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Easter around the world with CV Travel

13th March 2012 Print

For many Brits the spirit of Easter can be lost amongst the boxes of commercially branded chocolate Easter eggs, yet there are centuries old traditions to be found at home and overseas. CV Travel has come up with its pick of the world’s most authentic Easter experiences, including gourmet banquet feasts in Spain and France, pot throwing and processions in Corfu, lively festivals and ancient traditions.

Easter in Italy

As the season of Lent draws to a close, Italian food plays a large part in the Easter festivities with traditional Italian rustic cuisine including lamb or goat, asparagus, artichokes, hollowed chocolate eggs with surprises concealed and special Easter themed breads that vary from region to region. But the festivities don’t stop with food as local residents dress up in traditional ancient costumes to celebrate solemn religious processions and festivals that are held all over Italy on Good Friday and the Saturday before Easter Sunday with many churches decorated with olive branches and statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus are paraded. On Easter Monday, many Italian cities hold festive dances, free concerts and often play a variety of unusual games involving eggs.

CV Travel has a week’s stay in Capo d’Uomo on the Tuscan coast of Italy over Easter for £3,475 including villa rental and maid service. Return flights, car hire and transfers can be arranged on request. 

Easter in France

Never one to shy away from a party, the French revel in the Eastertide celebrations, particularly in the marketplaces where the shops are beautifully adorned and sell white and dark chocolate rabbits, chickens, church bells and fish. Traditional Easter bunnies and eggs are not so popular in France where the chocolate fish (called 'Poisson d'Avril') makes its arrival on 1st April. Easter is the perfect time for local master chocolatiers to show off their delicate festive creations, with local village ‘Pâtisseries’ flooding their windows with wonderful decorative chocolate designs. But it’s not all about chocolate; the French celebrate Easter ‘en famille’, and many Christian households host traditional Easter feasts to mark the ceremonious occasion with typical French recipes of 'Gigot d'Agneau' (leg of lamb) with spring vegetables.

CV Travel has a week’s stay in La Champenoise on the Cote d’Azur over Easter departing 7th April which now costs £5,450 (was £6,070 per week), saving £620 for up to 16 guests sharing. The price includes accommodation, maid service and complimentary welcome hamper. Return flights, train tickets, transfers and car hire can be arranged on request.

Easter in Spain

Easter Week, known in Spain as ‘Semana Santa’, is the one of the most important and lively celebrations in the Spanish calendar. The festivities begin with the traditional celebrations of ‘Domingo de Ramos’ (Palm Sunday) and end with ‘Lunes de Pascua’ (Easter Monday). The Easter week to the Spanish is a celebration of life itself, and the whole of Spain comes alive with spectacular regional processions, festivals, live music and dance.
Spanish Easter wouldn’t be complete without their famous Easter feasts with special dishes like "La Mona" (a traditional Easter cake) or Easter eggs, pork sausage and calçots, hazelnut cream with pheasant ravioli and truffles as well as the traditional Easter bread prepared in almost every Spanish household.

CV Travel has a week’s stay in Casa Velero in Mallorca, Spain over Easter for £2,495 for up to 6 guests sharing including villa rental and maid hire. Return flights and car hire can be arranged on request. 

Easter in Portugal

Easter is an excellent time to sample the specialties of local Portuguese cuisine. The Portuguese save all of their best delicacies such as roast kid, lamb stew, meatballs, chocolates and almond eggs until after the fasting of Lent to coincide with the vivacity of the week long festivals and religious processions when Portugal turns itself into a wonderful community welcoming all to come and join in the celebrations.

CV Travel has a week’s stay in The Olive Tree near the historic Algarve town of Loule in Portugal over Easter for £4,495 for up to 8 guests sharing including villa hire, cook and maid service.

Easter in Corfu

Greek Orthodox Easter is the ideal occasion to become immersed in authentic Greek culture and observe the locals busily partaking in Easter customs such as Greek women cleaning the exterior of their houses, dying eggs red, buying new shoes and clothes as well as giving their children special tailored candles as symbolic gifts, and no where is this more true than in Corfu, where there are numerous CV luxury villas from which to enjoy the festivities. In Corfu Town once the sombre Good Friday processions have concluded all of the lights start to glow purple in the evening. On Easter Saturday at 11am large pots are thrown from windows to get rid of evil spirits. On Saturday night there is music and dancing and everyone lights a candle at midnight which must remain alight to bring in the good spirits. The traditional “Magritsa” soup is served at midnight and there is a dazzling Fireworks display and finally the island is filled with the aromatic scent of spit roast goat for the celebration lunch on Sunday.

CV Travel has a weeks stay in Kaparelli House in Corfu over Greek Easter (Good Friday is 13 April 2012) for £2,880 for up to 10 guests sharing including villa hire and maid service. Return flights to Corfu and transfers can be arranged on request.

CV Travel has a weeks stay in Yialiskari House in Corfu over Greek Easter for £1,740 for up to 4 sharing including villa hire, maid service, food hamper and car hire. Return flights to Corfu and transfers can be arranged on request. Guests may pay a supplement to have the pool heated.

Easter festivities can be seen in Corfu Town or in Kassiopi from both these villas which are a short distance away.

Easter in the Caribbean

The Caribbean is a popular destination for Easter. Those who are lucky enough to spend the religious holiday in the islands can experience some unique Caribbean Easter festivities, traditions and celebrations in Caribbean style. Join in the revelry at the infamous Easter Carnivals. Dance to fantastic live Calypso music; watch the coronation ceremony of the Calypso King and the Panorama (steel band) competition. With its emphasis on family, spending Easter in the Caribbean islands is a warm and welcoming experience for g

uests, with a fabulous array of local traditions such as Tobago’s Goat and Crab racing event that can only be likened to the pageantry and pomp of our Ascot. It’s these wonderful traditions that put a unique tropical spin on the holiday’s religious and secular celebrations.

CV Travel has a 14 night’s stay at the villas at Stonehaven departing 14th April for £2070 per person based on 6 guests sharing including return flights, transfers and villa rental with a cook service included.

Easter in Great Britain

Easter in Great Britain is one of the year’s great festivals and public holidays; and the most important date in the Christian calendar. To some, Easter in Britain consists of chocolate eggs, family get-togethers and Sunday television with a bi-annual visit to Church. Churches are a wonderful place to be during the celebrations as they are decorated with the Madonna lily, symbolizing the purity of the occasion. But Easter festivities in Britain remain incomplete without a good hearty Sunday roast and, of course, plenty of chocolate Easter eggs.

CV Travel has a week’s stay in Dartmoor Manor in Devon over Easter for £11,000 for up to 12 guests sharing.

For more information, visit cvtravel.co.uk.