Pre-Pascua Parties

Easter season, or holy week is referred to here as Pascua. And like everything here in Spain, there are many differences between here, and the land of the stars and stripes. First thing I noticed a few days ago, is signs up at every business: supermarket, bakery, paella places, banks, cafés, schools etc... that things will be  closed beginning thursday of holy week (semana santa).

When I asked about traditions of Pascua (such as painting eggs, easter bunnies and easter baskets) I am told they do not exist, except it is slowly creeping in due to American influence. (oops) What was tradition was to go fly a kite on easter, eat the mona de pascua (see below) and then everyone recieved a small casuela with a fried egg and fried rabbit..... yes, they eat the real thing, not like us Americans who eat the chocolatey sugary more delicious version

Here is the mona de pascua. Basically it is "sweet" bread with an egg in it... sometimes hard boiled, but sometimes the child friendly chocolate hollow egg with a regalito or little prize inside.
I was so excited to try this bread, because it kind of sometimes looks like a giant hard pretzel with sprinkles on top.... but it sure did disappoint. And it just reinforced my ideas that spaniards have no taste buds because this is so bland and boring!

Since as I said, I like to bring cool American things here to Spain, I brought over a favorite past time: dying easter eggs!  I did this with the children I tutor. (we colored eggs in school with marker as well). There were a total of 6 children who participated in my egg dying party. two 4 year olds, a 5 year old, two 8 year olds, and my 11 year old.  They are all in bilingual school, but this does not mean they listen. For the most part, it was successful, it just ended with food colored hands!!!!

A fellow fulbrighter's fiance luckally game and like a gem that he is, brought me an egg dying set. But I also made my own homemade dyes with food coloring, water and vinegar.

The best part about this experience was that as soon as the eggs were even remotely dry.... they started to crack them on each others heads and eat them. The result was egg shells everywhere, egg yolk everywhere, full bellies, and some dyed foreheads.
Later I informed them of our easter egg hunt... but i left out the part about the easter bunny to save their parents from having to go along with it. They loved this idea and with the 2 eggs they had left (out of 22) they took turns hiding them from each other!