EASTER IN ROME: THE FAITHFUL, FAMILIES AND FLOWERS – VATICAN OBSERVER TO UN: ‘PACEM IN TERRIS’ GUIDING STAR FOR PATH OF PEACE

I hope and pray that all of you, your families and friends, had a beautiful, prayer-filled, safe and happy Easter. Vatican employees are now on the last day of their six-day Easter break, returning to work tomorrow, though many who staff the press office and Secretariat of State had to fill in some of those days. As you will see, the Monday after Easter is a national holiday and I took some time off but was around yesterday to visit At Home with Jim and Joy!

Life returns to normal here tomorrow as Pope Francis will preside the general audience in St. Peter’s square.

PS. For a good understanding of Vatican diplomacy, you will want to read the entire interview by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Holy See Permanent observer to the United Nations!|

EASTER IN ROME: THE FAITHFUL, FAMILIES AND FLOWERS

Yesterday in Italy was Pasquetta, Little Easter, a huge national holiday here. It’s a big day for families as they spend it together with the main attraction being a long, festive meal. When weather allows, that meal usually takes the form of a picnic. The huge numbers of families and children I’ve seen these past days bring joy to the heart and a smile to one’s face!

And there were big numbers at the papal Easter Mass of the Resurrection Sunday in St. Peter’s Square – an estimated 45,000 at Mass and more than double that for the traditional Easter Urbi et Orbi – to the city and the world – message! After days of cool weather and intermittent rain, thankfully sunshine blessed the day! (Photos are both Vatican media and EWTN/CNA)

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Almost as many flowers from the Netherlands – 35,000 flowers and plants – decorated the square. This offering from Dutch florists follows a tradition begun in 1985 with the beatification of the Dutch Carmelite priest Titus Brandsma.

Pope Francis presided over the Mass of the Resurrection but, as is traditional, did not pronounce a homily as he had already delivered his reflections at the Easter Vigil Mass. Three hundred priests, 15 bishops, and 31 cardinals concelebrated. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated at the altar due to Francis’ ongoing mobility issues.

In his lengthy Urbi et Orbi message, the Holy Father began by announcing “the joyous message of this day when we proclaim that Christ is risen.” He went on to say that, “in Jesus, the passage of humanity from death to life, sin to grace, fear to confidence and desolation to communion has been made,” he said. “And this means that humanity’s journey has a sure footing in hope and therefore can move forward with confidence in facing the many challenges now and ahead.”

“The Lord has built us a bridge to life” in defeating death, stressed Francis, “making it for us “the most important and beautiful day of history.”

Easter Monday, also known as Monday of the Angel, the Holy Father recited the Regina Coeli with the faithful gathered at noon in St. Peter’s Square. This prayer replaces the Angelus during the Easter season.

VATICAN OBSERVER TO UN: “PACEM IN TERRIS” A GUIDING STAR FOR PATH OF PEACE

Interview with the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the UN on the relevance of St. John XXIII’s encyclical 60 years after its publication. Archbishop Gabriele Caccia reiterates the Vatican’s commitment in favour of multilateralism and dialogue between peoples and nations and draws a connection between “Pacem in terris” and Pope Francis’ “Fratelli tutti.”

Sixty years after its publication, Pacem in terris (Peace on earth) continues to be the North Star that points the way for those who, especially in the field of diplomacy, are committed to promoting dialogue between peoples and building peace between nations. Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, is convinced of this. In this interview with L’Osservatore Romano, the prelate underlines the topicality of St. John XXIII’s encyclical and reiterates the Vatican’s support for international organisations and multilateralism at a time marked by wars and confrontations never experienced since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

You have served the Holy See for many years. How much has “Pacem in terris” influenced the vision and commitment of Vatican diplomacy for peace over the last 60 years and on what points in particular?

The encyclical was written after the first great international crisis in which the so-called “Cuban Missile Crisis” and its nuclear threat put the world at risk of planetary destruction. The encyclical allowed us to once again view a sky cleared of the clouds that had gathered, and to rediscover the polar star, which indicates the direction of the path, rather than the concrete roads to be undertaken. The text, as the title clearly states, deals with the theme of peace and extends to the complex network of relations both at an interpersonal level with rights and duties, and to the relationships between the individual and public authority, and between states. Moreover, the encyclical is significantly situated in the broader context of a particularly lively season regarding the Church’s reflection on its relationship with the world, that of the Second Vatican Council, which had just begun. Therefore it is rich with ideas and issues that will later be taken up in broader and more diversified contexts. However, I would like to emphasise the issue of disarmament.

To read full interview: Vatican Observer to UN: ‘Pacem in terris’ guiding star for path of peace – Vatican News

A COVID-19 ERA EASTER DIARY – THE SURREAL SIGHT OF DISINFECTING HISTORIC SITES

A COVID-19 ERA EASTER DIARY

Easter was very quiet here as it was for tens of millions, probably hundreds of million of Christians around the world due to restrictions imposed by the coronavirus. I had expected to “attend” Mass in the Catholic America parish of St. Patrick’s as the priests and lectors and our cantor, as they have done for weeks for the Sunday Masses, had all done their individual parts via video segments filmed at home and in church, and the segments were the all put together by talented Paulist Fathers in NY and DC.

However, I awoke to find I was without my landline phone and Internet, so I could not watch that Mass online as expected. I was able to watch Pope Francis’ Mass and powerful Urbi et Orbi address and blessings on EWTN.

Pope Francis spoke about contagion, principally the contagion of hope. As vaticannews reminded us: “Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi message on Easter Sunday challenges us to ban indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness during this time of Covid-19 – and to spread the ‘contagion’ of hope.”

Definitely food for thought on this very different Easter Sunday.

EWTN broke away briefly at the end of Mass and, as I sought to see if anyone else was carrying the papal Mass and Urbi et Orbi, I was delighted to find that Fox News channel had transmitted the entire Mass and was transmitting the Urbi et Orbi as I tuned in! In fact their Sunday correspondents spoke about faith and hope and Easter after the transmission but also, for some time, kept images of St. Peter’s Basilica on a split screen!

I did celebrate the day with my usual Sunday brunch – this week wonderful, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, toast and jelly and a mimosa!

I look forward to returning to Homebaked for brunch as soon as restrictions are lifted on places that serve food. My favorite is their great bacon and savory French toast combination!

I was able to do a few things during the day on my cell phone but basically found non-Internet things to do, being locked in my home and locked out of cyberspace.

Yesterday was Easter Monday – Pasquetta or Little Easter – and is also known here as Monday of the Angel, a big holiday in Italy. This day recalls the meeting between the women who went to Jesus’ tomb, sad to see it empty but then rejoicing when an angel comforted them, saying the Savior had risen!

Italians typically dedicate Easter Monday to family outings, most often celebrating a picnic meal at midday. If you google Pasquetta or Little Easter, chances are you’ll find more menus for picnics than you will information on its history!  However, I am sure the only family picnics took place on balconies or terraces this year!

And the weather on Easter Sunday and Monday was superb – sunny, blue skies and about 70 degrees!

By the way, the noon prayer in this post-Easter time is the Regina Coeli, not the Angelus.

Allow me to offer some beautiful words pronounced by Pope Benedict on Easter Monday 2012, his last pasquetta as pontiff,** that have always been seared into my mind and heart: He noted that the Gospel writers do not describe the Resurrection itself. “That event remains mysterious – not as something unreal, but as something beyond the reach of our knowledge – as a light so bright the eyes cannot bear it.”

Benedict said, “the Gospel narration begins with the morning after the sabbath when the women run to the sepulchre, find it empty and hear an angel tell them the Lord has risen. As they run in turn to tell the disciples, they meet Jesus….”

“In those days in Israel,” said Benedict, “women’s testimony could have no official legal value. Nevertheless, women have experienced a special bond with the Lord, that is fundamental to the day-to-day life of the Christian community, and this is always true, in every age, not only at the beginning of the Church’s pilgrim journey.”

The Pope emeritus stressed how, “in all the Gospels, women play a big role in the stories of the appearance of the resurrected Jesus, and also in the passion and death of Jesus.”

** Pope Francis was elected to the papacy on March 13, 2013 and Easter that year fell on March 31st.

Part of my Easter Monday was spent working on a computer virus. I am starting to dislike the number 13! On Friday, March 13 I arrived back in Italy from NYC to find I was joining millions in quarantine. And yesterday, April 13 there was another kind of virus

By the way, the Vatican said in a communique today that, “Following up on the press release of April 3, the Holy See extends until May 3 all the measures that have been adopted to date to deal with the health emergency from Covid-19.” 

Following is an interesting article about disinfecting historic sites during the coronavirus era. It is from Atlas Obscura, a fascinating website that offers daily emails with some of their interesting and unusual stories.  I subscribe and never let offers daily emails go unread. Fantastic if you have kids in school as well – a wonderful learning tool!

THE SURREAL SIGHT OF DISINFECTING HISTORICAL SITES

Unsung workers around the world on the front lines of the pandemic fight

By Winnie Lee, April 9, 2020

The Giza pyramid complex. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Western Wall. These historic sites and others all over the world are usually teeming with tourists, vendors, and guides. But as they close and empty due to COVID-19, the tourists have been replaced by other figures. Municipal workers from sanitation and utility departments, as well as volunteers, can be seen sanitizing these public places. Usually clad in masks, gloves, and protective suits, their job is often to pressure wash these famous spots or spray them with disinfectant.

Click here to continue and see photos: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/disinfecting-historic-sites?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b4e810dc8a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-b4e810dc8a-65778941&mc_cid=b4e810dc8a&mc_eid=5388373051

ITALY CELEBRATES PASQUETTA, LITTLE EASTER – POPE AT REGINA COELI: “THE RISEN JESUS WALKS BESIDE US”

ITALY CELEBRATES PASQUETTA, LITTLE EASTER

Today is Easter Monday – Little Easter or Pasquetta – and is also known here as Monday of the Angel, a big holiday in Italy. This day recalls the meeting between the women who went to Jesus’ tomb, sad to see it empty but then rejoicing when an angel comforted them, saying the Savior had risen!

Italians typically dedicate Easter Monday to family outings, most often celebrating a picnic meal at midday. If you google Pasquetta or Little Easter, chances are you’ll find more menus for picnics than you will information on its history! By the way, the noon prayer in this post-Easter time is the Regina Coeli, not the Angelus.

Those who work for the Vatican and Roman Curia began their Easter vacation on Holy Thursday and return to work only this coming Wednesday for a total of 6 days off. Some of the Italian employees will probably ask for another day off – Thursday April 25, Liberation Day, a national holiday.

Wednesday, May 1, Labor Day and the feast of St. Joseph, is also a big national holiday. Who knows how many Italians will take April 25 and May 1 – and the days in between – as a mini-vacation! The in between days are known as ponte, bridge – so April 25-May 1 is a very long ponte!

Allow me to offer some beautiful words pronounced by Pope Benedict on Easter Monday 2012, his last pasquetta as pontiff, that have always been seared into my mind and heart: He noted that the Gospel writers do not describe the Resurrection itself. “That event remains mysterious – not as something unreal, but as something beyond the reach of our knowledge – as a light so bright the eyes cannot bear it.”

Benedict said, “the Gospel narration begins with the morning after the sabbath when the women run to the sepulchre, find it empty and hear an angel tell them the Lord has risen. As they run in turn to tell the disciples, they meet Jesus….”

“In those days in Israel,” said Benedict, “women’s testimony could have no official legal value. Nevertheless, women have experienced a special bond with the Lord, that is fundamental to the day-to-day life of the Christian community, and this is always true, in every age, not only at the beginning of the Church’s pilgrim journey.”

The Pope emeritus stressed how, “in all the Gospels, women play a big role in the stories of the appearance of the resurrected Jesus, and also in the passion and death of Jesus.”

POPE AT REGINA COELI: “THE RISEN JESUS WALKS BESIDE US”

Pope Francis prayed the Regina Coeli in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Monday and reflected on the Gospel of St. Matthew that describes the women meeting Jesus at the empty tomb.

Women the first witnesses
“The women, full of awe and joy, are leaving in a hurry to go and bring the news to the disciples; and at that moment Jesus presents Himself before them,” said Pope Francis. The Lord tells them not to be afraid and encourages them to go and announce to their friends what has happened.

“All the Gospels emphasize the role of women, Mary of Magdala and the others, as the first witnesses of the resurrection,” he said. They were the first to meet the Risen Christ “and to bring the message that He was alive.”

We too are called to be witnesses
Pope Francis said the words of Jesus addressed to the women resound for us today too: “Do not be afraid; go and proclaim…We too are called to meet Him personally and to become His heralds and witnesses. The risen Jesus walks beside us. He manifests Himself to those who call on Him and who love Him. We meet Jesus, first of all, in prayer, but also in simple joys lived with faith and gratitude,” sharing moments of friendship and welcome, or even contemplating nature.

The words of the Angels
Pope Francis reminded us of the words spoken to the women by the Angels at the empty tomb on that first day after the Sabbath: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen.”

Christ’s resurrection was “humanly unthinkable,” said Francis, describing it as “the most shocking event in human history.”

But the Resurrection of Jesus is also proof of the victory of God’s Love over sin and death, he said. It is what gives our hope of life “a rock-sold foundation”.

EASTER MONDAY: POPE URGES CHRISTIANS TO BUILD FRATERNITY – THE REGINA COELI PRAYER

As promised by the weatherman, it snowed today, Easter Monday, in New York City – beautiful but not lasting or treacherous. The temp really dropped overnight for this to happen but it seems we have been promised slightly warmer days ahead, though probably some rain. I have been here since Holy Thursday and we’ve had everything except a heat wave! Maybe I should be careful what I write!

My days have been filled with liturgies of the Easter Triduum at St. Patrick’s cathedral, as well as lovely visits and shared meals with a handful of the many friends I have in NYC.

Easter Mass at St, Patrick’s was splendid, as the Mass of the Resurrection should be! Two of my best friends, Peter and Blanche, had tickets for the 10:15 Mass with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a man we have all known for a number of years. Sitting in the front row was quiet special, as was being welcomed into the cardinal’s home with a number of other close friends after the Eucharistic celebration.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral –

I was very privileged later to share Easter lunch with Cardinal Dolan, five priests from the archdiocese, including his secretary (another longtime friend) Sr. Rosaria, a delightful Irish nun and luncheon companion who has known the cardinal for decades, Fr. Jonathan Morris (whom many of you might know from his appearances on FoxNews) and Bill Hemmer of FoxNews. A scrumptious meal but the best food was that for the soul – the conversation and gales of laughter!

Easter Sunday Mass –

Note that the ushers wear tails (on special days, I presume) –

AFTER MASS – So, Your Eminence, I have a question….

EASTER MONDAY: POPE URGES CHRISTIANS TO BUILD FRATERNITY

By Robin Gomes (vaticannews.va)

Pope Francis on Monday urged Christians to build fraternity, saying only fraternity can guarantee lasting peace, defeat poverty, extinguish tensions and wars, and eradicate corruption and crime. Speaking to thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the noon Regina Coeli prayer, the Pope said fraternity lived by the first Christians is also needed today.

“He is risen” – shocking

Easter Monday, which is celebrated as ‘Pasquetta’ or ‘Little Easter’ holiday in Italy, is also called “Monday of the Angel,” after the Gospel episode of the angel in the empty tomb of Jesus. The Pope said that the words “He is risen,” spoken by the angel to the women, could be uttered only by “a superior being to communicate a reality so shocking, so incredible, that perhaps no man would dare to pronounce it.” The community of disciples later began to repeat it.

Fraternity builds common good, social justice

Pope Francis noted that after Easter, on Monday of the Angel, we feel the need to reunite and celebrate with our loved ones and friends. By rising again from death, the Pope explained, Jesus broke down the wall of division between men, restored peace, and began weaving the fabric of a new fraternity. The Holy Father underscored the importance of rediscovering fraternity in our time, just as it was lived in the early Christian communities.

The Pope said, “There cannot be a true communion and a commitment to the common good and social justice without fraternity and sharing.” “Without fraternal sharing, an authentic ecclesial or civil community cannot be created: there can only be a group of individuals motivated by their own interests,” the Pope warned.

Dialogue and relationship

The Resurrection of Christ, the Pope said, has made the novelty of dialogue and of the relationship explode in the world, a novelty that has become “a responsibility for Christians”. He recalled Jesus telling that the world would come know they were his disciples from their love for one another.

This is why, the Pope explained, we cannot close ourselves in our privacy, in our group, but we are called to take care of the common good, to take care of our brothers, especially the weakest and most marginalized. Only fraternity, the Pope stressed, can guarantee lasting peace, defeat poverty, extinguish tensions and wars, and can eradicate corruption and crime.

The Pope concluded urging all to implore the Virgin Mary help all make fraternity and communion their lifestyle and the soul of their relationships.

Witnesses of peace

After reciting the Regina Coeli prayer and imparting his blessing, Pope Francis greeted various groups from Italy and around the world present in the square. He exhorted them to be witnesses of the peace of the risen Lord especially to the “most fragile and disadvantaged” people. In this regard, he reminded them about the World Autism Awareness Day observed on April 2.

The Holy Father also invoked peace on the entire world, especially on populations suffering because of ongoing conflicts. He renewed his appeal for those kidnapped or unjustly denied their liberty, that they be released and be allowed to return to their homes.

THE REGINA COELI PRAYER

The Easter prayer Regina Coeli (“Queen of Heaven” in Latin) is a tribute to the Lord’s resurrection and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Authorship of the prayer is unknown but it can be traced back to the 12th century and was used by Franciscans after Compline (night prayer) in the first half of the 13th century. The prayer is one of four antiphons (short liturgical texts sung or chanted dedicated to the Mother of the Lord. It is often sung as a hymn and has had numerous musical settings in its original Latin text, including several by Mozart. Traditionally, it is prayed standing, often at noon, in place of the Angelus during the Easter Season from Holy Saturday until Pentecost. For that reason, the Pope’s window addresses during the Easter Season are referred to as “Regina Coeli” Addresses.

Latin Text:

℣. Regina cæli, lætare, alleluia:
℟. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
℣. Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia,
℟. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
℣. Gaude et lætare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
℟. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

℣. Oremus:
Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi,
mundum lætificare dignatus es:
præsta, quæsumus, ut per eius Genitricem Virginem Mariam,
perpetuæ capiamus gaudia vitæ.
Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
℟. Amen.

English version:

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray.
O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection
of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
grant we beseech you,
that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother,
we may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

EASTER MONDAY OF THE ANGEL – “NEVER TIRE OF REPEATING, CHRIST IS RISEN!” – HAPPY EASTER FROM……VIENNA!

EASTER MONDAY OF THE ANGEL

Today is Easter Monday – Little Easter or Pasquetta – and is also known here as Monday of the Angel, a big holiday throughout much of Europe. Today is also the penultimate day of vacation time for Vatican and Roman Curia staff. The Easter holidays start Holy Thursday and go through the Tuesday after Easter for most people at the Vatican. However, the various Vatican media offices and the Secretariat of State have at least a skeleton crew on hand over the holidays, whereas the office of the liturgical ceremonies of the Supreme Pontiff was kept quite busy throughout Holy Week and Easter Sunday.

On April 9, 2012, Easter Monday, Pope Benedict recited the Regina Coeli, the prayer that takes the place of the Angelus during Eastertime, from the apostolic palace in Castelgandolfo.  He reflected on the Resurraction and why this day is known Monday of the Angel.

The weather three years ago was much as it is today, a clear sunny day that brought considerably cooler temperatures and a brisk breeze to central Italy. And three years ago, thousands of faithful joined the Pope in the palace’s inner courtyard as well as in the town’s main square, just outside the palace main entrance. Italians typically dedicate Easter Monday to family outings, most often celebrating a picnic meal at midday.

Recalling that the real reason for this holiday is the Resurrection of Our Lord, Pope Benedict began his reflections by noting that the Gospel writers do not describe the Resurrection itself. “That event remains mysterious – not as something unreal, but as something beyond the reach of our knowledge – as a light so bright the eyes cannot bear it.”

He explained that the Gospel narration begins with the morning after the sabbath when the women run to the sepulchre, find it empty and hear an angel tell them the Lord has risen. As they run in turn to tell the disciples, they meet Jesus.

The Holy Father went on to note that, “In those days, in Israel, women’s testimony could have no official legal value.” Nevertheless, “women have experienced a special bond with the Lord, that is fundamental to the day-to-day life of the Christian community, and this is always true, in every age, not only at the beginning of the Church’s pilgrim journey.” Benedict XVI stressed how, “in all the Gospels, women play a big role in the stories of the appearance of the resurrected Jesus, like the rest, and also in the passion and death of Jesus.”

“NEVER TIRE OF REPEATING, CHRIST IS RISEN!”

Easter Monday at noon, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study to recite the Regina Coeli. He told the pilgrims that, “Faith in the resurrection of Jesus and the hope He has brought to us is the most beautiful gift that a Christian can and must offer his brothers and sisters.”

“To one and all,” he said, “never tire of repeating: Christ is risen.” He then urged the crowd – three times . to reèpeat that phtrase with him – which they did with great gusto! he urged the crowd, inviting them to repeat the phrase with him three times in the Square.

Pope Francis said, the Good News of the Resurrection should “shine on our face, in our feelings and in our behaviour, in the way in which we treat others. We proclaim the Resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence, and we are able share it with others; when we know when to smile with those who smile, and weep with those who weep; when we accompany those who are sad and at risk of losing hope; when we recount our experience of Faith to those who are searching for meaning and happiness,”

He also mentioned what he called the “curious truth” that the Liturgy treats the entire Octave – eight days – of Easter as one day, to “help us enter into the mystery” of the feast. “Let our lives be conquered and transformed by the Resurrection,” he said.

After praying the Regina Coeli, in greetings to the Shalom Community, the Holy Father expressed his hope that the international community does not look on, “silent and inactive,” in the face of the “unacceptable crime” of the persecution of Christians around the world.

He told the group who had organized a relay in Rome of solidarity with persecuted Christians.  “Your itinerary on the streets is over, but what must continue on the part of all is the spiritual journey of prayer, intense prayer; the concrete participation and tangible help in the defense and protection of our brothers and sisters, who are persecuted, exiled, killed, beheaded, for the sole reason of being a Christian. They are our martyrs today and they are many; we are able to say that they are more numerous than in the first centuries.”

“I sincerely hope that the international community does not look the other way,” he added.

HAPPY EASTER FROM……VIENNA!

No, I’m not in Vienna but a good friend of mine, Isabella, lives there and several days  ago she sent me some great photos taken with her cell phone as she was strolling through Austria’s historic and magnificent capital with its festive and colorful Easter markets.  I never knew of this splendid custom and am delighted to share her pictures.

I wanted to know more about Vienna’s Easter markets so I naturally went on line. I found the following at http://www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/markets/easter-markets

Traditional Easter decorations and artfully decorated eggs, culinary treats and a program of music await you at Vienna’s Easter markets in March and April. There’s all sorts of entertainment for young visitors to the markets.

The Easter market in front of Schönbrunn Palace is considered to be one of the most romantic Easter markets. In front of the backdrop of the palace, 60 exhibitors offer all sorts of culinary pleasures as well as decorative Easter decorations and handicrafts from Austria. Children have fun in the Easter Bunny workshop, where they shape marzipan bunnies and make Easter flower arrangements, in the Easter nest hunt and in the Kindermuseum, while the adults enjoy the entertainment at “Jazz at the Easter Market”.

Every year, the Old Viennese Easter market on Freyung, a pretty old square in the Old City, builds the biggest tower of eggs in Europe, with around 40,000 painted Easter eggs. There are also numerous Easter specialties ranging from the Osterpinze Easter bread to the roast Easter lamb, handicrafts, floristry and for the very little ones a creative Easter workshop, puppet games and a rabbit hutch.

The handicraft market on Am Hof square is also fully given over to Easter customs with skilfully decorated eggs and flower arrangements and also offers pretty handicrafts.

An entertaining Easter party awaits visitors young and old on Easter Sunday on 5 April in the Prater. There’s live music, an Easter parade and a colorful children’s program with theater and a thrilling magic show.