Easter is the feast of the resurrection, and joy, and this is manifested in the upcoming spring, the awakening of nature, the first new fruit of the earth.
the Easter period runs from 25 March to 25 April. This festival falls in the same period, both the Jewish and Christian religion. For the former, the Passover celebrates the escape of Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, led by Moses.
For Christians remember the passion and resurrection of Christ.
With the Last Supper, Jesus broke the bread and shares it with the Apostles, giving his body a sacrifice for all humanity.
This episode gives a special value to food, compared to other festivals.
How to calculate Easter today.
Starting from the rules of the Council of Nicaea, for which Easter was to fall on the Sunday following the first full moon of spring, today the date is calculated scientifically, based on the spring equinox and full moon, using the calculation the meridian of Jerusalem, site of the death and resurrection of Christ. E 'be noted that the date of Orthodox Easter does not coincide with the Catholic Church, because the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar to calculate, rather than the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the Orthodox Easter falls about a week after the Catholic Church.
Pasquali The symbols are the eggs that are cold and sad tomb, which is swept away by Christ, who rises and conquers death. The egg is a symbol of life that is renewed hope and fertility.
The doves symbolizing the beginning of a new life-"The Resurrection."
The bells are the best tools to communicate quickly and with joy the "good news" of the Resurrection.
The bell is also considered a symbol of feminine virtues, its form relates to the vault of the heavens and the battle is what is suspended between heaven and earth. Together symbolizing the reproductive organs. So the bells are a symbol of fertility that is well suited to spring.
The Olive Tree, a symbol of Peace, is God who "make peace" with men through the gift of His Son Jesus that conquers death in order to give us the opportunity to resurrect
Spring. Trunks and dead cold of winter, as if by magic, the buds bloom and all of nature begins to relive
But I remember other symbols of my childhood, now abandoned, which made this time even more joyful. The tradition was for Palm Sunday, will show off a new dress. I went in February, with my parents in a shop in Via Pollio who sold cloth. You choose the color and fabric. Then we went to the tailor. In tailoring
there was a large table where he had supported a large iron coal. As tools of the trade, there was a long line of wood, plaster, huge scissors, pins, pins, needles, etc.. Could not miss the sewing machine.
The tailor, began with the meter to take measurements, then followed the cut by a master engraver. After a week or ten days, there was "evidence" and wore the dress, baste with the wire, and the tailor made the appropriate improvements. Finally, the suit could be withdrawn. What a joy and cool! (Beautiful Drop Dead, ed.) Now, the dress you buy it already packaged, you wear it, but the fabric, trim, buttons, seem to attack, all of poor quality and you have to arrange as you helmet wearing. And all the other stuff!
Another custom during Holy Week, from Thursday to Holy Saturday, in place of bells (in church) and bells, they used the "troccola. It 'an instrument made from a wooden table on which are installed "handles" made of metal. Shaking the troccola the metal shackles beat the wooden body, producing a characteristic sound.
when I heard this noise, it meant that the faithful were called to the functions .
On Good Friday, he looked forward to the end of the procession, because we went to the butcher who was sporting lamb hanging from hooks outside the door, with flags impaled in the fresh meat of animals ready to be, not sacrificed to the gods old, but cooked in the homes of people, even the most humble, and tricolor ribbons hanging from the necks of lambs and kids. Were you in line to get one!
And what about the joy in the realization between Wednesday and Holy Thursday, the horse and the pupa? You would first go to the bakery to reserve the glovebox and time of infornatura.Nel meantime, my mother began to make the dough and play the horse and pupa. The mane was made of twisted dough, to the eye they used pepper. All garnished with colored candies. Same procedure for the pupa. Then, lies in the glovebox, which was covered with a towel and we went in the oven. We had to queue up and wait! But when it came out of the oven, the aroma, color and shimmer her eyes and made you already enjoy in the midst of the milk!
On Holy Saturday, he produced the "trifle." It was the first sponge cake, cut it into slices, is ensconced in a large shallow dish. Bathed with liquor, the Corfinio, meanwhile you were doing that put the cream on the cake. Did you move it a bit''and joined the cocoa. So, once blended, pour the cream. So you did the day of Easter and cool, u guys, pleasure!
to do before, now go buy and pastry. ... Something ....!
remains the procession of Good Friday, one of the most important in Italy. The notes of the Miserere, composed in 1740 by Xavier Theatine Selecchy are a poignant melody sung by three hundred male voices and supported by the sound of a hundred and fifty violins and consists of ten stanzas.
From the balconies and windows that open along the route of the procession, hanging silk covers. The statue of Christ dead, covered with a precious white veil, lies in a coffin wrapped in a cloth of black velvet finely embroidered in gold. E 'carried by members of the arch of the Sacred Mountain of the Dead. Following the artistic statue of a very expressive, with black silk dress embroidered with gold thread.
frantic life today, unfortunately, made me forget these customs, even though they spent only five or six decades (the period of time equivalent to 5 years).
Luciano Pellegrini
