Easter is a festive holiday throughout . Religious parades and celebrations are held in many towns and cities nationwide. A statue of or his mother Mary is carried in street that involve large crowds of people.

Holy Week begins the Sunday before Sunday, on , and there are religious services and processions throughout the week leading up to Easter On , the Pope celebrates the Via Crucis or Stations of the Cross in Rome near the Colosseum. A huge cross with burning torches lights the sky as the stations of the cross are described in several languages. At the end, the Pope gives a blessing. Easter mass is held in every church in Italy, with the biggest and most popular celebrated by the Pope at Saint Peter's Basilica.

Easter meals are vary and include eggs, Easter pie, and lamb. On Holy Thursday in all the churches Mass in Cena Domini with the rite of washing of the feet, of the Apostles and a visit to the Altars of Repose improperly called Tomb. Particular furnishing for the altar of repose for the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday People have to visit ‘a zuppa ‘e cozzeche seven churches and During the Holy (mussels soup). then they can have a According to the Week housewives walk on t the main tradition the king make Easter streets, called struscio. Ferdinando I couldn’t cleaning in view overindulge in sins of of Springtime. gluttony, so he reserved himself the pleasure of eating fish at least on Holy Thursday Pastiera napoletana Is a typical Easter made of a shortcrust pastry with a The Casatiello napoletano filling of ricotta cheese, eggs and cooked wheat berries, is a rustic cake stuffed with cheese, flavored with orange flower water. pancetta, salami and whole eggs. It is traditionally prepared on Holy Thursday or Good Friday to It is traditionally eaten on the evening of ensure that the ingredients have enough time to infuse and . rest before it is consumed on Easter Sunday. Traditionally the main dish of the Easter meal consists of lamb. A traditional Easter dish in Rome and the region are, for example, crispy lamb ribs, known as abbacchio a scottadito (literally meaning “burnt finger”) with fresh artichokes, which are the seasonal vegetables par excellence at that moment. Another typical Eastern dish is cosciotto al forno con le patate (roast leg of lamb with potatoes), popular in other regions of Italy. Symbolizing rebirth, Colomba pasquale is Easter eggs are a dove-shaped Italian everywhere in Italy, either cake, as a symbol for as chocolates or as A plain dish served for easter as peace. Its is decorated boiled eggs. an appetizer are salame e uova similar to that of the sode (salami and boiled eggs) panettone, but with On Pasquetta, fresh beans (broad known as fellata di pasqua. candied peel instead of beans or fava bean), are consumed Symbolically the eggs represent rebirth and the salami , and topped with with cheese as a snack or the fortune of the farmers, who awaited the festivities and pearl appetizer in Lazio and the southern to put the salami on the table. . regions of Italy. The tradition goes back to Ancient Roman times. Torta Pasqualina A salt pie made of 33 layers of phyllo sheets (the Also known as crescia di Pasqua or torta al number of years of life of Christ) following an formaggio, Pizza di Pasqua is a salt cake typical ancient recipe believed to date back to 15th of served for breakfast on Easter or century. It is stuffed with chard or artichokes, as antipasto during the Easter meal. It is made eggs and seasoned with marjoram or other herbs. with , eggs, pecorino, parmigiano.

Easter is one of the most significant holidays in the Bulgarian calendar. Starting with Palm Sunday, the leads up to the Great Day. In the country, the festival is popularly known as "Velikden", which literally means 'the faith in the Christ'. in Bulgaria are a derivative of the Eastern Orthodox Church rituals. In tune with worldwide Orthodox traditions, bright red colored eggs and Easter breads known as "kolache" or "kozunak" are the prominent symbols of Easter in Bulgaria. In the article, explore all about the traditions and celebrations of Easter in Bulgaria.

Easter Celebration in Bulgaria-congregation: At midnight on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, people in Bulgaria gather at church, with red painted eggs and bread. The priest proclaims three times "Christos Voskrese" (Christ has risen) and the congregation replies "Vo istina voskrese" (Indeed he has risen). One of the Easter breads is specially decorated with one or more (but an odd number) of red eggs. After a special sequence of services, the clergy blesses the breads and eggs brought by the people. Good Luck Crack: The Bulgarian 'good luck crack' is a unique Easter tradition in all over the world. Eggs are cracked after the midnight service and over the next few days, during the festive season of Easter. On Easter, the eggs are cracked before lunch. The egg that is cracked on the wall of the church is the first egg that people eat after the long fast of . People take turns in tapping their eggs against the eggs of others, and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck. He/she is considered as the most successful, healthy and happy person for the rest of the year. Easter Presents: The tradition of presenting Easter eggs to loved ones is a tradition followed since ages, in Bulgaria. According to the tradition, in days preceding Easter, Christian families send a loaf of bread and 10-15 red eggs as gifts to their Turkish friends. The person, who delivers the eggs, usually receives money in return. Such breads and eggs are presented not only to the Turkish friends, but also to the Spiritual parents, to the biological parents and to the near and dear, including relatives and friends. Traditional Easter Feast: Bulgarian Easter is believed to be incomplete without the traditional recipes, indigenous to the country. The traditional Easter recipes served on the festival in Bulgaria include 'Banista' (Bulgarian pastry), Easter cake “Kozunak”, the lamb and coloring boiled eggs The traditional recipes are prepared and served on the Easter Sunday. The entire family takes part in the feast. Friend and far away acquaintances are also often called upon to join in the feast. cracking The festival of Easter is celebrated with great enthusiasm by Christians all over the world. The occasion commemorates the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from following the rituals for the festival, people celebrate the occasion by having a lot of fun with their near and dear. Playing games by making use of Easter eggs is a good old tradition. One such game is Easter Egg Cracking, which can be played by people of all ages. If you want to know how to play the game, then this article is what you need. Go through the following lines and get the instructions for playing Easter Egg Cracking. You Will Need: Eggs Rules: Test the eggs first by knocking them against their eye tooth, and then choose the best egg to use for the game. -The contestants must agree beforehand on how much of their eggs will be covered by their hands, as revealing a large part of the egg's shell is much more risky. -The game begins with the contestants trying to crack the pointed ends of each other's eggs. -The person who loses must then turn his or her egg upside down. If a player cracks both ends of someone's egg, then he/she wins the egg. Easter is the largest religious celebration of Orthodox Christians. The Greeks of Cyprus call it Lambri, which in English means brilliant or glorious. It is associated with spring, family, food and family moments.

Easter begins with a 50-day fast. During fasting the faithful abstain from meat, milk, cheese and all animal products (you know, basically vegans!). In recent years, however, most believers only have a week of fasting, which they call Great Week. During this week the faithful go to church every night to hear Christ's passions and follow him to Resurrection. The week begins with Lazarus' Saturday. It is a great celebration since Lazarus after his resurrection came to Cyprus and became the first bishop of Kiti (Larnaca). This is followed by the Sunday of Vaya (Palm Branches) or Sunday of Olives. The bells ring solemnly in remembrance of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, while the faithful go to church holding olive branches. On the Good Thursday they hang black covers in front of pictures of the church, while the crucifixion is depicted in the evening. On Good Friday, the faithful go to the Deposition and the Praises. The decoration of the Epitaph with flowers and in general the whole ceremony is reminiscent of the ancient feast of the Cypriots, the Adonia. The first Saturday morning is the first resurrection. The priest scatters laurels in the church, the black covers fall while the faithful hit the church benches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QBSk2fKHhw (watch and have fun). In the evening all the faithful gather to hear “Christ rise” and take the Holy Light home. Easter Sunday is an opportunity for the whole family to gather around the table. On Good Friday in our On in our school yard, the village, women decorate the community authority organizes traditional Epitaph with flowers. The Easter games. The event features contests, process lasts until noon. At prizes and plenty of food. night during the Divine An example: Liturgy the young men carry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsJHpI the Epitaph outside the 55nZY church to the surrounding neighborhoods and the The most beloved custom of youth in faithful follow it. Cyprus is the Labragia. The preparation of the "Lambragia" custom, which is the great fire of the Lambri, begins days before with the gathering of woods so as to light it up on Saturday night. It lasts until the early Labragia hours of Easter Sunday, and , who betrayed Christ, is set on fire. According to custom, the "Marti“ (March) burns. Marti is a bracelet made of red and white thread worn by children so they will not be burned by the sun. The painting of Easter eggs takes place on Good Thursday, and their clinking takes place The most famous Cypriot Easter dish is flaounes, on the day of the Resurrection, as soon as baked on Good Thursday. The flaounes are made Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen!) is heard. Red from a thin crust with cheese, egg, raisins and eggs are directly linked to the Easter tradition, mint. The whole family will get together early in as the red color of the eggs symbolizes not the morning and help prepare them. only the blood of Christ but also the joy of the Resurrection. After midnight the whole family gets together for dinner. We eat a special kind of soup called “Afgolemoni“ (Egg Lemon). You can also clink the dyed eggs and say “Christos Anesti” (Christ Risen) and the answer is “Alithos Anesti” (Really Risen). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FukDxPYDbC8

On Easter Sunday we eat Tsurekki is a traditional sweet meat, roast lamb, which is bread made mainly during the essential for a traditional Easter season. It is found in Easter table many countries around the world. The Easter Hare, now known as the , is a creature that, according to tradition, distributes coloured or chocolate "Easter eggs". This messenger is represented by a rabbit in English-speaking regions, but in German-speaking regions it is usually a hare . In France, a rabbit or hare can assume this role.

For several centuries, it has been forbidden to ring the bells of Catholic churches between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday as a sign of mourning. The children were then told that the bells were going to be blessed by the Pope in Rome. On their way back home, they come to ring the bells and lay the famous chocolate eggs in the gardens that the children had been waiting for so long. During the Easter weekend, in the families' private gardens, the parents have hidden chocolate eggs and the children go in search of these eggs and fill their baskets. Then the little gourmands will taste them, but not all on the same day! This "" is also organised by the town hall in the public gardens, which allows families living in apartments to take part in the event. Traditionally, the Easter meal consists of lamb, in reference to the Christian religion. Each region has its own way of cooking Easter lamb. In Normandy, it is sometimes called "salt meadow lamb" which has a particular flavour. It can be cooked in cider, for example. As Ireland is a typically Catholic country Religious ceremonies are held on the days leading up to Easter Sunday. Wednesday-Sunday Children have no school.

As part of a religious promise On Easter Sunday children have children often eat no sweets for a special meal with their family. all of lent. This is 40 days and Sometimes this includes lamb 40 nights. This is in honour of with potatoes and Hot Cross what Jesus did in the desert. sweet buns for dessert. Children get chocolate Easter In some towns people get Eggs off the Easter bunny on together and act out the Easter Sunday. People often stations of the cross as give Easter eggs as presents also. Jesus did at Easter time.

There are often Easter egg hunts organised in many towns around Ireland where children have to look and find chocolate eggs like a treasure hunt.

Easter time is the time in Irish history when there was an uprising that began our fight to independence in 1916. On Easter Monday in 1916 Irish people starting a rebellion that eventually ended in the country gaining independence from Britain in 1922.

Preparing for Easter in Ireland •On Good Friday no meat is eaten, or alcohol consumed •People tend to get their hair cut and go shopping for new clothes •People attend confession on Good Friday •Priests may come to bless the house (tradition in most Rural areas)

Easter Sunday in Ireland •Easter Sunday in most homes is like other Sundays •Families get together and attend mass in their local church •It is the tradition to wear new clothes on Easter Sunday and it said signify a new start of life •After Mass, the Easter feast begins consisting of Lamb, potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, bread and . It marks the end of Lent. •Easter Eggs are given to children and many children take part in an Easter Egg Hunt Easter Symbols include lambs, spring flowers, eggs, birds (chicks), Easter Bunny Easter (Páscoa) is a religious festivity that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. There is It does not have a fixed date, but it is always celebrated on a mass service a Sunday between the 22nd March and the 25th April. celebrated in all the churches There are important days associated with Easter: on Easter Sunday. The service is - The 40 days before Easter are called “Quaresma”. followed by the Most religious people abstain from eating meat on Easter procession. Fridays during this season, as a sign of respect for Jesus who was crucified on a Friday. It starts on Ash Wednesday, after Carnival.

- The Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) is the Sunday before Easter. Normally, godmothers receive from their godsons/goddaughters flowers, or an olive tree branch. There is a Mass service and some towns have processions on this day.

- The Good Friday (Sexta-feira Santa) is the Friday before Easter. It is a holiday and it represents the day Jesus was crucified. In some places, people make processions at night with candles. In our town (and mainly in rural areas) people do the Easter/Spring cleaning (limpezas da Páscoa). Most people do it not only to receive the priest and the Easter procession at home, but also because it is the beginning of a new season. A time to get ride of the old and prepare for the new.

After the mass service on Easter Sunday, there is the Easter procession (Compasso – Visita Pascal). The procession carries the Christ on the Cross and takes it to the houses of the parish (if people want it). It symbolizes the entrance of Jesus in the houses. They also carry a small bell to announce people they are arriving. Once inside, people kiss the cross and the house is blessed. It is more common in small towns and rural areas. The owners of the house offer , drinks, etc.

Traditionally people would make flower carpets outside their entrance doors to welcome to Easter Procession. Flowers at the door indicate that those who live there want to receive the procession. On every table and Roasted lamb with everywhere there are roasted potatoes is a very almonds. Almonds can typical meal on Easter be pure almonds covered Lunch. in sugar; filled with liquor; covered with chocolate, etc.

Pão-de-ló is a big fluffy Easter cake made with lots of eggs and taken to the oven in a clay recipient. There are different versions of this cake Chocolate eggs – A symbol of throughout the country. (re)birth, chocolate eggs are typical on Easter and are normally gifted to Kids. Folar – Traditionally was given by the godmothers to their godsons/goddaughters on Easter Sunday. The eggs are put in the middle of the dough before going to the oven.