Fountains at Easter

Decorating fountains for Easter is a tradition in the region, and this year they are as resplendent as ever. The Easter Wells are usually decorated from Palm Sunday on (traditionally this was not done before Holy Saturday) and the decoration remains in place for one to two weeks after Easter. The tradition of decorating wells at Easter has its origins in the Fränkische Schweiz (Franconian Switzerland) region. People here get ready for Easter by festooning the public fountains in the villages with painted eggs and other decorations.

Today, the main aim is to create an eye-catching display – in some villages, the Easter fountains have become tourist attractions. But in the past, something much more important was at stake: people pulling together as a community to give their public wells a good spring cleaning to ensure the availability of clean drinking water in the village. Only once the job had been done was the well finally decorated magnificently.