PASCHAL SYMBOLS

The "vampe" of Saint Joseph in Sicily

This tradition takes place every year in Palerme on the occasion of the celebration of the feast of S. Joseph on the 19th of march. Children and young people go from house to house , in the town centre collecting old furniture,tables, objects and easily combustible material of any kind to be sacrificed for the ritual of fire. In the afternoon of the day before 19th march the ritual of the flames announces the celebration of S. Joseph: the old walls of the houses are enlightened by huge bonfires; sometimes flames are so high that it is necessary the intervention of firemen. Every year the city authorities try to forbid this custom, but invain.

In Sicily this tradition is very old and it involves many villages in different periods of the year.

There are many feasts where the protagonist is fire.

The Holy Friday in Montepalma ( Misterbianco- Catania)

Hello to everybody; my name is Andrea Richichi and I live in Montepalma, a small area near Catania. here the Holy Week takes place as follows: it begins with the Palms Sunday, celebrating jesus Christ in Jerusalem. During the week there are many rites that take place according to the catholic tradition.

On friday there is the procession of the cross along the main streets of Montepalma which are: via Modena, via Livorno, via Napoli, via Bologna, via ferrara and via Genova.

Along the way of the procession people prepare some altars decorating them with sheets and white flowers. The priest of the parish "Cardinale Dusmet", Salvatore Cuccè blesses the altars.

On the Holy saturday there is the mass with the participation of many devotees among whom there are handicapped and sick people. Before the beginning of the solemn mass, the liturgy of fire is celebrated. The priest enters the church with a big candle and the religious procession begins. Everybody is given a candle which is lighted during the Mass.

Finally on sunday there is the Easter Mass.

The Holy Week

The week before Easter is called the Holy week (we call it literally the sins’ week). Throughout the Holy Week, there is a paschal service called „denii” (from the slave word „denie” which means wakefulness) that is conducted every evening, starting on Sunday night (eve of Monday), until Easter. These paschal services take place in the middle of the church, and not on the altar due to the fact that Jesus suffered and was crucified on Golgatha, which is outside of Jerusalem and it reflect Jesus’s sufferings before being crucified . With this week it also ends the strict fasting which forbids

dairy and meat products and on most days the alcoholic beverages and the oil used in the cooking.

The theme of the religious service is different from one day to another as follows:

On the Holy Monday it is celebrated Joseph the Marvelous, the patriarch of the Old Testament, who is seen as a hypo-stasis of Christ, because he had also been sold by his brothers for 30 pieces of silver and he also succeeded to set himself free and to save the people from famine as he became the ruler of Egypt. Also it is also mentioned the barren fig tree that withered at the curse of God which symbolizes the tree of sin and the extinction of the old law.

On the Holy Tuesday the religious services reminds us of the sermons in which Christ foretold the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem,of his death and resurrection. It puts a particular emphasis on the parable of 10 virgins who linger at the door of the Groom (Christ): 5 wise (waiting with their lamps filled) and 5 foolish (with no oil left in their lamps).

On the Holy Wednesday Denia brings forth two diametrically opposite characters: Judas, the apostle who became a traitor and Maria Magdalena , who washed Jesus' feet with her ​​tears of repentance and who anointed them with valuable chrism. According to John ,the evangelist ,the Maria mentioned was not a harlot, but Maria, the sister of Martha, which accused Judah of wastefulness. On this day nothing should be eaten up to the evening.

On the Holy Thursday it is the Denia of the 12th Gospels.which included the Last Supper, celebrating the Hebrew Easter. With this occasion Jesus established the Eucharist Sacrament (Communion). Those who have fasted, can confess and can receive the eucharist sacrament on this day or within the rest of the days preceding the Easter.

On the Holy Friday also called the Black Friday is the day of the Jesus’crucifixion, death and burial . In the evening denia includes the Jesus’funeral service, The parade of the grieving believers pass and bow down under the Holy Table, as if passing through the tomb of Jesus, then, led by priests, they go three times round the church (once for each day of Jesus staying in the grave).

The Holy Saturday is a day of silence and of "rest" symbolizing the Jesus’ „rest” in the grave. Believers are preparing for Resurrection;at midnight the priest will share the light and will hold the Easter service, sanctifying bread, red eggs and other food, because the 7 weeks fasting ends now, and the sadness turns into joy.

Tradition says that during his staying in the grave , Jesus came down smashing the doors of the hell and saved everybody from Adam and Eve forth ; this resurrection and of all the righteous , is often portrayed in icons dedicated to the celebration of Easter.

Romanian team

SICILIAN EASTER TRADITIONS

Sicilian Easter traditions
Sicily takes Easter very seriously. All over the island, in large towns and tiny villages alike, processions weave their way through narrow streets, central thoroughfares and piazzas until finally they arrive at the local parish church or Cathedral.
Easter also signals the arrival of Spring, and many pagan traditions that used to mark the arrival of the "beautiful season" have been incorporated into the religious festivities.
For food lovers, Easter is a great time to come to Sicily: enticing seasonal delicaciee and gastronomic delights celebrate the bounty of Primavera. It is the time for Martorana, or Pasta Reale, marzipan confectionary that is delighfully shaped and painted to resemble fruit of all types. With Easter being a time for celebration, the Cassata, Sicily's signature cake, made of sweetened ricotta chesse, marzipan and candied fruit graces tables all over the island together with Cannoli:
Here are the recipes:
Sicilian Cassata
Ingredients for the sponge cake
One 10-inch round cake tin
Two eggs
120gr sugar
120gr butter
120gr flour
Two tsp baking powder
Two tbsp milk
Ingredients for the filling and decoration:
250gr fresh ricotta cheese
400gr icing sugar
200gr almond paste
100gr dark chocolate chips
Green food colouring
Candied fruit
One tsp glucose syrup
Procedure
Step 1: the sponge 
Beat the sugar and butter in a bowl until soft and creamy . Mix in the eggs and milk followed by the flour and baking powder and mix well. Line the cake tin with greaseproof paper, add the mixture and bake at 170° C for around 25/35 mins. When ready, remove from tin and leave to cool.
Step 2: preparing the setting dish
Take a 9-inch curved dish (soup bowl) and line with cling film making sure to leave some cling film over hanging.
Step 3: colour the almond paste green
Roll out into an 10-inch circle and place it in the setting dish.
Cut the sponge cake in half and lay one half on top of the Almond paste.
Step 4: the filling 
Place the Ricotta cheese and 250gr of icing sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy. Mix in the chocolate chips and pour the mixture into the setting dish. Place the remaining piece of sponge cake on top of the mixture to form a lid. Pull the overhanging pieces of cling film towards the centre completely covering the sponge and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
Step 5: the icing
Add one tsp of liquid glucose to the remaining 150gr of icing sugar and very carefully, while mixing, add a few drops of water at a time until you achieve a syrupy consistency.
Step 6: remove the cake from the fridge
Undo the cling film parcel and place a cake board on top. Turn over and remove the bowl and cling film. Pour the icing onto the Almond paste and using a pallet knife spread the icing until the cake is completely covered. Decorate with candied fruit and serve.

Cannoli di Ricotta
Note: To make this classic Sicilian dessert correctly, it is essential to have metal cannoli tubes.
Ingredients
Shells:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
3 tablespoons Marsala

Filling:
2 quarts canola oil, for frying
1 pound sheep or cow's milk ricotta, drained 1 hour in a cheesecloth-lined conical sieve
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 tablespoons candied orange zest, recipe follows
1/4 cup tiny chocolate chips
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, sugar, and cocoa powder and cut in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the Marsala and shape the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate.
In a 3 1/2-quart pot, heat the canola oil to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, sugar, vanilla, orange zest and chocolate chips until well-mixed. Spoon into a pastry bag with an open tip and place in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 4 pieces. Roll one piece onto a flat surface with a rolling pin to a 1/16-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut 4-inch circles from the dough. Using the rolling pin, roll each circle into an oval and wrap each oval lengthwise around a metal form, sealing the edges with egg whites. Flare the edges open with fingers.
Gently drop the cannoli shells into the hot oil and fry until dark golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towels. When the cannoli are cool enough to touch, twist the molds away from the shells. The shells may be made one day in advance and allowed to rest, unfilled and uncovered.
To complete the cannoli, stuff with ricotta cream, dust with powdered sugar and serve

The Italian students of 2F
IPSSAR High School
Catania,
Italy

The almond festival in Agrigento

Here is one of the most significant festivals which takes place in Sicily. Even if it isn't a religious feast we would like you to know in order

to appreciate our beautiful and sunny island.

The almond festival is a feast that takes place every year in Agrigento in the first week of february to celebrate the coming of a new season: spring. This festival was created in 1934 with the aim of promoting local products.

In 1937 the feast moved to Agrigento and took the official name of festival of the almond tree.

After a few years it became an international event with the participation of folk groups coming from all over the world exhibiting along the streets in a colurful and joyful atmosphere.

In 1941 the event unfortunately didn't take place because of the outbreak of the second World War.

In 1948 it was arranged again with even more groups and becoming successful and known all over the world. This brought in Sicily lots of tourists who decided to visit the island in february just to see the event. The festival also had a peaceful message of friendship among the peoples all over the world. Actually the most exciting moment of the feast is the procession of the torch of friendship just in front of the temple of Concordia towards the sunset. The following sunday a big parade with all the international groups, sicilian typical carts and colourfuls bands passes along the streets going from the towncentre to the Valley of Temples; the final show takes place at the temple of Concordia with the awarding of the Golden temple, the prize for the most impressive group.

The feast of San Leoluca of Corleone

Saint Leoluca is considered by the inhabitants of Corleone, a small village in Palerme, the protector from earthquakes.

He was born between 815 and 816. He was a shepherd. After some time he entered a monastry. After that he became the abbot of the monastry of Mola and then of Monteleone Calabro where he died at the age of 100 at about 915-918.

The saint is honoured every year on the 1st of march with a religious procession along the streets of the village. Then, some bonfires (luminarie) are lighted by the children of the different quarters of the village.

Another particular feast is "Cursa di santu Luca" which is celebrated on the lust sunday of May. It reminds us of the legend telling us about the inhabitants of Corleone who were spared the Borbonic anger during the revolt of 1860.

The Virgin of candlemas

The Easter ceremony in Barlad

A first moment of this series of presentations is highlighted by the moment of taking light in the night of resurrection, when I attended the religious ceremony at Saint Ilie’s church from Barlad and by the religious procession that followed as shown in the video attached.
Madalina

The Easter in Barlad

This year, at Easter, the local authorities placed all over the town 2.5 m height colorful bunnies and also lights during the night, which surprised us and especially the children who liked taking pictures with them.
Madalina

The Easter Holidays in Romania

We are Orthodox Christians. At Romanians The Easter Holidays go after a special ritual. The week preceding the Easter is called "Sins' Week", in whose rituals there are presented all the torments suffered by Jesus until His death on the Holy Cross.
During the Easter Holiday, some of our colleagues made a video with some traditional habits from our region. In the next period we will post some new materials which will highlight our most important Easter rituals, including the significations of the "Sins' Week" and of the Bright Week and their importance within our religion.

Romanian project team.