Dominated by Christian faith, Italy celebrates Easter with great fanfare and vigor. Known as 'Pasqua' in Italian, Easter makes the entire country have fun with games and concerts. The proverb ‘Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi’ meaning ‘Christmas with your relatives, Easter with whomever you want’, perfectly suits the festive spirit of Easter in Italy. The festivity begins with Carnival activities, which form a preface to the season of Lent, which signifies grief and misery. Venice, Ivrea and Sicily are the greatest hotspots, where Easter celebration is held with splendor and magnificence.
The most significant Easter ritual of Italy is the purchase of Easter eggs when the church bells ring. Every family celebrates the event by making ‘Frittata’, a dish similar to an omelet. Rome, also known as headquarters of Christianity, holds a procession on this day, preceded by the Pope. In this holy ritual, the Pope explains the ‘Passion of Christ’ on the day of Good Friday. In Florence, a performance is held, where the ‘scoppio del carro’ (‘explosion of the cart’) is enacted. In this act, a fanciful cart, led by white oxen, is driven to the Easter Mass and firecrackers, dove-shaped rockets, are set off.
Another prominent Easter ritual in Italy is the Barano d'Ischia, the customary dance and merino and the popular horse race. Delicacies and mouth-watering dishes are not too far behind when its Easter celebration time in the country. The festival also marks a luxurious and extravagant feast, wherein all the traditional delicacies are prepared. Agnellino, or the roasted baby lamb, forms the most important dish on the occasion. Another must-have in Ital, during Easter, is eggs, found as the main component in many dishes.
