Easter

On 31 March we celebrated the Easter day and I went  to my uncle's with other family members. we also celebrated the birthday of my 2 cousins.
We started lunch with Lasagne,and then we ate potatoes, salad and a delicious birthday cake and Easter eggs.
In the Afternoon we stayed in the garden and my uncle showed us his latest creations.A few years ago he showed the "potato cannon", a long pipe with a bulge at the end which had to be filled with propane gas and the other end is filled up with a potato. A wick blows the propane and the potato is catapulted very far.
After a good coffee and after playing some board games  we left and went home.

Andrea Pesaresi

Easter

I spent my Easter day with my family at home.

I got up at 6.00 a.m. and had a traditional easter breakfast, we ate

Lamb Offal with hard boiled eggs. At midday I went to my uncle’s house and I had lunch.

I spent the afternoon there. After dinner I went out with my friends for a wolk. After that I came back home at 11.00 p.m. I went to bed.

Michele Angeli

Easter

This year my family and I celebrated Easter in a strange way:first of all my mom made an unusual Easter tree where she hung painted eggs, then I went to mi baby cousins’ house dressed up like a rabbit and I gave them two Easter eggs but, apart these unusual celebrations we went to Church for the “Via crucis” and on easter’s vigil in Ussita and there I had lunch with my relative.

PESACH THE PASSOVER

Hi friends,
this is our last effort on festivals. It is a research on the Jewish festival Passover . It was hard work ! Joking but it took us a lot of time , we have been busy  recently. We also added a recipe: go to the section "Festive Food" and try it.
Read on anf find Pesach.

Pesach means “to pass through” or as it is translated in English “ to pass over”. It is one of the most important festival in the Jewish year. Jewish people remember how the children of Israel  left slavery and were led out of Egypt by Moses. This is the story and it can be found in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 12 in the Torah:

Moses went to see Pharaoh many times. Each time Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites. Moses warned Pharaoh that God would send  plagues on Egypt if Pharaoh did not let them go. The ten plagues were: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, blight of the livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of the first born. God told the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and brush  their doors with the blood  so that the angel of death would recognize and pass over their houses.

The final plague was the death of the first born. God told Moses that the Israelites should mark their doorposts with lamb's blood so that God could 'pass over' their houses and spare them from this plague. This is why the festival is called Passover. the Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go . They left in such a hurry that there was no time to bake bread for the journey but they took the unleavened dough. That’s why the feast is also called “the festival of unleavened bread” and people eat unleavened bread called Matzah

HOW TO GET READY FOR PASSOVER

Before celebrations begin, the house must be cleaned and every traces of chamez ( leaven) must be removed. this also symbolizes the removal of arrogance from their souls. The day before Passover starts all firstborn males fast to celebrate their escape from the tenth plague. The most important moment  takes place on the first night of Passover when friends and family gather together for the seder meal.

Seder means order and ceremonies are arranged in a specific order.

The text of the pesach seder  is written in a book called Haggadah. ( narration ). Everyone at the seder has a cushion to lean on . This is to remember that they are no longer slaves, but free people. Everyone takes part in reading , many songs are sung and four questions are asked by the youngest child.

THE 4 QUESTIONS ARE:

Why do we eat unleavened bread?

Why do we eat bitter herbs

Why do we dip our food in liquid?

At the beginning of the meal a piece of potato is dipped in salt water to recall the tears the Jews shed as slaves.

Why do we eat in a reclining position?

THIS IS WHAT A SEDER PLATE CONSISTS OF:

WINE: it symbolizes  joy and happiness; an extra glass of wine is for Elijah. Jews believe that the prophet will visit every Seder meal and announce the coming of the Messiah. A few drops of wine are spilled to recall the sufferings of the Egyptians during the plagues.

MATZO:  unleavened bread

A BONE OF LAMB: to represent the killing of the lamb by each household

AN EGG : it represents sacrifice but it can also mean Jewish determination not to abandon their beliefs

GREENERY: it represents new life

SALT WATER: it symbolizes the slaves’ tears

BITTER HERBS : they represent the bitterness of slavery

CHAROSET( a paste made of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine ) it represents the mortar used by the Israelites during their forced labour)

Now enjoy this nice video explaining the seder plate

SAN SEVERINO FESTIVAL

Hi guys, I’m Giacomo and I want to tell you about a nice festival that takes place  in June.

My town is  San Severino Marche, it is in the centre of the Province of Macerata. It  is in the nice valley of river Potenza. My town has a beautiful  countryside, historical testimonials, works of art, architectural treasures and a very relaxing atmosphere. I’m sure Edita remembers it!

Our  patron saints are San Severino and San Pacifico.

San Pacifico’s festival is on 24^th September and it has a religious character.

On the contrary, for San Severino’s festival,  on 8^th June,  there are also cultural and artistic shows and popular events. The most famous event is the Palio dei Castelli during which there is the Corsa delle Torri ( The Race of the Towers). The medieval games of San Severino Marche are among the most important historical commemorations in central Italy.

During the Palio and the Corsa delle Torri  more than 1300 players appear: nobility, commoners, musicians, archers, arbalesters and belligerents, with tools and weapons reconstructed by the Grifone della Scala Company.

They bring to life the historical parade, here the “ceri” (big candles) are offered to the  patron saint.

 The central event is the race where teams carry large models of castle towers representing their villages (Rocchetta, Colleluce, Serralta, Taccoli and Cesolo) and “Rioni” (town quarters: Settempeda, Castello, di Contro).

The team that gets the highest score in every game (tug-of-war, race of the Towers, medieval games, archery etc.) wins the Palio dei Castelli. The winners usually celebrate their victory all night long.

According to historical chronicles, San Severino’s first festival was held on 8^th June 1198 and it was a big  and important religious and civil festival.

Today the historical commemoration is brought to life by the “ Palio dei Castelli Association” which was born in 1991.

It is thanks to the passion and skills of its members that every year in the first week of June we can assist to the recreation of medieval evenings, games and shows  during which the historical centre is transformed into an enchanting medieval village.

On this day we usually meet friends in the morning at the traditional San Severino’s Fair, we have lunch together and then, in the afternoon we play some typical game, for example, tug of war. In the end, when the night comes, we reach our

Market  Square

, Piazza del Popolo, that is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. Here the historical parade and the Race of the towers take place and we support our team. If our Rione wins the Palio we go on celebrating all the night and the day after.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Hi this is what we found out abaut the Christmas tree

Some historians trace the lighted Christmas tree to Martin Luther. He was walking home one Christmas Eve when he saw stars shining. He thought them so beautiful that he tried to recapture their beauty by putting lighted candles on a small evergreen tree. From about 1700 the Christmas tree became a tradition in Germany and in the 19^th century it became widespread in the Latin countries.

Some people believe that the origin of the Christmas tree goes back to an earlier period. In fact even before the Christian era, trees and boughs were used for ceremonials. Egyptians, in celebrating the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year -- brought green date palms into their homes as a symbol of "life triumphant over death". When the Romans observed the feast of Saturn, part of the ceremony was the raising of an evergreen bough. The early Scandinavians paid homage to the fir tree.

To the Druids, the evergreen holly meant eternal life; while to the Norsemen, they symbolized the revival of the sun god Balder. To those who were superstitious, branches of evergreens put over the door kept out witches, ghosts and evil spirits.

A Christmas tree set up at one of our friends' house

Sergio and Giacomo

Epiphany

 THE EPIPHANY
Hi, our task was to make a research about the Epiphany. When we werwe children we used to love this festivity. It is still a festivity for children.

The end of the 12-day Christmas season is marked by the feast of Epiphany ( Greek “showing forth”) celebrating the arrival of the wise men as well as the showing forth of Jesus as an adult when he was identified at his baptism as God’s son.
 This is an important day to Italians because it marks the end of the Christmas season and the day that the three Wise Men arrived at the manger of the Christ child.

According to the legend  the three Wise Men were in search of the Christ child when they decided to stop at a small house to ask for directions. An old woman holding a broom opened the door but was unaware of who these three men were looking for and could not give them the right directions. The three men asked the old woman to join them on their journey but she refused. After they left she felt she had made a mistake and decided to go and look for the three kind men and Christ child but she could not find them. So the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child. Each year on the eve of the Epiphany she sets out looking for the baby Jesus. She stops at each child's house to leave those who were good treats in their stockings and those who were bad a lump of coal.

The tradition of la Befana includes some pre-Christian elements: she is said to represent a goddess associated with fertility and agriculture but she is also thought to be  related to the celebration of the New Year: la Befana represents the old year, and she is burned to give place to the new one: this is what happens in Northern Italy, in the province of Treviso: la Befana, called la Vecia, is burned on 6 January. La Befana is also said to represent a goddess associated with fertility and agriculture.
In Italy, two places are associated with la Befana: Piazza Navona in Rome where there is a famous market between Christmas and Epiphany.

 In the Marche Region there is the town of  Urbania that is thought to be the official home of la Befana and every year there is a big festival to celebrate the holiday.

This is the Befana's house in Urbania

In the Macerata area the Epiphany is known as “Pasquetta” when all the people used to wish each other “Happy Easter”. It is still custom today that some musicians and singers go from house to house on the previous evening singing the Pasquella one of the most characteristic tunes of the Marches. It is an augury of prosperity and well- being. To thank the musicians you usually give some money or chocolates.

La Pasquella in town centre of  Macerata

There are poems about Befana, which are known in slightly different versions throughout Italy. Here is one of the versions:
La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito alla romana
Viva, Viva La Befana

The English translation is:

The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all tattered and torn
She comes dressed in the Roman way
Long life to the Befana!

Nicola e Francesco

Christmas Crib

THE CHRISTMAS CRIB ( PRESEPIO)

In the Gospels of Saint Luke and saint Matthew we read about the manger, the shepherds and the three Wise Men. They give us an opportunity to imagine what it was like the day when Christ was born. This scene has been recreated by many sculptors and painters, but no one is sure who was the first to recreate this image.
The tradition of crib making dates back to at least 400 AD when Pope Sixtus III had one built in Rome but the Nativity scene became popular after Saint Francis of Assisi put up the first manger in Greccio in 1223: his nativity was a living one with humans and animals. Since then Nativity scenes have been put together in different forms and combinations of live and crafted figures. Sometimes mechanized cribs are created , landscapes with movable parts and characters. In Italy the Nativity is called “presepe” or “presepio”, it can be found in every church, shop, square and other public areas and it usually includes representation of the whole village. Presepio is set up on 8 December, through 6 January.
Many people set up a crib in their houses and figures for the nativity are made in many parts of Italy, the best ones coming from Naples and Sicily.

Nativity - Saint Francis Church -  Macerata

BEST PLACES TO SEE PRESEPI IN ITALY
Naples is the best city to visit for its presepi. Hundreds of nativity scenes are set up throughout the city. Some cribs are very elaborate and may be handmade or use antique figures. Starting December 8, the Church of Gesù Nuovo, in Piazza del Gesu', shows nativity scene art work from the Neapolitan Nativity Scenes Association. The street Via San Giorgio Armeno in central Naples is full of stalls selling Nativity scenes all year.
Vatican City put up a big presepe in St. Peter's Square for Christmas and is usually unveiled on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Eve mass is held in St. Peter's square, usually at 10 pm.
In Rome some of the biggest and most elaborate presepi are found in Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Euclide, Santa Maria in Trastevere, and Santa Maria d'Aracoeli, on the Capitoline Hill. A life-size nativity scene is set up in Piazza Navona where a Christmas marketplace is also set up.
Il Museo tipologico del Presepio in Macerata in the Marche region has more than 4000 nativity pieces an d a 17th century presepe from Naples.

Living nativity scenes, presepi viventi, are found in many parts of Italy with people playing the parts of the nativity. Often living nativity scenes are presented for many days, usually Christmas Day and December 26, and sometimes again the following weekend around the time of Epiphany, January 6, the 12th day of Christmas when the three Wise Men gave Baby Jesus their gifts.

Christmas

CHRISTMAS
Hi,
We worked a bit during the holidays, searched the net, visited websites and this is what we found out about the Christmas festival.

The following is just an introduction to the festival: why 25th? What’s the origin of Xmas? What is Advent ?
The Gospels do not mention the date of Jesus' birth. In the 4th century AD Pope Julius I set 25th December as the date for Christmas. This was an attempt to Christianise the pagan customs and celebrations that already took place at this time of year.

What were these pagan celebrations?
The pagan celebration of Winter Solstice is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world.
The seasons and weather played a very important part in ancient times. The Norsemen of Northern Europe saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. It was from the word for this wheel, houl, that the word yule (another name for Christmas) probably came. At Winter Solstice the Norsemen lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale.
The Romans also had a festival to mark the Winter Solstice. Saturnalia (from the God Saturn) ran for seven days from 17th December. The festival also involved processions, decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles and giving presents.
The Winter Solstice falls on the shortest day of the year (21st December) and was celebrated in Britain long before the arrival of Christianity. The Druids (Celtic priests) used to cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months.
It was also the Druids who began the tradition of the yule log. The Celts thought that the sun stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter and during this time a log was lit to defeat the darkness and bring luck for the coming year.
In pagan customs holly, one of the symbol most associated with Christmas, represented the Sun God and it was used to decorate windows and doors for protection.
Many of these customs are still followed today. They have been incorporated into the Christian and secular celebrations of Christmas. In fact it was easy to substitute the material sun of the solstice with Christ, the Light of the world.

THE PERIOD OF ADVENT
Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and begins four Sundays before Christmas day. The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus meaning coming. People no longer fast during the advent but they get ready for the arrival of Jesus. Christians think about preparing to celebrate Xmas at their own home , with their family and about the need to prepare one’s inner self to receive Jesus in spirit.

Within the period of Advent there are several Saints’ Days and the saint that has become associated with Christmas is Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus. We know very little about his historical figure but a lot of legends celebrate his generosity. His feast day is December 6 and in many tradition this is the day children receive their presents. In modern times the figures of Father Christmas and Santa Claus are indistinguishable.

The visual image of Father Christmas that we have today is the one popularised by American card-makers in the nineteenth century. Some traditions surrounding Father Christmas pre-date Christianity for example his sleigh, pulled by reindeer, comes from Scandinavian mythology.

Francesco and Sergio

Advent period in Lithuania

Dear friends, the year is coming to its end so it’s time to prepare for Christmas as we do it in Lithuania year by year during Advent period. Advent is the period before Christmas, starting approximately around the Day of St Andrew (November 30th) and lasting till Christmas day (December 25th). Before Christianity it was believed that it is necessary to wait for the returning sun to roll down the winter stone, the most sacral event which was due to happen on December 24th -25th . The ancient Romans celebrated a number of midwinter festivals: Saturnalia on December 17th- 24th -, the sowing of winter crops, Brumalia on December 25th - celebrated the return of the Invincible Sun (winter solstice) and the Calends on January 1rs celebrated the start of the New Year. In time, Christian celebration of Christmas eclipsed all of the above, but some of the ancient customs, such as decking houses with evergreens, giving presents and feasting, became a part of the Christmas tradition. The Lithuanian name for Christmas, Kaledos, comes from the Latin word for Calends, Kalendae.

After the baptism of Lithuania Advent became the period of waiting for baby Jesus to be born. Some people say that during Advent everybody is waiting for the guest. “While we are waiting for him we are preparing. We have to clean our homes, cook best meals, which we eat only on holidays, spruce ourselves. People should become cleaner both bodily and spiritually.” – says Danutė Kunčienė, the leader of Herbal Academy. The older Lithuanian Christmas customs and traditions reflect the rural lifestyle of Lithuanians who lived on small family farms, grew their own crops, raised their own livestock. Everything they did, they ate, , was intimately tied to the cycle of the seasons and to the products of their own labor. As Lithuania is situated in northern Europe, during Christmas the country is in a grip of a cold winter. The ground is covered with snow, lakes and rivers are frozen. All nature seems to be in a deep sleep except for the evergreen fir and pine trees. There are no fresh flowers, no fresh fruit, no fresh vegetables. So, the time of Advent is meant for rest: we rest our bodies from heavy fat food, we rest our minds from joyful, loud celebrations. In this period it is time to talk to oneself rather than to others. Written documents mention different restrictions typical of this period. It was believed the people should not cut forest, people who did that heard human voices coming from trees, houses built of such trees were haunted. It was not recommended to hunt animals, cut sheep etc. as it was believed that for some time human souls were incarnated in animals and trees. Due to the restrictions on work people had more time to come together and watch the natural phenomena, which helped them to forecast future. For example, it was cold on Advent, the coming summer would be hot with thunderstorms. Starlit sky forecasted a lot of fish and big snowflakes meant good year for flax.

In ancient times before Christmas hired workers returned home, their service period being over.As part of youths married in autumn, the somewhat shattered youth community consolidated to experience the time of its utmost activity.

In many places, a custom of daily gatherings to have fun and enjoyment existed. Such merrymaking was common even on workdays. In some places, merry processions of costumed people through villages lasted all 12 days. In quite a big area of north-eastern Lithuania, a custom of “going Gypsy” existed. Boys not only fooled around playing but also teased girls and poured water on assembled people. People were telling magic stories, playing games singing special rhymes and praying. It was also time for young people to find “someone special” for the future life. One more very important moment was that during Advent period people had time to apologise their neighbours and relatives and forgive others, the time for the family members to come together and giving each other love and attention.

At our school we have a tradition to celebrate an Advent party in order to spend some time together before the Christmas holiday and to learn more about Lithuanian traditions of this period.We do it not only for ourselves but also invite some people from our community.

As usually, our honourable guest was priest Petras, who blessed us and told us about the significance of the whole Christmas period, and Advent in particular. Dovilė and Modestas were the hosts of the party, presenting the most important facts and traditions, related to Advent. The group of singers, accompanied by Music teacher Rita were singing traditional Advent songs and the group of dancers were teaching everybody to dance and play games. Students from different classes told us some entertaining stories. taught how to play traditional games. The table traditionally was laid with white tablecloth and we were treated with “kučiukai” – typical dice-shaped Christmas Eve bread with poppy seeds.

At the end of the party our headmaster Vaidute Sumkauskiene wished everybody merry and happy Christmas and New Year. With this party we actually finished the studies this year and started Christmas Holiday.

Zolines - the Ascension of St Marry

Prepared by Agne, Inga, Emilija and Gabija

Dear Italian friends,
The festival that you call “Ferragosto”, in Lithuania is called “Žolinės“ which can be translated as “grasses” and is also celebrated on August 15th. Ancient Lithuanians celebrated this festival since time immemorial as the transition from the summer to the autumn. It was also the day to say good bye to the greenery – grasses and flowers. It the time of harvest, gathering fruit, berries,picking honey, making jams etc. Women used to gather different herbs and make tea, bake bread and pies from the new harvest and men used to make a lot of beer so that everybody could celebrate. It was believed that those who do not celebrate together on this particular day, will be poor next year.
Like ancient Romans, who dedicated this festival to goddess Diana, Greeks – to goddess Artemis, ancient Lithuanians devoted it to the great goddess Lada, the mother of all the nature. After the christianising of Lithuania Lada was replaced by saint Maria, the mother of Jesus. It is believed that the Apostles who were standing by the coffin of St Marry, saw her ascension and after opening the coffin, found there a lot of beautiful flowers.
It really does not matter which of the goddesses we pray to, the most important aspect of this festival in Lithuania is very deep-rooted gratitude and respect to the nature. Every year in more than 200 churces in Lithuania the Feast Day of Žolinės or the Ascension of St Marry is celebrated. The churches are nicely decorated and the service lasts much longer, including processions, blessings, devotions etc. People bring grasses and flowers to the church, where they are blessed and then kept through the year at home. Though most people do not realize the connection that existed between gods and people in the past, but it is still widely believed that the herbs, blessed on that day have much more curative powers.


How we celebrate Žolinės now?

Nowadays this festival is more celebrated in the countryside than in the big cities as people there are much closer to the nature, but after this day was officially made the day off, the celebrations are organized in the cities as well. For example, in Vilnius all the squares around the churches are drowned in greenery. It is celebrated in all the churches and cathedrals in Lithuania.




The most popular events take part in Pivašiūnai, a village in the southern part of Lithuania. It is also one of the main pilgrimage places in Lithuania because of the miraculous picture of St Marry in Pivašiūnai church. In 1988, Lithuanian Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius adorned the famous image of Our Lady of Pivašiūnai with crowns blessed by Pope John Paul II and bestowed her with the title of “Comfort of the Afflicted”. The feast in Pivašiūnai lasts from August 15th till August 22nd. Every day the prayers are dedicated to different groups of people: farmers, priests, teachers, the sick, families, the youth, the employees, communities. The miraculous image disseminates love, peace and consolation to the hearts of the believers.



But certainly it is not only the church that celebrates the festival. In the afternoon people come together and organize parties. It is a good time for the families to come together. They have a meal at home and then visit concerts, fairs, concerts and different other attractions which are held on this day. For the country people it is the festival of all the village communion.



As all the students are on holiday at that time we were involved in different activities , usually with our families or friends:
Laura: “On Žolinės I was visiting my relatives in Vandžiogala (a small village near Kaunas). All family members gathered there. In the morning we went to Church, where service lasted for three hours as there was a procession around the churchyard, with holly icons and girls throwing flowers on the ground. After it all the family had a big lunch. It was nice to meet all of them.”

Dovilė: “I did not do anything particular, actually we were very busy preparing for my friend’s birthday which was due the next day.”
Edita:” All my family, including my grandmother went to church in Naujoji Vilnia. We brought several kinds of herbs, some flowers and apples – everything from our garden, all to be blessed in the church. After the ceremony we came home and prepared a big lunch, during which we drank tea made from these herbs and ate fruit – the apples, which we shared among ourselves. A very special feeling of being all family together and following the traditions of our ancestors.”
Eglė: “Me and my family spent that day at my grandmother’s in the village Stulgiai in western Lithuania. In the morning my grandmother went to church, but we felt a little bit lazy and stayed at home and prepared lunch for the family. The best part of the day was the get-together party in the evening with a live performance of the local youth band and dancing through the night.”

Indelible day..

I had never been to a Jmj, it was a wonderful experience! World Youth Day is to turn our heads and our hearts to Jesus Christ and so it was amazing to see 2 million young people from all continents come together, to believe in Jesus!


There are many things to tell.. We arrived at the military airport "Cuatro vientos" on Saturday morning. The weather was crazy: from the unbearable heat, to the violent storm. Pope during the vigil said: "the guys are here under the rain, I also stay".

The best part for me of WYD Madrid was the adoration with the Pope. It was just incredibly powerful seeing the effect the Holy Father and the Blessed Sacrament had on all the young people there. Even for few minutes, I forgot the rain, the wat bag and wind. It was just us. A family. The most beautiful family, because we were really united and so happy despite the difficulties encountered during the trip and the week. So there was Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, above us was just the moon and the stars, it was wonderful, just wonderful.

JMJ is a vision of heaven in a way.

Ferragosto all together

Hi, here we are after our long summer holidays and the first feast we want to talk you about is FERRAGOSTO. Do you know what Ferragosto is ? For us it represents the peak of the summer, a day when most people relax , get together , have some nice food , laugh, play tricks……..
First of all:
try to solve this rebus and you’ll find out the Italian name of a trick young people play:

PAST SIMPLE of GIVE + T + IT’S EQUIVALENT TO 1,016 KG + I

Got it? Now read on and find out everything, well, almost everything , about Ferragosto

Ferragosto, 15th August, is a very popular holiday in Italy. It has its origin in ancient times, in the Roman festival of the CONSUALI that took place in August and honoured the god of the harvest, Consul. Later on in 18 BC the Emperor Augustus instituted a new holiday , the FERIAE AUGUSTI which ran for the whole month of August and celebrated various gods including Diana, the Goddess whose task was to oversee the wood, the cycles of the Moon and maternity, Vortummus, God of the seasons and so of the ripening of crops and Opeconsiva that personified the abundant harvest. It is interesting to note that it probably derived from the East, from the Syrian celebration of Atagartis , half fish , half woman, a goddess who oversaw fertility and work in the field.
The festival was particular because it was the only occasion when all classes of Romans could celebrate together and even beasts of burden were given a pause.
With the advent of Christianity people turned to the Virgin for help in agriculture and began celebrating her in August and probably it was in the 580s in the Eastern empire that the feast day was instituted on 15 August. This was just a celebration of Mary , the modern dogma that she was transported to Heaven on Ferragosto started in the 18th century and was formally proclaimed by Pope Pius xii in 1950.

CELEBRATIONS
The Romans used to celebrate with horse races a tradition that can still be seen in festivals organized throughout the country in this period like the Palio di Siena , or the Cavalcata of the Assunta in the Marche town of Fermo.
The most typical way to celebrate Ferragosto is to go to the beach or to have a picnic in the mountains or in the countryside. No matter where people spend the day, it is sure they reenact some of the ancient rites celebrating the spirits of water and fire. In fact on 15th Agust and even a few days before it, there are spectacular fireworks in many places , bathing and in some area the so called “gavettoni” waterfilled bags thrown to people relaxing on a beach or on a field.
If you choose to go on a picnic this is what you may find in a picnic basket:
A rice salad, a refreshing fruit salad or a slice of sugary watermelon and a deliciuos jam tart.

This is how some of us spent the ferragosto
Marco : I got up at 11 a.m. , met my friends at 12 and cooked us some pasta and fries for lunch.
Alessandro: the best time of the day was when I met my friends after dinner and all together we went to the beach and watched the fireworks . We spent the night on the beach. Wow!
Angelo: I went to the beach with my friends, and in the evening we went to a party and after the party we went clubbing. I went bach home at 5,30 am
Simone: Hi guys . I spent Ferragosto working! I didn’t mind. I ploughed the fields and harvested sunflowers . I had a nice lunch in a restaurant.
Giulia: Do you remember Pistacoppi? The folk group that performed at school on your last day in Macerata. I went with the Pistacoppi to Senigallia spent the day in a beautiful house with a swimming pool and we ate sausages and steaks and after that, in the evening we went to the beach to see the sunrise. What a beautiful show of nature!

FAST AND FESTIVAL IN THE MUSLIM YEAR

RAMADAN and Eid-ul-Fitr are important times in the Muslim calendar.

Ramadan means “ 9^th month”, and the Night of Power ( Lailat-ul-Qadr ) is the night when  the

Koran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. This night is commemorated with prayers on the

night from the 26^th to the 27^th.

In the month of Ramadan you can't eat or drink during the day. This is called fasting. You have to

wait till the evening to eat. At sunset, you can have a snack, such as a few dates as was the

Prophet's custom and later, after the evening prayer, you have a full dinner. All eating must finish

before the sun rises.

Why fast?  These are the benefits of fasting:

You will learn  self-control.

You will learn to be patient.

You will experience what it is like to be hungry, thirsty, so will be more willing to help the poor .

It is a time when you try to fight temptation and strengthen your faith.

It is very difficult not to eat or drink during the day. Not all Muslims have to fast during Ramadan.

Very old people don't fast and children don't have to fast until they are 12 or older. People who are

on a journey can eat while they are travelling. Women don't fast if they are expecting a baby. Ill

people don't fast but they must fast when they are healthy again. While you are fasting you pray

more and read the Qur'an more.

EID-UL-FITR is the festival marking the end of Ramadan. It begins on the first day of the next month.

Towards the end of Ramadan, Muslim clean their houses, prepare new clothes and gifts and plan a

great feast for when the new moon is seen and the fast is over. Street parties and family parties are

held , greetings and cards are exchanged. Prayers are often held out of doors to accommodate the

crowds who come in their best clothes to give thanks to God.

On this day fair ground  attractions are set up in some places such as in Turkey where they include

trained bears.

People often visit  the graves of their relatives and then spend their time feasting and exchanging

gifts.

Sugared almonds are a speciality of the festival, as well as chocolates and nuts. For the main feast a

dish such as stuffed lamb is served with a lot of side dishes. Go the the section “Festive food” and

try the milky rice pudding, Sciltiaz.

4°C

EASTER: FACTS, TRADITION, SYMBOLS, FOOD

HE SUFFERED, HE DIED, HE IS RISEN

Three verbs representing the events of the end of Jesus’ life on earth: his suffering, his death by

crucifixion, his rise to life again. These events are celebrated in a series of festivals leading up to

Easter. We have taken a look at this festive period and this is what we have found out.

EASTER KEY FACTS

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is now a Christian festival but

it is believed that the holiday originated with the pagan rituals of spring.

There are different names for Easter : the English speaking countries use the word Easter based on

the goddess Eostre, the Lithuanian word Velykos and the Latvian word Lieldienas are based on

Great Day or Great Night, whereasthe Italian one Pasqua and the Russian Pascha are based on

Pesach the name for Passover.

Have you ever wondered why Easter is on different dates every year? Easy:Easter is a movable

feast because it is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon of the spring equinox and

in western churches this is always between 22nd March and 25th April.

The 40 days before Easter are called Lent. But the days before Easter are 46. How come? Easy: the

Lent is made up of 40 days since the 6 Sundays are considered a commemoration of Easter Sunday

and they have always been excluded.

The Holy Week is the week before Easter Sunday and the start is Palm Sunday that celebrates the

entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and he was greeted by

people who laid palms on his feet and this day is commemorated with the blessing of palm or olive

leaves. According to a German scholar Anton Baumstark (1872-1848) the custom of blessing the

palms goes back to the 8th century and in cold countries flowers or different trees were used such as

willow, box or yew. Later on this ritual was followed by a procession. The blessed branches were

then put over the bed or decorate the frame of some holypicture, a custom which still exists today

in Italy since it is believed that they can protect people. You won’t believe it but in Lithuania the

elders whip the children with palm branches or branches of juniper to clean them of their sins and it

is believed that if a child is whipped hard enough heor she will have a good year.In Vilnius region

people also make lovely compositions of dried flowers , they are called Verbos which is the word

for palm.

The Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the

Garden of Gethsemane.

The word “maundy “comes from the command (mandate) given by Christ at the Last Supper, that

we should love one another.

In Roman Catholic churches the anthem “Mandatum novum do vobis” (a new commandment I give

to you)is sung on Maundy Thursday.

Holy Fridaycommemorates Jesus' s death and it is a day of prayer, repentance and fasting . In

many churches services begin at 3 o'clock, the time Christ is believed to have died.

EASTER SYMBOLS AND EGG DECORATION

Easter has a lot of symbols, most of them common in the world and representing spring, fertility,

renewal, abundant new life. Everybody knows what these symbols are: the rabbit, or hare, which

is a symbol of abundant new life, the spring flowers like daffodils and tulips that bloom in the

spring or the lily that represents also the purity of Jesus.

What is symbol number one? The egg: in every tradition it represents birth. We have found out that

according to an Indian myth the universe originated from a cosmic egg that was then divided into

two giving origin to the sky and the earth, whereas according to a Greek myth a bird symbolizing

the night was fertilized by the wind, it laid a silver egg and from this egg the universe was born. The

egg is also a symbol of the rock tomb out of which Christ emerged when he rose again.

The tradition of donating Easter eggs comes from this symbolism and it goes back as far as the

12th century and in the time of the Sun King it became a custom to give eggs made of precious

materials and to hide a surprise inside the egg. Any comment on what you found inside your

delicious chocolate egg ?

Eggs are also painted and different cultures have developed their own way to paint Easter eggs.

In Greece they are painted dark red to symbolize the blood of Christ;

in Germany and Austria the eggs are green and the Austrian artists design patterns by tying tiny

plants around the egg and after boiling it , the plants are removed and a nice pattern appears.

In Poland and Russia eggs are decorated in a manner called Pysanki. Melted beeswax is put on the

egg and then the egg is dipped into successive baths of dye and after every dip the egg is painted so

that at the end a pattern of lines and colours emerges.

In Lithuania two methods are used, one based on producing designs on dyed eggs by scratching

them or using wax to create patterns. Why the decoration? Well, people believed that patterns and

especially colours had special meanings: black symbolized earth, fertility abundance; red meant life,

energy, birth; green had to insure growth health and peace; yellow and brown harvest and light and

blue meant blessing and heaven. So a decorated egg was supposed to bring health, prosperity and

happiness.

An egg tree:  photo taken in Vilnius

Eggs are good also to play games like egg hunt, egg roll and egg tapping. In some countries like

UK and Latvia egg knocking competitions are held: competitors line up and knock eggs together, if

an egg is cracked, the competitor is out. Lithuanians also compete in egg rolling. The eggs are

rolled from a ramp made from a piece of wood, bark or cartonwith a downward incline. They aim

at the eggs of another player located in the circle on the ground. When the rolled egg hits another

egg then thelucky player takesboth eggs. The winner is the person who has the most eggs left. In

the USA an Easter party is hosted by the President and the highlight of the event is the egg rolling

race.

A picture showing  Lithuanian children playing the egg rolling game.

Egg rolling: picture taken in Vilnius

TRADITIONS

In many parts of Europe huge bonfires are lighted on hilltops and inchurchyards on Easter Eve.

They are sometimes called Judas fires, because effigies of Judas are frequently burned in them.

Originally the bonfires celebrated the arrival of spring and the burning effigy symbolized winter. It

reminds us of More the puppetburnt in Vilnius on Shrove Tuesday: many festivals include the

renewal of life and springtime!The period of Lent is filled with customs and traditions marking

the way to the most important celebration: Easter Sunday. During this period Christians stop eating

afavourite food, like chocolates; in the past people stopped eating milk and eggs so just before Lent

began, they took all their eggs and milk and made pancakes. Search the blog for our recipe of

pancakes!We ate a lot of them in Vilnius!

On Palm Sunday, in Lithuania the elders whip the children with palm branches to clean them of

their sins and it is believed that is a child or an adult is whipped hard enough he or she will have a

good year. People also make lovely compositions of dried flowers, they are called Verbos .

On Holy Thursday in RomanCatholic churches there is a ceremony in which the priest washes

the feet of 12 people to commemorate Jesus' washing the feet of his disciples. Some other churches

nowadays also have foot-washing ceremonies as part of their Maundy Thursday services. Maundy

Thursday is usually the day on which the supply of anointing oil to be used in ceremonies during

the year is consecrated. In Italy people go and visit the “Santi Sepolcri” ( Saint Sepulchres):

churches decorated with a lot of flowers and candles are visited by people who kneels and pray,

According to the traditon the number of churches visited should be an odd one.

Picture taken on Maundy Thursday. Easter 2011

In some countries, there are specialGood Friday processions, or re-enactments of the Crucifixion.

The Passion of Christ is staged by the faithful also throughout the Marche Region. In Porto

Recanati Good Friday is celebrated with the procession called “Bara de Notte” during which people

support a wooden cross followed by women who sing traditional songs. In Tolentino there is the

procession of the Sacconi : friars wearing a sackcloth tunic and a hood covering their heads carry

the instruments of passion in their hands. Their slow tread and their resemblance with the hooded

figures of the Middle Ages are one of the most evocative moments of the Holy Week.

Picture taken in Macerata on Good Friday

Other ways to celebrate Easter:we just want to point out the most curious tradition we found to

celebrate Easter. It’s inNorway. The Easter holiday is associated with murder mysteries, Tv

stations run crime and detective marathons and publishing houses release novels just before Easter.

Does it have to do with the death of Jesus?

On Easter Monday( Pasquetta in Italian, it means Little Easter) it is custom to go out for the day,

or if the weather is good to go on a picnic and enjoy the sunshine. In the past in the Marche region it

was usual to visit relatives carrying Easter foodspecialities as gifts. It is said that the custom

derived from the biblical story in which Jesus travelling as an unknown pilgrim met two of his

disciples who didn't recognize him and they invited him to share their simple meals. Naturally this

custom lost its significance and became and it still is a simple outing.

FOOD

Easter has always been associated with food and in many cases they have pagan roots. Bread and

yeast are symbols of Easter since the dough rises again after being punched down. People in many

countries bake traditional Easter bread like the British Hot Cross Bun, the Russian Kulich , a

yeast dough decorated with crystallized citrus peel, the German Pretzels whose twisted shapes

symbolizes arms crossed in prayer or the Italian Pizza Dolce containing pieces of candied fruit and on top there is a kind of icing consisting of sugar and egg white. Hot cross buns are linked to 

superstition: sharing one of these buns is meant to cement friendships, which is a good excuse to

bake a lot of them! Another traditional British cake is the Simnel: the Simnel cake has been eaten

since medieval times as both a rich, sweet treat and a symbolic ritual. The fruit cake is topped with

eleven marzipan balls to represent the eleven apostles of Christ, minus Judas. Another Eastern

European bread is Paska made of flour, cream, sugar, butter and yeast. In Portugal the Folare is

traditionally the bread of Easter, a food made by the mixture of water, salt, eggs and flour. The

form, the content and the secret varies from region of Portugal and goes from the salty to the sweet

bread, in  different forms.

Among Easter foods the most significant is the lamb which is in many places the main dish of the

Easter meal. Also popular among European and American people is ham because pig was

considered a symbol of luck in pre- Christian Europe.

In Italy a traditional lunch would start with antipasto consisting of ciabuscolo, pizza salata, that is

pizza filled with cheese and pepper,(we suggest you try the recipe given in the blog, it’s really

good), a first course and then lamb. Among the sweet dishes there are the ciambelle, ring shaped

cakes and Colomba that has become THE cake. It may be interpreted in different ways. It may

symbolize Christ who brings peace to the mankind or it may be the symbol of the Holy Spirit

descending on the faithful thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus. Well, just interpret it according to

your heart!