Easter in Italy
Easter in Italy is marked ancient traditions and celebrations. If I could be in Italy only one measly week a year, I’d choose Easter. A week filled with ancient traditions that vary from one town to the next.
The air is sweet and the weather temperate, all the fruit trees blossom, wild fields and hillsides are covered in poppies, the first locally grown vegetables hit the market and every town from hamlet to metropolis dust off ancient traditions to celebrate the holidays. It’s magic.
Men walking home from church with a blessed olive branch.
Palm Sunday
Easter celebrations follow a set pattern. On Palm Sunday there are the first religious processions and pageants and in Puglia people have olive branches blessed in church before they give them to friends and family who stick them on their houses as a good omen.
Young men preparing crosses for the Easter procession
Shrove Thursday
Shrove Thursday evening all people in town go from one church to the other. They dip their fingers in holy water, cross themselves, kiss their forefinger and circulate up to the altar to admire Easter decorations and effigies showing the sufferings of Christ. Along the way you meet and greet all the neighbours, shopkeepers and friends of friends and exchange a few words. The atmosphere is solemn and relaxed.
One of the effigies paraded through Taranto on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday is not a public holiday, but in the evening there are some really spectacular processions drawing everybody from newborn babies to young punks and centenarians out of doors. Traditions and themes change radically from town to town, and they can be inventive and challenging and offer moments of great beauty.
No Easter is complete in Puglia without a puddiche cake with a boiled egg inside.
Easter Sunday
Pasqua or Easter Sunday means eating with the family and the size of these Italian meals keep the locals quiet and out of sight for most of the day. From noon to teatime the streets are deserted.
Lavish Easter eggs.
Easter Monday
The quietness of Easter Sunday is replaces by endless traffic jams on Easter Monday, when everyone goes to the seaside, the countryside, the mountains or some family attraction. Pasquetta is the great picnic day when you go out wearing party make-up and your best clothes, of course, hang around with friends and generally enjoy yourself. It is what the Italians call a casino, but great fun unless you have to travel from one part of the country to the other. Being stuck on a motorway with 20-40 million Italians on the move can be a trying experience, and I always do my best to avoid it.
Still I wouldn’t miss huge chocolate Easter eggs or the dove shaped colomba cake that is always ready to fly into the mouth of people who come to call around Easter. In Italy there are Easter traditions for all tastes.
More Easter traditions
Easter in Italy – The mysterious Easter traditions in Taranto
Easter procession in Francavilla Fontana
Easter in Francavilla Fontana 2
Italy sounds like a perfect place to spend Easter. I’d enjoy the processions, family dinners and then Pasquetta!
Italy seems like an amazing place to celebrate Easter and I can only imagine how good the chocolate bunnies must taste.
Ah Italy, it sounds perfect anytime of the year. But I bet it’s even more special during Easter.
I think you are right, Mette – Italy is special at Easter. It is always grand to visit Catholic countries at either Easter or Christmas. I remember one glorious Christmas i n Mexico City. Wow! But they do celebrate. And I think we can say the same about the Italians. The old traditions are wonderful – almost primeval. Thanks for your posts. Although I am far away in California, reading your “Notes” brings me closer.