Easter for the Win!

   In my country we usually celebrate religious holidays like Easter or Christmas by brewing an extra strong beer. So to me the traditional hoopla I see i other countries over a saint or a religious event, is always fascinating. One in particular is my favorite. In a small, very small city in the middle of the mountains there is a very special annual tradition.

   The City is named Sulmona,. It's buildings are old and the streets are narrow, and walking though the city is like going back in time, 220 years. It is by far the most beautiful city I have ever visited. On the main square of the city, a market is set up where locals sell fruit and vegetables, or small decorative objects. If you look up, a magnificent panorama of snow cowered mountains is surrounding the city. I remember thinking, that anyone who has had a childhood here must be filled with this internal happiness. Because walking around in the city is sort of like getting a big hug.

   The times I have visited the city has often been around Easter. The Easter in Sulmona is very special. The city prepares for days and weeks and month for the 20th of April where a big theatrical show is performed by locals. They carry big statues of Maria and Jesus in a play where Maria is in deep grief and dressed in a black dress because of her dead son. But Jesus returns from the dead, and when Maria sees him, she runs from the end of the square, while loosing her black dress and underneath is a beautiful colorful dress. Each year a different one. White doves are released as Maria reaches her son and beautiful music begins. I am not a religious person, but this performance still chokes me up. It is beautiful because of the effort that is put in to this show. The people carrying Maria and Jesus, practice for years to walk in a certain way so the statue don't fall. It is a great honor to be one of the carriers. And the tradition in it self, I can see, is bringing back childhood memories for the elderly people watching it, as it has existed for so many years. The fathers of carriers can proudly watch their sons as the next generation of carriers.

   But one thing is the great show, another is the main part of any Italian tradition - the food. Of course the Italian Easter is packed with great food that you look forward to for months. The grandmother of the family have prepared her legendary lasagna. There is fresh fish, fresh cheese, olives, and meat. Everything combined with the seasonal wines of course. Are you drooling yet? You should.