Alivia Nuzzo

Although the Easter celebrations don’t include chocolate bunnies and sugar-coated marshmallow chicks like they do in the U.S., Pasqua in Italy is accompanied by rich cultural and religious traditions that make it bigger than Christmas.

“Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi,” is the Italian expression meaning “Christmas with family, Easter with whomever you choose.”

The idea is part of the celebration of Pasquetta (Little Easter), an Italian national holiday that is celebrated on the Monday following Easter Sunday. Symbolizing the spring season and the rebirth of life, the celebration of Pasquetta encourages Italians to escape their traditional city dwellings, and venture to the countryside for a picnic with family and friends.

Sometimes referred to as Lunedi dell’Angelo, or Angel’s Monday, the day is associated with a carefree feel, closing schools and giving Italians a break from the serious rituals of Holy Week leading up to Easter.

The tranquility of Pasquetta, however, is preceded by months of preparation. Lent and the Easter season is preceded by Carnevale, a traditional pre-Lenten celebration used as a time for merry-making, masquerade processions, parades, elegant costumes, fireworks, feasts, etc.

The city most famous for the celebration is Venice. Originally beginning on December 26 (Saint Stephen’s Day), Carnevale has experienced several changes over the years. It was outlawed by the fascist government during the 1930s, and was only recently revived in the 1980s. Since then, the celebration starts just a couple of weeks preceding Ash Wednesday, and ends after the feasts of Fat Tuesday. (www.venetia.it)

Once Lent begins, not only do traditional Catholic traditions call for fasting and sacrifice, but others are generous to the needy. Among them are Sicily’s Festa di San Giuseppe, more commonly known as “St. Joseph’s Table.”

A Middle Ages legend has it that at one time a great drought plagued Sicily, and several people suffered from famine. When this happened, Sicilians prayed to St. Joseph for help, vowing that if rain came, the people would prepare great feasts in his honor and share with the rich and poor alike. When their prayer was answered on March 19, people of Sicily kept their promise and to thank their patron saint, have prepared a St. Joseph’s altar ever since, decorating it with the finest linen, candles, flowers, statues, wonderful meatless dishes and sumptuous desserts. (www.daddezio.com)

Once Easter actually arrives, a famous celebration called “Scoppio del Carro,” meaning explosion of the cart,” takes place in Florence. For over 300 years, an elaborate wagon that was built in 1679 and standing two to three stories high, is dragged through the city behind a fleet of white oxen decorated in garlands.

The event has a long-standing history that dates back to the first crusade in 1099. Every year, people gather around the Piazza del Duomo to witness an explosion that takes place at noon. If everything goes right, and the cart explodes, legend has it that good luck will be bestowed on the Florentines. (www.duomofirenze.it)

Other famous Easter rituals take place in the heart of the Vatican, where processions that reenact the Last Supper of Jesus on Maundy Thursday occur, as well as the portrayal of the “Passion of Christ” on Good Friday, starting from “il colosseo.”

On Easter, the feasts are naturally just as divine as some of the other rituals that take place, traditionally featuring abbacchio (baby lamb) and savory dishes made from the fresh green vegetables associated with springtime-asparagus, artichokes, or dandelion green for example. 

Also symbolizing the rebirth of new life, eggs are featured in the Easter celebration as a token of good luck, often sold in the form of milk or dark chocolate hollowed out and containing a sorpresa (surprise) inside, something like hard candy or costume jewelry.