Buon Pasqua! That’s what the former St. Anthony of Padua Church, Exeter, would print on the cover of the church bulletin on Easter Day.
Of course, the translation is Happy Easter, and a Happy Easter to all celebrating what is considered the most important holiday in Christianity in rejoicing the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as described in the New Testament of the Bible.
It is said the origin of Easter is a blend of Christian, Jewish and pagan traditions.
In Christianity, Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, and on the third day, he rose from the dead, known as Easter Sunday.
The Jewish connection to Easter is timed closely to Passover, a Jewish festival that commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It is believed Jesus’ Last Supper was set over a Passover meal linking the two holidays.
Before Christianity, pagans celebrated spring equinox and the word Easter is a derivative from Ēostre or Ostara, a Germani/Saxon goddess of spring and fertility.
Now here’s where the eggs and rabbits come in; they were ancient symbols of fertility and new life.
So, in essences, the word Easter comes from pre-Christianity days or pagan roots.
Coming from a church like St. Anthony’s where the clergy were all from Italy, it would only make sense to refer to Happy Easter as Buon Pasqua.
I never learned Italian, even with my grandmother and mother speaking fluent Italian, but Buon Pasqua was my early days of seeing Italian in print. At Christmas it was Buon Natale (Merry Christmas) and New Years would be Buon Anno or Happy New Year.
On Good Friday, our parents told us we should be quiet and solemn from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the time of Christ’s crucifixion.
Leading up to Easter, my mother enjoyed watching religious movies such as “The Ten Commandments” (1956), “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965), and one of her favorites, “The Robe” (1953) starring Richard Burton.
The Robe is about a Roman centurion whose life changed forever after winning Christ’s robe while gambling at the foot of the cross where Jesus was crucified.
Easter season always consisted of our parents getting us new outfits. Usually, my brother and I would get some kind of matching clothes, which always felt a bit weird for me since we were 4.5 years apart.
My sister would get a new dress, usually white, with a hat and new patent leather shoes. We boys would also get new shoes and in almost every case, I’d get a blister above my heel.
That pageantry, of course, involved in the church portion of Easter, the bunny side of Easter was fun where our parents would adorn three baskets with all kinds of sugary delights complete with one large and usually a solid chocolate bunny.
Each basket was done in colored cellophane wrapping, usually purple, yellow and pink. All goodies sat on a bed of green “grass.”
Many children have to find hidden eggs around the house in order to receive their Easter basket, not us. We woke up and found our baskets on display, usually in the parlor, for us to grab.
Each year, all three of us had the same basket assigned to us, so we knew immediately which basket was ours. It would seem anticlimactic, but we were just as excited to get our baskets that were all filled with identical items.
Now that my daughters are adults, the question remains, how old is too old to give your children Easter baskets? I say all ages are good, after all, aren’t we all children at heart?
In the U.S., it is estimated $3.5 to $4 billion is spent at Easter time each year with the most popular favorites is chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps, jelly beans, Cadbury Crème Eggs, and Reese’s Eggs. Easter ranks only second behind Halloween for candy sales.
Another Easter tradition: after church while we were still all dressed up was to go to the cemeteries to visit departed loved ones. Once there, we took photos of the family at the tombstones.
I don’t believe our family was singled out in that tradition. Maybe it was an old-fashioned Italian thing.
No matter how you celebrate this holiday through faith, family and yes, plenty of chocolate, I hope you all have a great Easter.
In today’s edition you will read about the fate of Pittston Hospital and it’s future. It seems there’s been some headway between the City of Pittston and Jenkins Twp. who share the property and the future of the 1893 hospital is looking up.
John Basalyga, a Scranton native, the owner of the Marketplace at Steamtown, has been transforming properties for years, is buying the property at Pittston Hospital, including the student nursing residence and the maintenance building.
Plans are pointing towards higher end apartments for the project. Personally, I hope he does something on the roof of the hospital. I’ve been up there and the 360-degree view is spectacular and maybe the best in the entire valley.
A few access roads to the property are included in the plans including an entrance from Johnson St. I recall access there when I was younger.
The deal struck up between Pittston and Jenkins Twp. is a win-win situation for both municipalities.
It will be great to seen new life at the old hospital.
Quote of the Week
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” —Pope John Paul II
Thought of the Week
“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.” —Janine di Giovanni
Bumper Sticker
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” —Matthew 28:6
