Italian word of the day: 'Pasquetta'

In Italy, Easter Monday is known as Pasquetta, literally 'little Easter'.

You might hear some Catholics refer to it as Lunedì dell'Angelo ('Angel Monday'), in reference to the story the Gospels tell of an angel appearing to women gathered outside Jesus's sepulchre and telling them He had risen. 

While it has less religious significance than Good Friday (Venerdì santo) or Easter Sunday (Domenica di Pasqua), Easter Monday gives people in Italy a day off work.

With no particular religious ceremonies to attend, it's typical for Italians to take a day trip to the countryside on Easter Monday.

Cosa fate di bello a Pasquetta?
Do you have anything nice planned for Easter Monday?

Easter Monday also goes by another name: Lunedi dell'Agnello or 'Lamb Monday', which gives a clue to the other highlight of the day – the lunch, which traditionally stars lamb. 

Romans typically prepare lamb soup or cook it in an egg-and-citrus sauce, southern Italians often put it in a stew, while elsewhere it will be roasted with garlic and rosemary – every family and restaurant has its own special recipe.

If you don't eat meat, Italy has a veggie option in the form of a cake baked in the shape of a sheep, which you can find in many bakeries at this time of year.

Do you have a favourite Italian word you'd like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Don't miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.