by Julia Slater, swissinfo.ch

The Easter story lies at the heart of the Christian religion, but many people nowadays associate Easter rather with hunting for eggs and taking a few days holiday.

Some of the old celebrations have disappeared, some have adapted, some have been revived, and some have doubtless been recently invented. It is not always easy to know which is which.

Easter has today become highly commercialised, with chocolate rabbits and eggs appearing in the shops weeks ahead of the festival itself.

Paul Hugger, retired professor of popular culture studies at Zurich University, remembers how up to about 50 years ago Easter treats were only on sale for a few days. The religious side of the festival was much stronger than it is now.

“The year was monotonous: people were glad that the Church gave it a structure. After the fasting of Lent came Easter and the joy of life,” he said.

“A custom dies out when it no longer has a function in society,” explained Mischa Gallati, also of Zurich University’s popular culture studies institute. “But usually it doesn’t die: it changes to adapt to changes in society.”

Guarding the tomb
One custom, once widespread in the Roman Catholic areas of eastern Switzerland but which has now largely disappeared and been forgotten was the installation of a “holy sepulchre” in churches.

Peter Kern, who has written a book about the custom as practised in canton St Gallen, told swissinfo.ch that a sepulchre, up to about five metres high, would be installed in churches on the Thursday before Easter and a model or painting representing the body of Christ would be laid in it on Good Friday. People came to pray at it, sometimes going from one church to the next.

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Mendrisio is famous for its reenactment of the Easter story (Keystone)

They are preceded by Maundy Thursday.

Christians believe that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday.

He was laid in a tomb, or sepulchre, and rose from the dead after three days.

The instruments of the passion are the items used during the torture and death of Christ.

They include the scourge with which he was beaten, the crown of thorns placed mockingly on his head, and the nails used to nail him to the cross

Like many of the important Church festivals, the roots of Easter go back to pagan times, and this is reflected in some of the customs.

The English word Easter, is even derived from the name of a pagan goddess of spring, Eostre, or Ostara. But the Christian belief that Christ rose from the dead three days after the crucifixion ties in with the re-emergence of life in spring.