Sunday 20 April 2014

Easter in Italy, Buona Pasqua!


Italy, the home of the Pope, has one of the largest Catholic populations in the world so what better place to celebrate Easter! We felt committed to immersing ourselves in the local traditions so we asked some local Lucca residents and a few other people I had met in Florence to find out what events were taking place over the Easter period.  It's certainly not all about chocolate Easter bunnies and hot cross buns here! 

For Easter, Lucca's celebrations commence on the Thursday, Maundy Thursday, the day before Easter Friday. This is the day of the celebration of the last supper Jesus shared with his Apostles. The day is a celebration of the help and sense of hope Jesus brought to those in need. It is celebrated by a formal mass, bringing together people in the community and honouring those who help the needy and those who embrace help and overcome life's obstacles. The washing of the feet ceremony is a major part of this mass. We attended the mass at Saint Martino cathedral in Lucca at 6.30pm. Families, couples, school groups, scout groups, red cross volunteers, hospital volunteers, and a group of visitors from Sudan all attended. Locals and visitors alike sat side by side. In addition to the formal mass we heard stories from those who received help from wonderful local volunteer organisations like Red Cross (crocia rosa) and achieved success and those who were searching for hope. Twelve people were chosen to represent the 12 apostles for the washing of the feet ceremony to signify both an element of hospitality and the belief that to wash another person's feet symbolises equality. Friday and Saturday are also honoured with masses in the local cathedrals, with Friday's services bring a more somber experience with many communities re-enacting the stations of the cross, the journey of Jesus during his last day and his crucifixion. Sunday is a day of celebration, when Jesus rose again. We decided to witness the Scoppio Del Carro in Florence. This ceremony started over 350 years ago and involves a large tower like cart 3-4 levels high being pulled through the streets of Florence by 2 decorated white bulls as far as the magnificent duomo. Today, the bulls are presented in the piazza, beautifully decorated by Palm leaves and flowers, with their horns painted gold but they no longer pull the cart due to safety and other reasons. The cart is already positioned in front of the duomo, fully loaded with the explosives. At precisely 11am, a massive display of fireworks errupts from the Carro to simulate an explosion of the Carro. The bigger the explosion, the more luck brought to those who witness it and to the residents of Florence. We arrived the day before in Florence to ensure an early start and to secure a good vantage point for the spectacle. To our luck, as we exited our hotel that morning the parade of the city's crossbow and medieval flag throwing team and people dressed in traditional medieval costumes, drummers, trumpeters and wood wind musicians were filing along the end of our street. We joined along side them on their procession towards the duomo. Once there we jostled amongst the thousands for the best vantage point where we then waited almost an hour listening to the church bells, musicians and readings from the priests. The crowd was metres deep and very single person was armed with iPhones and cameras, all held above their heads in an effort to capture the best possible footage of this unforgettable event. I couldn't believe I was standing there, in Florence on Easter Sunday and witnessing an event that seemed almost fictional and never tangible to me. There I was, amongst the thousands, in front of the most beautiful building I have ever seen (the first time I visited Florence I literally hyperventilated at the beauty of this building). I was here, seeing, hearing and feeling an ancient ceremony that had immense historical significance. To hear, see and smell this display of fireworks brought tears to my eyes. I literarly cried in appreciation for being there. It was truly overwhelming

Not so amazing was the blockade of people in the aftermath. It literally took 30 minutes of 1mm shuffles to exit the crowd and be on our way. I thought the crowd would never move but eventually all dispersed. We later enjoyed a lovely lunch and caught our train home to Lucca.

Easter Monday continues with festivities and the day is referred to as "Pasquetta" or little Easter. The day is celebrated by enjoying a picnic consisting usually of left over foods from the Easter Sunday lunch feast. If the weather permits, friends head out in the sun for an enjoyayable picnic or barbecues and picnics are celebrated undercover. We were invited along to a barbecue at a local winery in a town called Montecarlo (not the Montecarlo we all know in France but a tiny village in Tuscany 30 minutes from Lucca). The winery, Fattoria del Teso, is a small wine and olive oil producer, making about 80000 bottles annually. We were shown through the production of Vin Santo, a dessert wine with DOC accreditation (indicating a high quality and controlled production practices) that involves a 10 year production process. They also produce an extremely light sparkling wine, a Vermentino white wine and a fruitful white. We tried 2 reds, the first light and fresh and the second with a fuller body. Their standard whites and reds are also recognised by the slow wine guide of Italy as they use local grapes with no chemicals or unnatural products and follow traditional non-mechanical processes. Our lunch, consisting of breads from the nearby "citta del pane", cheeses from Sardinia, meats from Garfagnana and Tuscan pasta was paired perfectly with the wines. The dessert consisted of cantuccini which are biscotti like biscuits with almonds that are dipped into the powerful Vin Santo. It packed a punch but was also sweet and delicious.


Unlike the highly commercialised chocolate Easter egg feast we endure in Australia, Italians may give one, quite large, chocolate egg to their loved ones and inside every egg is a gift. My egg had a lovely gold bracelet with black beads and Ruby's had a lovely pair of earrings. A local bread like cake similar to pannetone (enjoyed at Christmas) is eaten and cross or dove shaped columbine (similar to a chocolate chip or almond muffin) sold by local bakeries, are also enjoyed.  Lunch is usually a home cooked family feast but otherwise restaurants offer special fixed Easter menus of traditional foods (often goat, pork or rabbit is on the menu ).

By Monday night, we certainly felt blessed to have experienced a unique (to us) and traditional Italian Easter. Buona Pasqua! 









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