Easter in Italy

The Easter comes from the Latin pascha and the Hebraic pesah. The Festivity besides its deeply rooted religious motivations, has strong links with the awakening of nature after the wintry slumber.

The two monotheistic religions per exellence the Christian and the Jewish, celebrate two different festivities which have the same name and have the tradition of eating the same food but with different aims. In Hebraic Easter (Pesah) means "to trespass", and the Jews celebrate it in memory of their exodus from Egypt. It lasts 8 days, time during which every family eats lamb. With the blood of the lamb they stain their doors, as their ancestors did, when they were slaves in Egypt, to save their first born sons' lives. For the Christians Easter is the main festivity of the Liturgy and it is the celebration of passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Christians eat Lamb meat too, but differently from The Jewish Cult, here it symbolises the innocent crucified body of Christ "Who takes away the sin of the world".
"Omne vivum ex ovo"
The egg and its Symbolical meaning.
During Easter Festivity, following an oldest tradition, people give eggs to each other. In the heathen tradition egg is symbol of fertility, Heaven and Earth, are meant to be the two halves of the same egg, and eggs are symbol of the eternal return to life In the Christian Iconography, egg becomes the symbol of the rebirth not of Nature but of the Man itself in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Umbria during Easter time there are traditional liturgic rites and religious events.

Holy Week Celerations take place in almost every town of Umbria, but Assisi still remain the town known more for the same, given the suggestiveness of the places, the intensity of the performances and the deeply rooted spirituality that makes this land.

The Palm Sunday in Assisi

The Palm Sunday, ends the period of Lent and opens Holy Week. During this day the church remember the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, cheered by the crowd with branches of olive and palm. Assisi celebrates this moment with a series of rituals in almost all parishes, churches and basilicas of the city.

Mass of Chrism at Saint Rufino

The solemn Mass of the Sacred Chrism precedes Easter Triduum. This day is dedicated to the blessing of holy oils, essential tools to celebrate the different sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Order, Anointing of the sick.

Assisi: Holy Thursday Path

The Easter Triduum that will end on Saturday with the great Holy Saturday vigil. This is the day when the Church, recalling the Last Supper of Jesus, celebrates the institution of the Eucharist. The faithful go to the visit of the Blessed Sacrament in several churches in memory of the pain suffered by Jesus Christ in several places.

The "Scavigliazione" - Fourteenth-century Ceremony

In remembrance of the fourteenth century Scavigliazione, in Saint Rufino Cathedral will be held the ceremony of Deposition of the Crucifix.

Holy Hour in Bastia

At the Saint Rocco Church, traditional worship of Jesus placed in the tabernacle with typical songs played by the Polyphonic Choir city of Bastia.

Among the Stations of the Cross on Holy Friday

The day the most intense and moving throughout the week. The church, in commemoration of its origins at the side of Christ, it meditates on the Passion with solemn celebrations.
It celebrates a special liturgy divided into three parts: the Liturgy of the Word through the reading of the Passio, the adoration of the Cross and Eucharistic communion (the bread made with consecrated the previous day).
In most towns of Umbria as Todi, Gualdo Tadino, Montefalco, Terni, Perugia, Gubbio is relived the martyrdom of Christ in the "Via Crucis" with a path to Calvary, for example in the cities of Sigillo and Fossato di Vico or representation of the Jesus passion through real life pictures as in the cities of Norcia and Cascia.

On Good Friday in Assisi

In the morning we will transfer the Dead Christ in the cloistered monasteries.
The traditional procession that will transfer the Dead Christ from the Cathedral of Sanint Rufino to the Basilica of Sanint Francis. On the way there are brief stops in cloistered monasteries. In the evening we held the procession of the Dead Christ between the torches of Assisi.
Suggestive procession of medieval, ancient, in which all Confraternities along the city's historical center entirely lit by torches. The procession takes place on 10 April at 19.30 and departs from the Cathedral of Sanint Rufino with the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows to get to the Basilica of Saint Francis to return to the cathedral together with the Dead Christ.

Great Way of the Cross at the Basilica

In Saint Maria degli Angeli (Assisi,)will begin a large procession of Christ Died and dell'Addolorata, with the participation of many confraternities of the town. All this will take place around the majestic basilica of St. Patriarchal Maria degli Angeli.

Saturday of Vigils

Pending the Holy Easter, on Saturday, honours the burial of Jesus Christ and his descent to limbo. It will light the easter candle that will be off for the Ascension, to symbolize the presence and the departure of Christ among men.

Ancient rite of Rinchinata in Cannara

At Saint Matthew Church of Cannara, in Perugia country, the ancient rite of Rinchinata, in memory of the meeting between the Madonna and the risen Jesus. From two churches starts two processions, one with the statue of Jesus, the other of Madonna. When the two parades meet few meters from each other the two statues are made bow.

The Easter Monday of Assisi

Easter Monday, remembering what happened at dawn, when an angel consoled women at the tomb of Jesus, is full of religious celebrations in the morning, with evening vespers.

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