EASTER TRADITIONS IN ITALY ITALY
Italy is renowned for its classical culture and for the influence of the Catholic Church in history; for many, the best time to see this is during the Easter period, the most important period in the Catholic calendar.
During Lent, called Quaresima in Italy (stemming from Latin, referring to the forty days for which Lent lasts), Catholic Italians take part in many traditions which are shared globally by Catholics, such as fasting, taking part in Holy days such as Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday. One more specific Lenten tradition in Italy is making a Fioretta (literally: little flower), in other words a sacrifice of something you particularly enjoy until Easter, usually as an act of repentance for sins during Lent. This tradition is familiar to many all over the world, but there is a higher rate of participation in Italy, arguably due to the higher degree of dedication to Catholicism in the country.
However, the arrival of Easter, Pascua in Italian, itself brings the most spectacular Italian traditions, and are famous throughout the world. On Good Friday (10 April this year), the Pope celebrates Via Crucis, the Stations of the Cross, in Rome near the Colusseum. A huge cross of burning candles is erected and the stages of Christ’s journey to the crucifixion is described in several languages in front of thousands. Many churches also parade special statues of Jesus and Mary through the streets on Good Friday, and participants wear traditional dress. Sicily is particularly famous for its parades, with its Good Friday parade in Trapani, Misteri di Trapani, lasting for 24 hours, and the parade in Enna involving 2,000 friars.
Image from Wikipedia Commons
ARTE E CULTURA
ARTE E CULTURA