Easter 2016: How London's different groups of Christians are celebrating the holy weekend

Easter weekend is fast approaching and thousands of people in the British capital of London are preparing to celebrate the long weekend. While some go to church and indulge in traditional Easter weekend festivities, other celebrate in ways that are less traditional.

IBTimes UK rounds up some of the Easter traditions celebrated by different Christian communities in London.

Italian Catholic Christians

The Easter bunny might not be prevalent in Italian Easters but they do have a set of interesting traditions of their own. As Easter marks the end of Lent, Italians indulge in a huge feast on Easter Sunday.

Italians have a common saying: "Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi!" which translates to "Celebrate Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want." Easter Monday is known as "Pasquetta" or "Little Easter" by the Italians and often sees people getting together with friends for picnics.

In London, those looking to celebrate Pasquetta can visit the 10th annual celebration of Piazza Italy, an Italian festival in Horsham. The festival runs throughout the weekend, except Easter Sunday, and is aimed at celebrating "in the name of the Italian spirit and excellence".

Apart from being the "biggest and best" free festival, is also hosts a parade of Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and Ducati brands. However, for those looking for something more central, a traditional Italian aperitivo is being hosted at La Pietra in Soho from 6pm onwards on Easter Sunday. And for

Italian Catholic Easter mass

St Peter's Italian Church (36 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1R 5DL), Easter service on 27 March at 9.30am

British Christians

One of the most well-known Easter traditions in Britain is the Royal Maundy, celebrated on the Thursday before Easter. Here, the Queen takes part in a ceremony where she hands out coins to elderly men and women.

However, one of the most popular traditions among the British revolve around Easter eggs. The tradition is so big that the National Trust hosts annual Easter egg hunt events across the country, with more than 250 egg hunts to choose from.

Christianity-related events are also held, such as the performance of The Passion Of Jesus in Trafalgar Square. The play reconstructs the story of Jesus's resurrection and is performed twice on Good Friday (25 March), once at 12pm and again at 3.15pm.

Overall, the British celebrate the religious date through fun activities. A good example of this is the 'The Church: The God Damn Easter Service' that is held at the Lexington, which has been dubbed the Sunday service "with a twist". The comedy/cabaret show comes with a warning: "Your grandma definitely wouldn't approve".

British Catholic Easter mass

Westminster Abbey, Easter service on 27 March at 10.30am

St Paul's Cathedral, Easter service on 27 March at 10.15am

Polish Catholic Christians

The Polish community is an active one in London and they tend to celebrate Easter in its all glory, as they would back home. One of their most popular Easter traditions is the practice of having their food blessed by their church on the day before Easter Sunday.

Usually, a basket of foods is prepared on Saturday, known as "Wielka Sobota" (Great Sunday) by Polish people. Simple, but delicious, Easter foods, such as bread, cake and sausages, are made and taken to the church in order for it to be blessed.

Most Polish churches in London are known to practice the blessing of Easter foods. The food is then eaten with family and loved ones for breakfast on Easter Sunday morning.

The most common dish that is prepared is 'Babka' (grandmother) or yeast cake, which has recently become somewhat of a craze in London. It is baked in a round, bundt-shape and is topped with icing that tends to resemble a grandmother's skirt, hence the name.

Polish Catholic Easter mass

Our Lady Mother of the Church (2 Windsor Road, W5 5PD)

26 March, Holy Saturday (the first mass of Easter is in the evening)

27 March, Easter Sunday service

Russian Orthodox Christians

Easter is known to be one of the most sacred times in the Orthodox Church calendar. It is usually celebrated slightly later than it is celebrated in the West, with their Easter falling on 1 May in 2016.

Followers of the Russian Orthodox Church begin their Easter celebrations on Saturday night by putting on their best clothes and going to dark churches, where a gloomy atmosphere symbolises what a world without faith would be like. The Orthodox Church also dye their eggs red to represent the blood of Jesus Christ.

Some Russian Orthodox Christians also engage in Easter egg breaking competitions, which see people rolling their Easter eggs on the ground or down a hill. The aim of the game is to break the other player's egg without damaging your own.

Russian Orthodox Easter mass

Russian Orthodox Church, 67 Ennismore Gardens, London SW7 1NH