The end of Holy Week and the abstinences of Lent are coming to an end, to give way to the Easter holiday. Traditionally the godparents, or grandparents, give the mona to the children on Easter Sunday and it is customary, on Easter Monday, to go outdoors to eat the mona and play.
The mona is a dessert of great tradition throughout the Mediterranean, although there are other variants in other areas of Spain. During the 19th century in Europe, originally in Germany, Italy and France, chocolate eggs with a gift inside began to be prepared. This tradition spread throughout Europe and became deeply rooted in Spain. Since then, the chocolate egg has been evolving, giving way to a great variety of chocolate figures.
However, before the introduction of the chocolate egg, the decoration was made with a hard-boiled egg, a custom that is still maintained in the Valencian Community. It is not known exactly why an egg is used, although there are numerous references in the mythology of different cultures in which the egg is a symbol of birth, rebirth or fertility.
In the Valencian Community, on Easter Monday it is customary to go out with the family or a group of friends on an excursion to the countryside, or to the garden, and spend the afternoon eating the monkey and playing games. We also have the custom of stamping the egg on someone’s forehead when they are absent-minded, so we spend a fun afternoon waiting for all the eggs to be broken. Then all that’s left to do is to play as long as daylight allows.
And so that you don’t run out of ideas, here are 3 games to enjoy this Easter:
The scarf
For this game you need a handkerchief, or failing that a jacket or scarf. One person will be the stick, or the person in charge of directing the game, and the rest will be divided into two teams and assigning a number to each player (for example, if the teams are 6 people, each team will assign the numbers 1 to 6 to its components). The stick will be placed in the center, at the same distance from one team and the other, and will call a number. The number called from both teams will run to the center to get the handkerchief and return to his team before his opponent does. The player who does not get the handkerchief is eliminated and a member of his team must keep his number. The game continues until a team loses all its members.
The crazy phone
There are several variants, but we are going to explain one of the simplest. All participants sit in a circle, the person who starts the game says a phrase in the ear of the person next to him as quickly as possible (without losing clarity); the message is passed in the same way until it reaches the last person, who will say the phrase aloud. The person who started the game must corroborate whether it is the same or not.
Jumping rope
We need to have brought a long rope, or string, with us. This is a dynamic and fun game, especially if there are many of us. Two people will be in charge of rolling the rope and the rest will be placed in a line on one side, when the first person starts the game by entering and making a boat in the center of the rope, the rest of the participants must follow without losing a turn or getting tangled with the rope. If someone misses a turn or gets tangled, he/she will be eliminated. The participants who are not eliminated when they finish jumping are placed on the opposite side of the rope, to start from the opposite side when they finish (without losing their turn).
We hope these games will make your Easter more entertaining.
And you, how do you celebrate Easter in your region?
