Auguri di Buona Pasqua da
tutti noi della scuola l’Italiano Parlando.
“Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi
vuoi"-("Christmas with your family, Easter
with your own choice of friends") is frequently heard if you are in Italy on
this time of the year.
Although
Italians do not generally decorate hard–boiled eggs nor have chocolate bunnies
or pastel marshmallow chicks, the biggest Easter displays in bars, pastry shops,
supermarkets, and especially at chocolatiers are brightly wrapped uova di Pasqua—chocolate Easter eggs—in
sizes that range from 10 grams (1/3 ounce) to 8 kilos (nearly 18 pounds). All
except the tiniest eggs contain a surprise. Grown–ups often find their eggs
contain little silver picture frames or gold–dipped costume jewelry. The very
best eggs are handmade by artisans of chocolate, who offer the service of
inserting a surprise supplied by the purchaser. Car keys, engagement rings, and
watches are some of the high–end gifts that have been tucked into Italian
chocolate eggs in Italy.
The egg is used as a symbol
of the start of new life, just as new life emerges from an egg when the chick
hatches out.
While
the origin of Easter eggs can be explained in the symbolic terms described
above, a pious legend among followers of Eastern Christianity says that Mary
Magdalene was bringing cooked eggs to share with the other women at the tomb of
Jesus, and the eggs in her basket miraculously turned brilliant red when she saw
the risen Christ.
A
different, but not necessarily conflicting, legend concerns Mary Magdalene's
efforts to spread the Gospel. According to this tradition, after the Ascension
of Jesus, Mary went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with “Christ has
risen,” whereupon he pointed to an egg on his table and stated, “Christ has no
more risen than that egg is red.” After making this statement it is said the egg
immediately turned blood red.
Some classic Easter recipes
include carciofi fritti (fried artichokes), a main course of either capretto o
agnellino al forno (roasted goat or baby lamb) or capretto cacio e uova (kid
stewed with cheese, peas, and eggs), and carciofi e patate soffritti, a
delicious vegetable side dish of sautéed artichokes with baby potatoes. A
holiday meal in Italy would not be complete without a traditional dessert, and
during Easter there are several. La pastiera Napoletana, the classic Neapolitan
grain pie, is a centuries–old dish with innumerable versions, each made
according to a closely guarded family recipe. Another treat is the Colomba cake,
a sweet, eggy, yeasted bread (like panettone plus candied orange peel, minus the
raisins, and topped with sugared and sliced almonds) shaped in one of the most
recognizable symbols of Easter, the dove. The Colomba cake takes on this form
precisely because la colomba in
Italian means dove, the symbol of peace and an appropriate finish to Easter
dinner.
Italian
Easter Vocabulary List
l’agnello
- lamb
Buona
Pasqua - Happy Easter
il
coniglietto - bunny rabbit
La
crocifissione - Crucifixion
la
pace - peace
la
Pasquetta - Easter Monday
la
primavera - Spring
la
resurrezione - Resurrection
la
settimana santa - Holy Week
ultima
cena - Last Supper
le
uova - eggs
Venerdi
santo - Holy Friday
Source::
italian.about.com
