This is how Easter is celebrated in South Tyrol!
Easter Holiday Traditions
… and the question of who will be the “Palmesel.”
The Easter holidays are a welcome opportunity to spend time together with family and celebrate the festival according to one’s own traditions.
On Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, the last person in the family to get out of bed is called the “Palmesel” (Palm Donkey). On this day, there is also the blessing of the brooms. These brooms are made from bound branches with catkins and olive branches, decorated with colorful ribbons. These bundles are attached to long poles and are meant to represent the palm branches with which the people of Jerusalem honored Jesus.
All about the egg..
Shared fun for the whole family
In South Tyrol, there are many Easter traditions, that make the celebration even more lively!
In some areas, the egg rolling takes place: hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a hill, and the egg that rolls the furthest is the winner.
Another very typical tradition is painting eggs, which is often celebrated as a family activity and thoroughly enjoyed. The eggs are decorated with bright colors, whether dipped in dye, lovingly painted with a brush, or adorned with special Easter stickers – each family member can let their creativity run wild. In some villages, the Easter eggs are then hidden throughout the village, and the children are allowed to search for them on Easter Sunday.
South Tyrolean Easter treats
About the busy Easter Bunny and fun games
On Holy Saturday, the blessing of the various foods takes place, which are carried to the church in a basket. The blessed foods are then placed on the lunch table on Easter Sunday. On this day, the children are especially excited, as they wonder where the Easter Bunny has hidden the Easter nest and the treats this year.
A typical South Tyrolean Easter celebration includes hard-boiled eggs, boiled ham and bacon, sausages, and Easter bread. Horseradish (Kren) is also an essential part.
Not to be forgotten on Easter Sunday is the “Eierpecken” (egg tapping): both children and adults each take an egg in hand, first tapping the pointed ends and then the rounded ends of the eggs against each other. The person whose egg passes the “hardness test” is the winner.
