What is an Easter basket?

When I was little my parents would fill a basket with Easter candy and hide it. On Easter morning my parents told me that the Easter bunny had came and I had to go find my basket...sounds like most Easter mornings when you were a child right? A couple weeks ago I was reminiscing Easter as a child and I wondered why I still couldn't have a Easter basket (mainly because I wanted candy). Even though I am 3 states away from my parents, couldn't my boyfriend give me an Easter basket? So I proposed the idea to my boyfriend, Guillermo, and he answered with a shocking question..."What is an Easter basket?"

You may know that my boyfriend is from Peru and spent his childhood there. So when we talk about our childhood, you better believe that we have very different versions. What is an Easter basket? I thought everyone in the world had an Easter basket when they were a child, guess I was wrong. So I asked Guillermo how he celebrated Easter. 

Easter in Peru is not about the Easter bunny nor a holiday for children, it is a religious holiday. Obviously Easter is a religious holiday. but American culture has made it about something else ( of course). In Peru, families go to church and usually have a nice family dinner after. Which is what Americans do but with all the Easter bunny madness!

This was all very interesting to me and made me think of how different cultures spend their holidays. Throughout the 2 years of dating a Peruvian I have realized some major cultural differences. While American culture does focus on the material aspects of a holiday, other cultures focus on family...which is really what it should be. Another lesson I have learned from my amazing boyfriend!