Easter in Greenland
How do the Greenlanders spend Easter? What does it feel like to be in Greenland at this time? There are, in fact, a collection of traditions: what they share is that many of the easter traditions stem from Denmark, but here is of course a Greenlandic flavour to all of this, and it varies depending on where you find yourself in the country.
That being said, eggs are decorated, hidden, hung and hunted; the sun is bright, strong and invigorating. It’s a glorious time in Greenland.
Over here, we do things like this…
What people do in Greenland over Easter appears to vary considerably with where they live, but also on their particular family traditions.
In Greenland, the rivers are the roads; that is to say, between the towns, there are no roads! This means that there are a lot of boats in Greenland, and it is quite common to own a boat. Easter is the time when the boat gets dusted off (you’re usually dusting the snow off, not dust) and the first trip on out on the water happens over Easter for many people!
In Ilulissat, west Greenland, it is common for the inhabitants to take a walk out over to the Icefjord; once they get home, they have worked up an appetite, and an easter lunch of lamb is served. It is common to eat lamb in different parts of Greenland; this might be the most common easter tradition in Greenland.
From darkness, comes light
It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we put out our post about the return of the sun, and now we are comfortably on our way to towards the midnight sun! An easter in Greenland is really something special. The days are now considerably longer, the sun rises higher in the sky. It feels strong again, it feels warm again. Summer glow in the snow, easter in Greenland is really the best of both worlds; as the snow melts, the skiing stops, but this is the sweet spot where you can get both, going right through to early spring. The powder will be with us for a little while longer.
Yes, there is still some darkness; and in parts of south Greenland, it is still possible to see the Northern Lights; but within the next two weeks they too, will leave us. In May, the whales will arrive in May, having made they’re migration from more than halfway across the world, almost definitely further than you will have travelled to get there! did you travel 13.000 miles? We are willing to bet you didn’t!
Dogs make light work of snowy ground
If snow on the ground means skiing season, then it also means dog sledding is still around for a little while longer. This is your chance to catch the remainder of the season. Warm skin, long sun, fast dogs; it’s the Greenlandic way!
Shoein’ Around!
Easter in Greenland is all about the fact that there is still snow on the ground for a little while longer, so given hat we have covered skiing and dog-sledding, that leaves snow-shoeing!
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The potential for adventure is growing; you know, those kinds of adventures where the light never ends, where you can’t believe what you are seeing. The kind of adventure of adventure that reminds you how small you really are, the kind of adventure that changes you. This is what awaits you in Greenland.
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