Top 10 Easter Traditions in Italy How to celebrate Easter in Italy A Publication of Charmingitaly.com Suggestive and fascinating: Easter Traditional celebrations to experience in Italy The Easter festivity plays a central role in Italy where it is the second most important day after Christmas. All over the peninsula, both in large cities and tiny villages, processions weave their way through narrow streets, ancient old towns and main squares until finally they arrive at the local Cathedral. It is a traditional celebration due to the historical and cultural importance of the Catholic religion in Italy and because of the religious meaning of Easter itself: while Christmas is Jesus’ birth, Easter is his passion, death and resurrection. If you have never experienced a “passion play” on Good Friday, close your eyes for a moment and try to imagine it: a deep silence broken only by chanting choirs for a unique, sad and engaging ritual, with thousands candles all wrapped in red paper that set aside the dark and deep shades of the night. The thousands moving rituals that take place throughout Italy from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday terminate with a special Easter lunch and with the amusing picnic of “Pasquetta”. Seasonal delicacies and gastronomic delights celebrate not only the Easter Sunday, but also the bounty of Primavera. Easter also signals the arrival of Spring, and many pagan traditions that used to mark the arrival of the "beautiful season" have been incorporated into the religious festivities. With the Mediterranean scrub in bloom and the warm weather forecast, there is no better place to be than in Italy during the long Easter weekend. The Easter Traditional celebrations to experience in Italy are suggestive, interesting and captivate both believers or not. If you love the popular traditions, this is a Top 10 List you shouldn’t have to miss. Our selection The Explosion of the Cart - Florence The Meeting - Oliena The Procession of the Mysteries - Trapani The race of Virgin Mary - Sulmona Stations of the Cross - Rome The Procession of the Addolorata - Sorrento The Five Mysteries - Molfetta The Lunissanti - Castelsardo Food Traditions from North to South - Italy The Little Easter - Italy The “Scoppio del Carro,” or the Explosion of the Cart, dates back over 350 years. The Explosion of the Cart Florence, Tuscany This Florentine tradition finds its origins in events that are partly historic and partly legendary. An elaborate wagon built in 1622 and standing two to three stories high is pulled by a pair of oxen decorated in garlands through the streets of Florence to the square between the Baptistery and Cathedral. On Easter Sunday the cart filled with fireworks and pyrotechnics is torched. This “new fire” symbolizes a new beginning and a new life. READ MORE Where & When: Easter Sunday, Piazza del Duomo - Florence, Tuscany Where to sleep: The ideal accommodations to experience Easter in Florence are Platinhome Ricasoli and Villa La Massa The Meet, or “S’incontru” in Sardinian language The Meeting consists of two Oliena, Sardinia processions. The one carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary and the second carrying a statue of Jesus Christ, meet after a long walk through the village’s streets. It takes place on Easter Sunday and is a simulacrum of the Madonna searches for Christ after his resurrection. At the end of the procession, the two statues are returned to the church for Easter Mass… READ MORE Where & When: Easter Sunday from the San Francesco di Paola and Santa Croce Churches Where to sleep: The ideal accommodations to experience Easter in Oliena and the nearby are the Hotel Su Gologone and Albergo Diffuso Mannois Dating back to the Spanish domination, the The Procession of the Mysteries “Processione dei Misteri” is the longest religious display Trapani, Sicily in Italy (24 h) and among the oldest ones (repeated year after year for 400 years). The “Mysteries” are 20 artistic representations of the Passion and Death of Christ: 18 statue groups, as well as two simulacrums of Mary, who weeps over the body of Christ. Each representation is carried on the shoulders of ten men (the massari) that move to the music of the band leading the procession, with a particular step called the “annaccata”. READ MORE Where & When: Easter Sunday, Piazza Garibaldi Where to Sleep: The ideal accommodation to experience Easter in Trapani and the nearby is Baglio Oneto Resort and Wines This celebration consists of 3 days of events leading up The Virgin Mary who races through to the main attraction “La the square Madonna che corre in Sulmona, Abruzzo piazza”. It encloses a strong religious meanings and dramatic shades, thanks to the personification of the black- clad Virgin Mary. She can’t believe in his son resurrection, so first she goes slowly out of the church, but then she catches sight of her son and runs (for 100 m), to reach him. At this moment the Madonna's mournings cloack disappears and a flock of doves fly into the air. READ MORE Where & When: Good Friday, Anime Sante del Purgatorio Church Where to Sleep: The ideal accommodation to experience Easter in Sulmona and the nearby is Sextantio Albergo Diffuso On Good Friday, the Pope Stations of the Cross celebrates the Via Crucis or Rome, Lazio Stations of the Cross in Rome. It takes place in one of the Eternal City's most evocative settings, running the short distance from the Colosseum to the Temple of Venus in the Roman Forum, and is celebrated by the Pope. A huge cross with burning torches lights the sky while every station of the cross reminds (in several languages) one of the 15 moments of the Passion. At the end, the Pope gives a blessing. READ MORE Where & When: Good Friday, Colosseum area Where to Sleep: The ideal accommodations to experience Easter in Rome are Rome Cavalieri and Casa Howard The Procession of the Addolorata On “Giovedì Santo” (Maundy Thursday) before Sorrento, Campania Easter Sunday, the Procession of the Addolorata takes place in Sorrento. Hundreds of hooded men carrying a statue of the grieving Mary dressed in black and represented as Our Lady of Sorrows. By torch light, this moving procession winds its way through the streets of Sorrento until dawn on Venerdì Santo. READ MORE Where & When: Maundy Thursday, Sant’Anna Church Where to Sleep: The ideal accommodations to experience Easter in Sorrento are Maison La Minervetta and Villa dei d’Armiento This procession is held at 3:30 a.m. In the dark of the The Five Mysteries night, a series of life-sized Molfetta, Puglia five statues exit the Church of Saint Stephen lit only by long candles carried by groups of religious fraternities. Each group is responsible for carrying one of the statues: Christ in the Garden, Christ at the Column, Christ with the Crown of Thorns, Christ at the Calvary and the Dead Christ. Total silence reigns: the only noise being the mournful music of the funeral marches played by the town band. READ MORE Where & When: Good Friday , Santo Stefano Church Where to Sleep: The ideal accommodations to experience Easter in Molfetta and the nearby are Relais Corte Altavilla and Borgo Bianco Resort & Spa It is a very complex procession bearing the The Lunissanti instruments of the Passion Castelsardo, Sardinia of Christ. The long procession, in which the clergy does not participate, moves towards the abbey of Nostra Signora di Tergu, advancing at the rhythm of the chants with a stop for each change of choir. After several hours, reaching the Monastery of Tergu, the Mysteries are displayed in front of the altar in the order of their arrival, while the chanting continues and the sacraments are celebrated. READ MORE Where & When: Holy Monday, from Santa Maria to Nostra Signora di Tergu Churches Where to Sleep: The ideal accommodation to experience Easter in Castelsardo is Bajaloglia Resort Traditional Easter food is Food Traditions from North to South the second most important celebration during Pasqua. Italy Since Easter is the end of the Lent season, food plays a big part in the celebrations. Traditional Easter foods include lamb or goat, artichokes, and special Easter breads that vary from region to region. The Colomba is the most famous dessert, a dove-shaped bread made with almonds, sugar and egg whites. Obviously, big hollow chocolate eggs are often given as gifts and they usually come with a surprise inside. READ MORE Where & When: From Palm Sunday to Easter Monday, from North to South Italy Where to Sleep: Find your ideal accommodation among the CharmingItaly Hotel selection There is a proverb that says, The Little Easter “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi”, which means Italy you’re supposed to spend Christmas with your family and Easter with whoever you like. The Easter Monday (or 'La Pasquetta', literally little Easter) is one of the happiest Easter traditions to experience in the Peninsula: pack a big picnic and drive out into the countryside, the lakes or the beach, thanks also to the warm temperature. Some cities hold dances, free concerts, or unusual games often involving eggs. READ MORE With the Mediterranean maquis in bloom and the warm weather forecast, there is no better place to be than in Italy during the long Easter weekend! TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OUR EBOOKS! BE INSPIRED Follow us! .