in the shape of a cross in different, recently also electrical versions.
An extraordinary and unique Easter cross custom can be found in Düdinghausen ( Hochsauerlandkreis , NRW). On Easter Sunday, lights in the form of an approx. 15 m cross are set up on a steep slope above the processional path and fireworks are ignited. The latter element in particular is similar to the disc slamming , which is still practiced in southern Germany and the Alpine region , whereby the burning wooden discs thrown into the valley have been replaced by pyrotechnics.
The Easter crosses, which are lit on the four "Köppen" of the Pooten (city gates) in Attendorn on Easter Sunday evening, are even higher, at around 25–30 m .
Compare the Easter wheel in Lügde , the Easter shooting and the Easter fire . It is possible that pre-Christian rites have flowed into these traditional Christian customs. Formally, there is also a similarity to the Sacred Heart fire of the Alpine region.
literature
- Dietmar Sauermann (Ed.): Easter in Westphalia. Coppenrath, Münster 1986, ISBN 3-88547-297-X .