Easter is an import religious holiday in Ireland. Ireland has many traditions for celebrating Easter including some of which have derived old Celtic practices having more to do with agricultural calendar. You see Easter falls during spring time coinciding with the Vernal Equinox.  Today Easter preparations begin with the Lenten season and end as many Irish holiday celebrations do with good food, family and lots of chocolate.

Here are some of Ireland's old Easter traditions:

Irish Easter Preparations:

Let the Spring cleaning begin. Time to clean your house thoroughly inside and out or in Ireland if you had a thatched cottage it would be time to apply the whitewash.

Like here in the states you would shop for new clothes for Easter or your Sundays best.

Good Friday Irish Traditions and Superstitions:

The Irish say if you die on this Good Friday, you go directly to heaven.

Remain quiet from noon until 3pm.

A child born on Good Friday and baptized on Easter Sunday will have the gift of healing.

All chicken eggs laid on Good Friday are marked with a Celtic cross and are to be eaten on Easter Sunday.

Easter Saturday:

Go to church and have holy water blessed. Drink three sips of holy water for good luck and sprinkle everything, including family members and farm animals for good luck.

Easter Sunday:

Get up at sunrise and do a celebration dance. Gather your family and go to a hilltop to see the sunrise. Catholics believed that this is the Savior rising from his grave.

Give colored eggs as gifts to family and friends.

Celebrate Easter Sunday with a large Irish family feast, traditionally, leek soup and roast lamb.