When we think of Easter, our brain (and especially our belly) associates the holiday with its symbol par excellence: the egg.

Sardinia does not escape tradition, but rather it honours this solemn day in a slightly different way, do you want to discover it with us Easter in Sardinia?

Easter is a festival that has always been significant, even before the advent of monotheistic religions: in the wild world, the transition from the cold season to the hot season was celebrated with offers and rituals of thanksgiving.

The pagan populations already had the tradition of donating an egg, considered sacred and auspicious as the guardian of a new life: a way to wish prosperity and rebirth. The trace of these customs already dates back to the Persians and Egyptians.

With Christianity, the egg became the symbol of the rebirth of Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life.

During the Middle Ages, the custom of giving eggs resists and is declined in different ways depending on the social class: the people gave boiled eggs, decorated naturally with the help of flowers and leaves; the nobles instead commissioned artisanal eggs made of precious materials such as platinum, gold and silver.

The transition from metal to cocoa takes place in 1700 thanks to King Sun: King Louis XIV commissioned the chocolatier David Chaillou for a chocolate egg and not one made of gold.

The tradition of putting a surprise inside the egg comes instead from the court of the Tsar of Russia and the famous goldsmith Fabergè. It was Alexander III who asked the craftsman to prepare a golden egg with some gifts inside, including a chicken (golden of course).

Easter is a very heartfelt event and around the island, in the Holy Week, you can attend rites and processions that become real theatrical events: engaging and fascinating moments such as the procession of the Mysteries, s’Iscravamentu and s’Incontru.

Is it celebrated with gold, platinum and diamonds also in Sardinia?

No, on the island things have always been easier and at Easter, they are two genuine but important symbols to join: the bread and the egg.

Of course, it is not just any bread, but one of the great occasions is the famous coccoi, a durum wheat bread and sourdough with the characteristic pitzicorrus, the decorations in the shape of swallowtails. For this occasion, the coccoi is shaped with particular shapes inspired by nature such as chickens, peacocks, dolls or garlands of flowers, inside which the boiled egg is inserted, and cooked before being inserted into the dough.

In the past those who could not afford the purchase of eggs compensated for this lack in a simple but tasty way, by adding almonds to the coccoi.

With the advent of “commercial” Easter eggs, the beautiful tradition of coccoi cun s’ou was not lost and ancient and modern coexist happily on the tables of the Sardinians.

It is possible to find a great form of coccoi as a centrepiece or many small coccoeddus to use as a placeholder for guests.

In addition to coccoi cun s’ou the Easter menu in Sardinia can include panada with the inevitable lamb, ravioli with ricotta, roast lamb and typical desserts such as pardulas and pirichittus.