Easter is one of the holiest weeks of the year for Christians around the world, and there are as many different ways to celebrate as there are countries, if not more. Here are some of the biggest and boldest ways in which people remember the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Bandaged hands after the event are testimony to how far they are prepared to go

The Philippines

The Philippines has the third largest Catholic population in the world (only Brazil and Mexico are ahead), and at Easter, many take part in bloody rituals in which penitents whip their naked backs with blades, ropes and bamboo sticks. Others walk barefoot from altar to altar listening to texts about Jesus’s suffering, some bearing enormous crosses. The most devout can opt to recreate the crucifixion, nails and all; bandaged hands after the event are testimony to how far they are prepared to go. Although the Catholic Church does not officially support these extreme practices, the rites are believed to cleanse sins and cure the sick.

Jerusalem

The Via Dolorosa is a key location in Jerusalem at Easter. It’s the Way of Suffering that Jesus took while carrying his cross to the crucifixion (approximately; the actual route was a little straighter but has been lost to time and development). Christian pilgrims recreate the event carrying wooden crosses during the Good Friday procession.

The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s old city is thought by many to be the final resting place of Jesus Christ. Orthodox Christians celebrate here with Holy Fire as they have for centuries (the date does not coincide with the Catholic Easter as different calendar criteria are used). The source of the sacred fire appears miraculously on either side of the church and then people light candles from it and pass the flame on to their neighbours’ candles until the church is ablaze.

The UK

Holy Island, in the North of England, is cut off from the mainland for most of the day by the tide. At Easter, pilgrims ford the tidal causeway, carrying crosses to celebrate Easter on the island. The crossing is the culmination of a 100-mile walk through Northumberland and the Scottish Borders during Holy Week.

Haiti

Catholicism was brought to Haiti by missionaries during France’s imperial reign in the country. Escaped slaves liberated the country in 1804, and the world’s first black republic was born. That’s when voodoo, hitherto practised in secret, began to flourish openly. It’s now a recognised religion, practised by the majority of Haitians and very different from the negative images that we have of witchcraft and darkness.

It’s no coincidence that one of the major voodoo festivals is at Easter; the slaves used Catholic events to hide their own celebrations as their white masters feared and suppressed all voodoo. These days, loud processions of people in sparkling costumes happen in the run-up to Easter. In Souvenance, a village 90km north of the capital, Easter Sunday involves rituals where participants dress in white and animals are sacrificed.

Vatican City

The Catholic Church was thrown into uproar by the recent resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, just a few weeks before Holy Week. The new Pope will need to be on his game because he’ll be thrust into a series of ceremonies during possibly the busiest week of the Catholic year.

This will start with a papal Mass on Palm Sunday today. The Pope will wash the feet of a dozen men at a Mass to remember Christ’s gesture of humility to his apostles on Holy Thursday. On Good Friday, he will participate in one of the more spectacular processions, the Stations of the Cross, at the Coliseum. This torch-lit vigil represents the journey of Christ to the cross. The finale will be on Easter Sunday when the Pope delivers the Urbi et Orbi, message of hope and peace.

Spain

Semana Santa or Holy Week is spectacular in Spain, with hundreds of processions in most towns from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Some involve participants dressed in white penitential robes, moving slowly through the streets to a slow, funereal drumbeat. Their heads are covered with pointed hats to allow them to remain anonymous while repenting their sins.

As part of the parade, religious fraternities bear statues on their shoulders or place them on lavish floats as they parade to church. The floats can weigh up to 3,000kg and bearers, known as costaleros, carry their share of the weight for as long as nine hours. It’s seen as an honour to do so. The highlight of the week happens on Good Friday, when the floats leave the churches at midnight and are carried all night until they reach the cathedral.