This year, Western (Catholic and Protestant) and Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter on the same day – Sunday 20 April. This does not happen often, because the two traditions use different calendars. The last time this happened was in 2017!
To mark the occasion, I visited two of our seniors’ groups – the Macedonian Support Group and the Italian Support Group – to learn more about their Easter customs.
Easter with the Macedonian Group
My first stop was the Regent Centre in Reservoir, where I joined the Macedonian Support Group. When I arrived, the seniors were busy colouring paper Easter rabbits. Later, they would cut and fold them into small baskets to hold Easter eggs.
I spoke with Daniela, who runs a Macedonian seniors group every weekday. She shared her memories of celebrating Easter in Macedonia.
“Easter starts on Holy Thursday,” Daniela told me. “We get up early to dye the eggs.”
The eggs are a symbol of new life. The first three eggs are very special – one for Jesus, one for the head of the family, and one for peace in the year ahead. These eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Jesus. Daniela also dyes eggs in other colours to make her grandchildren happy. In total, she prepares around 20 eggs to share with family and friends.
“In Macedonia, we are excited to go to church on Saturday evening. We go about 9 o’clock and everyone brings a candle. Everyone in the village is there and during midnight mass we tap the eggs and say, ‘Christ is Risen’ – ‘He is Risen’. When everyone is walking home, it looks beautiful to see all the candlelight.”
On Easter Sunday, people wear new clothes and gather for a big family meal. Roast lamb is the centrepiece – it represents Jesus and his sacrifice. There is also a special Easter bread.
The Easter bread takes a long time to make, so today at the Seniors group, they are making gurabii, a buttery cookie. Pisana is in charge of the baking, and she is elbows-deep in flour. As she kneads the dough, Kata is singing to her with gusto, while Sanda watches. Soon, all the seniors are gathered around the table, eager to help and to give suggestions on how best to cut the crescent shapes.
While the seniors share lunch, the biscuits are put in the oven to bake. They are still warm when they are served with strong Turkish coffee. And they are delicious!
I take my leave, but not before I am given some biscuits wrapped in a napkin to take home, along with a bag of Jerusalem artichokes that Bozin digs up for me fresh from the garden. I am aglow with their warmth and hospitality. The group have made the Regent Centre their home, and they have certainly made me feel at home too.
Easter with the Italian Group
The next day, I visited the Italian Support Group at the Clifton Respite Cottage in Preston.
On arrival, the seniors are sitting down for morning tea, the table brightly adorned with flowers and easter eggs. I join them for Italian coffee and hot cross buns and ask about Easter traditions in Italy.
The room filled with excited voices as the seniors described their Easter traditions.
Holy Thursday starts with the washing of the feet at church, a reenactment of Jesus washing the feet of his followers. On Good Friday, there is the Stations of the Cross – a procession that includes someone carrying a large crucifix. Easter Sunday begins with mass, followed by a big family lunch.
When we started talking about food, the group became even more animated.
“Sardines and baccalà (salted cod),” says Italia, recounting her family’s meat-free meal on Good Friday.
At the other end of the table, Antonina talked about Pane di Pasqua (Easter bread). This lightly sweet bread is baked with a raw egg in its shell in the middle. There was much debate about the best way to make it – as small loaves or a big one, shaped like a ring or plaited.
The seniors describe other sweet treats: pastiera (a tart made with ricotta), deep-fried dough balls, and even a grape jam flavoured with cloves or cinnamon. But Josapina takes the cake when she describes a favourite delicacy enjoyed at Easter.
“We kill a pig,” she said.
Each year, a pig is slaughtered for fresh meat, salsiccia (sausages), salami, and lard. But the capicola, a cured ham, is kept for special occasions such as Easter and Christmas.
There were many opinions on recipes and presentation. Most of the group are from Italy’s Calabria region, but there are differences in how Easter is celebrated, even between neighbouring villages. Family traditions are passed down from mothers to daughters, and each person had their own way of doing things.
I left the Italian group inspired by their love of food – and ready to try baking Pane di Pasqua and making grape jam at home.
A celebration of culture and community
These visits reminded me how important it is to share and celebrate our stories. Each week at Spectrum, we see how traditions and culture bring people together. We are lucky to live in Melbourne, where so many communities share their customs – and enrich all of our lives.
Bernadette Garcia – Head of Marketing and Communications
Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre
Spectrum runs over 20 groups each week for multicultural seniors, who enjoy a range of activities, shared meals, and – most importantly – connection and belonging. We currently have space in our Macedonian groups, so if you, or someone you know, would like to know more about how to join, please contact our Aged Services team on 1300 735 653 or email connect@spectrumvic.org.au.
