In South Tyrol, when nature awakens, the farm blossoms and work in the fields and garden begins, it is Easter. The warm rays of sunshine invite you to linger outdoors and to enjoy the little things in life: listening to the sounds, taking in the colours, enjoying the smell of spring. Many surprises await you on a farm holiday at Easter time. Happy, free-range chickens will lay you your very own Easter egg and the fluffy Easter bunnies in the meadow are happy to be stroked and fed. At the same time, Easter on the farm is a time for traditions, which you can experience up close when you stay in a holiday apartment or room. These traditions are still practiced by the farming families in South Tyrol today.

Natural and colourful

The colourful Easter eggs are an important part of the traditional feast. On the farms in South Tyrol, the eggs come directly from the chicken coop. The dyeing of the eggs is mostly a family affair and usually takes place on Maundy Thursday. The hard-boiled eggs are coloured with vegetable dyes: carefully and distinctively. With spinach, red cabbage, carrots, onion skins and beetroot, the farming family creates the most beautiful colours for their eggs. Blossoms and grass are placed on the Easter eggs before they are dyed. This creates a unique pattern. On Easter Sunday, the coloured Easter eggs are not just eaten, but are part of a lively Easter tradition, the so-called egg pecking. Two players, each with a colourful Easter egg, face each other and take turns hitting the tips of the eggs on top of each other. Whoever's egg is intact at the end is the winner.

Preparations for the feast

The many Easter traditions that have developed over the centuries are still kept by the farming families in South Tyrol and celebrated together by young and old. The Easter traditions culminate in the Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, the blessing of the palm branches takes place. These are taken home and displayed in the crucifix as protectors of the house and farm. The fresh horseradish for Easter is grated on Holy Saturday. On Easter Sunday, the colourful eggs are blessed in the church together with the fochaz, a traditional Easter bread, the Easter ham and the Easter bouquet. The consecrated food is served at home after going to church. The little ones can't wait to start looking for their Easter basket. The children receive a pastry treat from their godparents. For the girls in the form of a hen and for the boys in the form of a rabbit.