Saturday, April 3, 2010

Buon Pasqua (Happy Easter) beware lots of photos & Italian traditions

(close up so you can see how I added color, highlights and Painted a few areas of my VINTAGE IMAGE to add depth and dimension. I also added yellow flower soft to the center of two flowers. Another ribbon that I created using an old pillow case. This one was dyed using coffee. In the center, I stacked two buttons)



Easter is such a wonderful holiday here in Sicily. In fact, Easter in Italian is “Pasqua,” and it’s a time of religious parades and celebrations. These processions often have as their focus statues of Jesus or the Virgin Mary which are carried through the city streets by participants. One of the largest and most famous processions is in the city of Enna (right here in Sicily) on Good Friday, where more than 2,000 friars parade through the city.
Traditional Easter foods include eggs, artichockes, roasted lamb, a special sweet bread called “Colomba” (made in the shape of a dove) and CHOCOLATE EGGS, which almost always are hollow and have a special prize inside. The Chocolate eggs vary in price based on the SIZE & SUPRISE that hides in the center.




ALL of the eggs are Fantastically wrapped and some are quite elaborately decorated.


Another tradition is the LAMB CAKE!
Serving your creation: Everyone starts from the rear and slices toward the head unless someone (I'm not saying who) snaps off the ear or even worse cuts from the head! Bless me father for I have sinned, I ate the lamb cake head!


Now Easter in Italy is traditionally a holiday spent with family, BUT the Monday after Easter is another story - it’s still a nationwide holiday, and this one is all about hanging out with friends, often gathering for picnics. Easter Monday is called “La Pasquetta,” or “Little Easter,” in Italian. Many cities will hold outdoor events on Pasquetta, including concerts and games. The games often involve eggs, like the famous egg races of Tredozio. One one unusual Pasquetta game takes place in the town of Panicale in Umbria, where the goal is to roll giant wheels of cheese around the city walls in the quickest time and using the least strokes.
I don't think that I had any interactions with my Sicilian friends yesterday that did not wish me "BUON PASQUA"....

Either way, Sicilian or American, I love Easter!!!

CHALLENGES I USED for My CARD:
VERVE: Fun with Flowers (I think I had FUN recreating my flowers)
Cute Card Thursday: Egg-citing (create a card with an egg on it or in an oval shape)
Simon Says Stamp: It's so Distressing (I inked the edges using Tim Holtz Vintage photo ink, also distressed around my egg with the ink & my fingernail)
Little Red Wagon: Rollin' Into Spring (Nothing says Spring Like Easter & Flowers)
Cupcake Craft Challenge: Easter/Spring & Lots of Chocolate (I've got Easter covered and my entire blog entry is dedicated to Easter AND CHOCOLATE, maybe they will let me enter?)
Creative Card Crew: Vintage or Aged (I got Both covered)
Our Creative Corner: Buttons (I stacked two in the center of my bow)
Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
.........Supplies I used.........
Image: Vintage Image Crafts
Paper: Paper Trey Ink (lemon tart), Stampin Up (whisper white)
Patterned Paper: Scribble Scrabble (Hollie's collection), Bo Bunny (Nutmeg collection)
Tools: Martha Stewart (doily lace edge punch)
Ink: Stampin Up (close to cocoa)
Misc: Flower Soft, buttons from old clothes, ribbon hand made

23 comments:

Stef H said...

and a very happy BUONA PASQUA to you and yours! your card is absolutely gorgeous. you are doing vintage to the hilt beautifully! i love it!

my mom used to make a lamb cake every easter and then the priests would come to the house to bless all the foods ready for the easter meal. it was always fun making that cake!


hugs :)

Mina said...

wow I love your vinatge card Justine...trust you to start at the wrong end of the lamb lol...you have made me so want to be back in Italy
Mina xxx

Saskia said...

Great photos!!

Thanks for joining your lovely work with us on Crafty Creations Challenge!

Sweet greetings, Saskia

Unknown said...

Such a pretty card! I love how you placed your button on the bow. I loved looking at all your photos. Thanks so much for "breaking out your buttons" with the OCC this week!

Sarah Gough said...

What a great card! I love the vibrant colours. Thanks for joining us at Our Creative Corner this week!

Betty Wright said...

WOW! Totally gorgeous and so beautifully done! Lovely lovely Easter card, Justine!

Denise Marzec said...

WOWWWWWW, your card is totally breath taking!!

Cindy Haffner said...

Wow-zers, so gorgeous.

Maria Matter said...

Buon Pasqua Justine! Thank you so much for sharing all this fun info & photos!

your card is absolutely GORGEOUS sweetie!!!!!

Happy Easter!
Blessings, Maria

Linda Coughlin, the funkie junkie said...

Whoo hoo, this is an amazing vintage egg. So beautiful and I love how you altered it to add depth!! I haven't been over to comment, but I have seen several amazing vintage creations of yours on Card of the Week. Loved your photos too. Thanks for sharing some Italian Easter culture with us! Buon Pasqua to you too!

Heidi said...

This is a beautiful card! WOW!

debby4000 said...

Wonderful card, beautiful image and fab details.
I found all the Easter traditions really interesting but eating a lamb cake no matter how tasty just seems wrong. Ok I know it not a real lamb.
Thanks for joining us at Simon Says Stamps Challenge.
luv
Debby

Pat (mspfd) said...

Justine, I really enjoyed reading about all the Easter traditions in Sicily! And the photos are fabulous.

Your card is amazing. What a drop dead gorgeous image with such stunning colors and detailing. Love everything about this beauty!

LorettaL said...

Your card is all sorts of vintage loveliness! Gorgeous!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to play with us on the OCC this week!

Leann said...

This is beautiful!
Thanks for joining us on CCT this week :D
Hugs x

Deanna said...

Beautiful!
Thanks for playing!
Dee - LRW

Charlene said...

Hey lady!! Missed ya too. I def need to scrap and blog more. It's hard to find the time, but I'll squeeze it in! So...I'm in culinary school thinking about where to do my externship and a classmate knows a restaurant I could do it at in France...but I always dreamed about going to Italy! :)

Helen F. said...

LOVE your card Justine and your beautiful photos of Easter in Sicily! Wish I was there!

Diane Gilbert said...

Ohhhhh you card is sooo pretty! Thanks for playing along with us at the OCC.

Joanne said...

Your card is stunning and thank you for such a delightful post - especially about the lamb's head! I am still laughing! I hope your Easter was blessed and thanks for sharing about your traditions. Thank you also for joining us at LRW:)
Joanne xo

Christy said...

So very pretty ;)

Denise Clark said...

Now that's one gorgeous egg! Wow! Feels very vintage. Love the colors you put together. The bow with the button is perfect. The flowers are beyond stunning! You did a terrific job with this!

Julee (Vervegirl) said...

Such a gorgeous card!