Malta is 98% Catholic, so the majority of the holidays that we celebrate here are related in some way to the Bible or to the patron saints. I have celebrated Easter before in the United States, but I've never seen it celebrated so elaborately! The Maltese people celebrate Easter during the entire Holy Week (the week before Easter). On Maundy Thursday, they commemorate the "Last Supper" by visiting seven different churches and praying in each of them. On Good Friday, there are processions featuring each town's patron saint! On Easter, there are even more processions where the statues of each saint are paraded around the town and then returned. These saint statues are quite big and heavy, so it's surprising how far they can carry them! Easter Sunday is a day for families to eat a big meal together and spend quality time with each other, much like my family does in the United States. My favorite part about Easter time is the popular "cookie-like" dessert that is only available at Easter time, called figolla or figolli (plural).
Figolli are GIANT cookies that are filled with almond-flavored marzipan, cinnamon and orange blossom. They are typically in different shapes and are decorated either with frosting, chocolate or a mix of both. Many of them even have a chocolate egg in the center!
