Written by  Isabel Baldelli, Beatrice Brambilla, Douaa Roussif II from Italy

 In this presentation, we will discuss the main Italian Easter traditions. Easter is a traditional Christian religious festival marking the Resurrection of Jesus three days after he was crucified on Mount Golgotha in Jerusalem.In Italy, this is a very colourful and fun celebration. On Palm Sunday, children take their coloured eggs to church to have them blessed.There are also lots of traditional games, one of the most important being the egg hunt. It usually takes place in the afternoon after lunch and involves finding chocolate eggs hidden by the ‘Easter Bunny’; once they’ve found them, the children start breaking them open to find the surprise inside.

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Easter is a wonderful time for adults too, because during the Easter holidays we all get to spend time together with family and friends.During the Easter period, it is customary to eat certain traditional dishes:Roast lamb is the centrepiece of Easter; it is cooked in the oven with potatoes and is one of the most popular dishes among Italians.Chocolate eggs are particularly popular with children; they are chocolateeggs containing a surprise, which may be a toy for children or beauty products or collectables for adults. To make them look more attractive, they are wrapped in coloured polypropylene gift wrap, often featuring designs. Torta pasqualina is a savoury pie filled with whole eggs, spinach and ricotta.

Some interesting facts:Easter Monday is celebrated the day after Easter Sunday and commemorates Jesus’s appearance to his disciples as they were on their way to Emmaus, a town in Palestine.On Easter Monday, weather permitting, families often go on picnics or day trips.