L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano E aster wouldn't b e E a s t e r i n I t a l y w i t h o u t c h o c o l a t e e g g s : y e s , I know they are quite popular in other parts of the world, like Ireland and the UK, for instance, but we think that in Italy the art of chocolate egg making and exchanging reaches its peak! Gifting eggs – real ones – was a common propitiatory g e s t u r e i n a n c i e n t t i m e s , when the egg was consid- ered a symbol of fertility, wealth, and renaissance. The Persians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans all e m b r a c e d t h e h a b i t ; t h e Romans in particular would, during the winter, bury an egg painted in red wherever they planned to grow a crop, to ensure the soil would be fertile when spring came. W i t h t h e c o m i n g of Christianity, and follow- ing a pattern typical of so many pagan festivities and traditions, the egg became a religious symbol. Far from being what we would today call "cultural appropriation," early Christians quite simply brought into their new faith the customs and habits they knew and practiced earlier in life, allowing them to sur- vive even longer. The egg w a s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e rebirth of Christ on Easter, His Resurrection and, there- fore, the idea of eternal life. The habit of gifting eggs for Easter became a thing in the Middle Ages, especial- ly in central Europe. In Ger- many, for instance, people would paint boiled eggs in colorful patterns, while roy- als would commission the c r e a t i o n o f j e w e l e d e g g s , covered in precious stones and gold, that were given to important personalities as a gift from the King. B u t w h e n , w h e r e , a n d why did we go from painted eggs and jeweled ones to the chocolate delicacies we love so much? History tells us that the modern chocolate egg was created in the 17th century in France by David C h a i l l o u . H o w e v e r , t h e mind behind the change was h i s k i n g , L o u i s X I V , w h o d e c i d e d t o u s e c h o c o l a t e i n s t e a d o f g o l d a n d d i a - monds for the eggs to gift to his court: considering its size, it may have been too expensive a habit to main- tain, even for the Sun King! However, the world was to wait a tad longer to enjoy chocolate Easter eggs as we know them today, more pre- c i s e l y , u n t i l 1 8 1 9 w h e n F r a n ç o i s L o u i s Cailler invented a special machine to transform cocoa into a moldable chocolate paste, which could become literally anything you want- ed, eggs included. It was, then, the British John Cad- bury who made chocolate e g g s e m p t y , s o t h a t t h e y could be filled with toys and little surprises, just like we love them in Italy. But the idea of putting a present into an Easter egg came to Russian goldsmith a n d j e w e l e r P e t e r C a r l F a b e r g é , t o w h o m T z a r Alexander III commissioned an especially rich and luxu- rious jeweled egg for Tzarina Marija Fedorovna: it was m a d e i n g o l d , c o v e r e d i n precious stones and, inside of it, there was a jewel for the empress. It was the first Fabergé Egg. But what do we, normal people, get into our Easter eggs? Well, it depends! If you buy artisanal ones, you may get the chance to pick y o u r p r e s e n t . I n d u s t r i a l ones usually have little trin- kets and toys, while some may have small collectibles or costume jewelry. But con- sidering that they are made largely for children, don't expect anything a grown-up c o u l d w e a r ! T h i s s h o u l d c h a n g e , t h o u g h , b e c a u s e more and more adults enjoy buying Easter eggs for fami- ly, friends, or even them- selves: come on, chocolate makers, think of us adults, too, this year! P rimavera (pree -mah-vai-rah) is the first season o f t h e y e a r , spring. Primav- e r a i s , f o r n a t u r e a n d f o r everyone on Earth, a moment of rebirth. Days are longer, the air is full of scents and the landscape of colors: all it's new again! T h e e t y m o l o g y o f t h e word is not simple to recon- struct, as it may have a lin- guistically-mixed origin. It is, i n a n y c a s e , f o r m e d b y t w o s e p a r a t e w o r d s , prima and vere: the first c o m e s f r o m t h e L a t i n primus-a-um, an adjective that means, you guessed it, " f i r s t ; " t h e s e c o n d w o r d , however, has a more mysteri- ous origin, as it may come f r o m t h e S a n s k r i t r o o t – vas, still present in many Euro-Asian languages, albeit in different forms, with the meaning of "shining bright," or "burning." This etymological theory makes sense, because what is primavera, if not the season when the sun shines bright again and the land burns and bursts with life? And it is with this very metaphor that the first season of the year is usually associated: primavera is the moment when nature awakens after the long sleep of winter and gets ready to offer beauty and food to the world. In Italian, primavera is also, therefore, associated with all that is synonym with life, with strength and vivaci- ty: la giovinezza è la primav- era della vita ("youth is the 'spring' of life") we say. But it's also possible to experi- ence una seconda primav- era, or a "second spring" if, when older, we enjoy a sec- ond bout of youthful eager- ness to do and achieve. And if your head is out there with the fairies and you daydream a lot don't be sur- prised, you probably senti la primavera, "spring is getting to you," as we love to say in Italy! - Questa primavera sarà poco piovosa. - It is not going to rain much this spring. - Sei troppo distratto, che ti succede! Senti la pri- mavera? - Your head is some- where else. What's up, are you feeling the spring? - Non amo molto la pri- mavera. Sono allergico a così tanti fiori! - I don't like spring much. I'am allergic to so many flow- ers! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the day: primavera, the season of rebirth and colors Italian curiosities: why do we eat chocolate eggs for Easter? Colorful chocolate eggs: why do we eat them at Easter? (Photo: Amarosy/Dreamstime) © Scott Griessel | Dreamstime.com

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