Pasquetta

The Monday after Easter is know as Pasquetta or “little Easter”.  Everyone takes the day off work for picnics or barbecues in the country.   We were invited to join one of the other youth leaders and his fiancée to visit his family in Agrigento on the southern coast of Sicily.   The drive took about an hour and a half with a quick stop for fuel, I mean coffee. (We did get fuel for the car as well.)  We arrived at the house just in time for Shawn and our friend to help with the grilling.  It kept raining off and on so the grilling was a little tricky.  The golf umbrellas covering the different grill stations helped some.  What a feast it was, there were 4 types of meat, sausage, lamb, chicken, and pork.  They also cooked artichokes by burying them in the hot coals.  Inside several of the women, including the hostess, were fixing baked goods typical of the area, a bread with sausage and olive bits inside.   Finally, everything was ready for the 30 plus people that were there.  We sat down to a huge lunch with the grilled meat, homemade bread, artichokes, salad, and finishing off with fruit.  (Neither of us were hungry for dinner when we got home that night.)  It reminded me so much of dinners at my grandparents (dad’s parents) where all the family and friends from church would picnic or grill out and fellowship around the table. In a way it made me a little homesick since both my grandparents are gone now.   During the afternoon we took it easy since lunch definitely needed time to settle, some napped, while others listened to the piano and violin.  One of the ladies there was a hair dresser and she cut the hair of one of the little girls who didn’t like to brush it.  The mother of the girl wasn’t too sure about the idea, but they were both happy in the end.  Some also took the opportunity to grab a snooze, while others just sat around and talked. Several hours after lunch, the coffee and dessert came out.  There were 4 types of cake and numerous variations of cookies.  The coffee helped revive everyone and the rest of the afternoon was spent playing card games and chatting, which also reminded me of home.  His family was very welcoming to a couple of people they had never met and we were so blessed by the fellowship that day.   The language was different, but we could not have felt more at home.  Their house was full of love, laughter, and gracious hospitality and we were honored to be included.