23 Mar 2008
Traditions of EasterEaster is a major holiday in Italy, taken so seriously that even those who don’t enter a church all year long will go on Easter Sunday. The day after Pasqua is Pasquetta and is the day for an outing of family and friends to the country.
The experience of Easter Week in Rome will be unforgettable. Here some things to do with easter in Rome.
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday starts off Holy Week in the morning with the Pope’s blessing of the palms in St Peter’s Square. At the end of the mass, the Pope usually sends a special message – the ‘Angelus’ – to the youth of the world.
Holy Thursday
After a few days’ break the Easter celebration begins in earnest. On Holy Thursday (also called ‘Maundy Thursday’), the Pope performs a rare morning mass, known as the ‘Mass of the Chrism’, in St Peter’s Basilica (’chrism’ is a mixture of olive oil and balsam, which, once blessed, is used in some of the sacraments). In the evening, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper commemorates Christ’s bathing of the feet of the Apostles.
Saturday
Saturday night is traditionally the time of the Easter Vigil, when the Pope celebrates a late mass in St Peter’s Basilica. This is also traditionally when converts are accepted into the Catholic Church.
Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday, the Pope says mass in St Peter’s Square. Despite the crowds – typically this is the most attended event of Holy Week – you should be able to spot the Holy Father, high above the square on a balcony of the church. At noon, he delivers the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ message – ‘to the city and the world – in which the Pope grants forgiveness to those present and to Catholics world wide.
Easter food
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. Pannetone and Colomba breads are often given as gifts as are hollow chocolate eggs that usually come with a surprise inside.
