Just as the long carnival season ends, there’s a new reason to celebrate in Sardinia — the Holy Week. Easter in Sardinia is a big deal, long-lasting religious traditions go back for centuries, and they’re always represented by festive decorations, processions, get-togethers with friends and family, and fantastic food.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Sa Chida Santa or Holy Week. There’s always a sense of austerity and solemnity during the first few days, as people commemorate the death of Christ. This soon transforms into an authentic celebration with Christ’s resurrection.
This is a time to get together with the family, so meals during the Holy Week are often more lavish than usual. Some food specialties are unique to the holidays, including the famous pardulas — ricotta cheesecakes made with flour, eggs, local cheese and sugar. They’re flavored with saffron and orange peels and shaped like small baskets. Think of the best muffins you’ve ever tried! You might also find lots of decorative pastry treats featuring whole eggs. These are symbolic tokens, often gifted to children.
The famous malloreddus pasta, a conch-shaped gnocchi, is also typical for the season, often served with the island’s fatty sausages and olives. Spaghetti with Bottarga or mullet roe is a winter and spring specialty as well, but every family in Sardinia has its own Easter traditions. What they all have in common is that they lay the tables with authentic feasts, showing, once again, that no holiday is to be taken lightly in the Mediterranean island.
Visiting Sardinia during the Holy Week can be a life-changing trip, especially if the holiday has a special significance to you. Visit Cagliari, Alghero or Orgosolo for the authentic experience. Here’s where most of the religious processions and celebrations take place, and they’re a sight to behold.
