3. Chocolate eggs are a traditional Easter treat!
Most chocolate eggs are industry produced,
inside each egg is hidden a small gift. Or not so
small, depending on how luxury the egg is! It is
also possible to request a custom made egg,
selecting in advance the gift it will contain!!!
4. Easter
For some foreigners it may be hard to understand how
important
Easter is for Italians. It may not be very big in the
UK, but in Italy it is the second most important
religious holiday after Christmas. From a strictly
religious point of view it is even more important: in
fact, Easter, being the celebration of the
resurrection of Christ, is the celebration of the
mystery that is the basis of the Christian faith.
5. Lent (Quaresima) marks the forty days of fast and abstinence
before Easter.
Lent is marked with the Feast of St. Joseph (Festa di San
Giuseppe) on March 19th and Palm Sunday (Domenica delle
Palme), in which palms and olive branches are
blessed by the parish priest and given out to the congregants.
It is traditional for priests to visit their parishioners
and bless each home with the Easter Blessing.
Holy Friday (Venerdì Santo) is often marked in the
churches with a ritual washing of the feet, with
the priest symbolizing the role of Jesus, and twelve
church members symbolizing the role of the apostles.
6. Chocolate eggs are a traditional
Easter treat! Most chocolate eggs
are industry produced inside each
egg is hidden a small gift. Or not so
small, depending on how luxury the
egg is! It is also possible to request
a custom made egg, selecting in
advance the gift it will contain!!!
Traditional Easter meals vary from region to
region, but eggs and roasted lamb are common
elements everywhere. Eggs represent life,
fertility, and renewal, while the roasted lamb is
a symbol of birth.