Happy Easter, Europe!!! Easter traditions in our Country

For this reason, if you ask to your grandparents to remember the Easter holydays, they will speak you of a time of great activity: houses would be opened to let the sunshine and the spring coming in, everyone would be occupied in the so-called Easter-cleaning, the house would needed to be cleaned from the sleepiness and the dust of the winter. Easter in Naples (Italy) Easter in Naples is the festivity of the new things. The tradition wants that in those days, that announce the beginning of spring time, everything is revitalized.

The Palm Sunday every family follows in a procession carrying a blessed palm or olive branches. This all takes place the Sunday preceding Easter Sunday. The Palm Sunday remembers Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. The Holy Week begins with it.

On the evening of Holy Thursday people go to the church to celebrate Jesus' Last Supper, the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with His Apostles in Jerusalem before His crucifixion. The priest, as Jesus, washes the apostles' feet, represented by children.

The Holy Friday is the day of the Via Crucis. A very picturesque procession is organized in every district of Naples, in Sorrento, like the one of Procida. The Neapolitan family, at the sunset time, goes and honours the Sepolcri. Children visit all the district's churches to honour the dead Christ. In each church is prepared a "sepolcro", and a lot of them are really beautiful and magnificent. It's an extra excuse to visit the wonderful churches of the old centre of the city. Do not miss the Sepolcro of Gesù Nuovo Church, the one of Cathedral, the one of Santa Chiara and the one of Santa Patrizia, this last is a beautiful baroque church in Via San Gregorio Armeno where there is also the body of the saint Patrizia.

The Holy Saturday the churches are closed. This is the day of the "struscio", the promenade up and down the streets to show "the new dress" that traditionally would be bought for Easter. The name "struscio", which could be translated in English with the word "rubbing", derives from the rustling sound of the dresses. In the morning and in the afternoon the streets are full of families exchanging wishes. Its a day dedicated to the shopping. The beautiful shops windows of the famous Neapolitan chocolatiers, today like in the past, are full of dads who have to buy the Easter eggs with beautiful sugar decorations for their children.

The Easter Day we do the party with all the family. Before anything else the Neapolitan family goes to the Midnight Mass. Before having the sumptuous Easter lunch, every father blesses the food and the family with holy water.

The Monday in Albis the Neapolitan family goes out of the town. The favourite places to go are Pompei, Sorrento, Positano and the islands: Capri, Ischia, Procida. We take advantage and do a trip in the surroundings of the city.