Echoes of Easter

Where the Past Still Feasts

Easter in Italy still feels like a sacred pause, a moment to gather, reflect, and welcome spring. As I walked through town this week, past supermarket displays of towering uova di cioccolato and boxed colombe, I couldn’t help but think back to my younger days at my parents’ home.

Growing up, Easter morning was the highlight of the year. Mom would spend the entire week in the kitchen, preparing dishes reserved only for this one special day. It made Easter feel even more magical than Christmas. It wasn’t about gifts, it was about the joy of being together, the warmth of family, and the incredible aromas wafting from the oven since dawn.

By 9 a.m., our front door was open. Friends, family, neighbors, everyone dropped by to wish us Buona Pasqua (though let’s be honest, the food helped!). One by one, they filled the house until the walls practically hummed with laughter, voices, and the clinking of glasses.

The table was a feast: sausage frittata (frittata con salsicce), chard pie (pizza con le bietole), offal pie (pizza con frattaglie), spaghetti pie (sciarone), roasted lamb (agnello al forno), charcuterie boards, and those special breads shaped like doves, each with a decorated egg nestled in the center, one for every niece and nephew. And of course, my dad’s homemade white wine flowed like spring water.

You could smell Italy right there on Jean Mance Street in Montreal’s Ahuntsic district. The sense of love and togetherness was tangible. Adults all talking over each other, kids running around with cake on their faces, even the little ones sipping wine, just a drop, to toast the joy of the day.

When Mom passed, my sisters picked up the tradition. This year, Geny’s been busy in the kitchen, expecting a full house on Sunday. I’ll miss the chaos, but since I’m visiting next week, she’s promised to freeze me a few treats.

Today, Easter in Italy has changed with the younger generation, but the spirit remains.

Church attendance may be less central for many, and family gatherings look a little different, but the essence endures: food, family, and timeless traditions. Like many customs in the old countries, traditions don’t die easily. It’s up to parents to involve the younger ones so they can carry them on. Some of these are still celebrated in grand, beautiful ways. Here are a few that continue to shine:

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🕊️ Scoppio del Carro (Florence, Tuscany)
On Easter Sunday, a cart packed with fireworks is ignited outside Florence’s Duomo. A dove-shaped rocket (la colombina) flies from the altar to the cart, triggering the explosion. It’s meant to bring good luck and a bountiful year.

🕯️ La Madonna Che Scappa (Sulmona, Abruzzo)
In a stunning Easter Sunday procession, a statue of the Virgin Mary runs through the square to meet the risen Christ, shedding her black veil as fireworks erupt and the crowd cheers.

👣 Processione dei Misteri (Trapani, Sicily)
A 24-hour Good Friday procession with life-size statues showing scenes from the Passion of Christ—one of Italy’s oldest and most dramatic Easter events.

🌾 Pasquetta (Easter Monday)
Across Italy, families pack up leftovers and head outdoors for picnics and day trips. It’s a national holiday and a joyful way to savor spring.

🍞 Cuddura cu l’ova (Sicily and Southern Italy)
Sweet, festive bread shaped like doves or hearts with hard-boiled eggs baked into them. Often made by hand, especially for children.

🐣 The Rites of Enna (Sicily)
Hundreds of hooded friars process through the streets on Good Friday in solemn, age-old tradition.

🎭 La Processione del Venerdì Santo (Chieti, Abruzzo)
One of Italy’s oldest Easter processions, featuring hundreds in traditional dress, moving through the streets to the haunting melody of Il Miserere.

We may not knead dough like our grandmothers did, but there’s still something sacred in gathering, in sharing a meal, and in pausing to honor the return of light and life.

As Giovanni Pascoli wrote:
“C’è qualcosa di nuovo oggi nel sole, anzi d’antico.”
“There is something new today in the sun, or rather, something ancient.”

May we all find something of that ancient light, whether around a crowded table, in a quiet moment of remembrance, or under the Easter sun.

Happy Easter. 🌿 New and old, near and far. 🌸