11/04/2020
Easter in Italy is (normally) a huge holiday, second only to Christmas in its importance for Italians. While the days leading up to Easter include solemn processions and masses, Pasqua is a joyous celebration marked with rituals and traditions. La Pasquetta, the Monday after Easter Sunday, is also a public holiday throughout the country.
This year, Italy is in lockdown that is going until at least May 3, some say longer still. Families won’t be congregating around the Easter table yet the lines outside the butchers and bakers are long enough to make you think they are - only the face masks remind you that all is not as it usually is.
Since Easter is the end of the Lenten season—which requires sacrifice and reserve—food plays a big part in the celebrations. Traditional holiday foods across Italy may include lamb or goat, artichokes, and special Easter breads that vary from region to region. Pannetone sweet bread and Colomba (dove-shaped) bread are often given as gifts, as are hollow chocolate eggs that usually come with a surprise inside.
Do you have Easter traditions? What are they? Tell us below 🤗
