Easter. Are you too immediately thinking of crunchy chocolate eggs? Maybe with praline or nutty? Colourful sugar eggs, golden bunnies, coated ducklings?
There are no doubts: among all the desserts, one of the main characters of our Easter is certainly chocolate, of all tastes and colours.
An antique/ancient tradition
Did you know that the eggs’ tradition is lost in the mists of time?
The ancient Egyptians, but also the Greeks and the Chinese, already had the tradition of exchanging decorated eggs to celebrate the new season and the arrival of spring.
In Christian symbolism the egg is a sign of life: similar to a stone, therefore to a sepulcher, the egg contains the yolk, the life, and for this reason, it becomes a sign of resurrection.
It was probably Germany that in the Middle Ages began to spread the tradition of exchanging eggs: first as a gift to servants and then as a tribute to the inhabitants of the community.
Easter nowadays
Nowadays there are many Easter traditions related to eggs.
Easter handcrafts are very common, especially among children; just think of the preparation and decoration of hard-boiled eggs. And what about the egg hunt during the Easter morning?
In peasant folklore there is also the custom of putting hard-boiled eggs on the windowsill on Easter night; in fact, it is said that they will be blessed. In the morning you will have breakfast with those eggs to wish you prosperity and health.
The Easter dove
In Italy, it is usual to eat a special dessert: the Easter dove. There is no Italian family that does not finish the Easter lunch with a nice slice of Colomba.
What are the origins of this dessert? They are unknown, as the myths linked to the birth of this all-Italian delicacy are endless.
Among the many, the legend of the Lombard queen Theodolinda. It is said that around 610 dc, the queen welcomed the arrival at the court of Saint Colombano with a banquet worthy of a king. However, since it was a period of Lent and fasting, the Saint found himself obliged to decline the gift and, in order not to offend the sovereigns, he transformed the dishes that set the table into white doves of bread.
For those who are not romantic, the invention of the Easter dove can be attributed to a Mantuan advertiser, Dino Villani, who in the 1930s thought of a dessert that could replace the production of the Panettone during the spring months.
Christmas with your parents, Easter with whoever you want!
After the usual Sunday lunches with families, on Mondays, Italians dedicate themselves to picnics, trips, walks or bicycle rides with friends.
“When Easter falls in spring, the weather is usually nice, crisp/breezing but sunny. Nevertheless, if you want to organize a nice barbecue in your garden for Easter Monday or you want to take a trip out of town, (rest assured that) it will rain!”
“Or at least, that’s usually the case … who knows why! Hoping for good weather and sinking bad thoughts in chocolate, Saporare wishes you: A happy Easter!”
