Easter in South Tyrol: festive customs and recipes

Easter traditions in South Tyrol

Genuine customs, family celebrations and the start of spring

Religious customs and family traditions: Easter in South Tyrol is a unique experience practised today with great enthusiasm. Before Easter Sunday , families fashion palm brooms (bunched-up twigs), dye Easter eggs and decorate parlours with colourful branches. The smell of freshly baked Easter bread wafts through the house and Easter dishes made from fresh, local ingredients are served. As the birds chirp happily and children search for the Easter Bunny excitedly, take a moment to breathe deeply: the long winter is finally over.

IDM Südtirol-Alto Adige/Ivo Corra'

Because customs never go out of fashion

Easter in the valleys and villages is a time to connect with ancient customs and lively church ceremonies. For Palm Sunday , the children make colourful ‘palm brooms’ from willow branches and spring flowers that are bundled together. On Thursday, families use onion peels to dye Easter eggs, before being consecrated in church on Easter Sunday.

Afterwards, people meet for “egg tapping,” a game that pits egg against egg to find out which is strongest. Sitting together in the warm spring sunshine and watching the children hunt for eggs, locals look forward to eating their first asparagus dishes of the season. Children receive a “Fochaz”, a sweet bread, from their godparents. The “Palmesel,” i.e. the “palm donkey,” is a nickname given to the last person to get out of bed on Palm Sunday.

The best recipes for your Easter menu

From classic asparagus with Bolzano Sauce to more creative spring dishes such as roasted char filet with South Tyrolean apples and horseradish, find inspiration for your perfect Easter meal here.

South Tyrolean asparagus panna cotta with South Tyrolean speck-and-cheese crackers

Innovative

Discover your favourite accommodation

While staying at a farm accommodation, experience the Easter traditions of the host family. Alternatively, enjoy your Easter holiday in South Tyrol in a hotel, where you can gaze out at snow-covered peaks during a hike in the blossoming valley or while enjoying some relaxing wellness.