Italy
Good Friday, March 25, Rome. In Italy on Good Friday, two days before Easter, residents of Rome flock to the ruins of the Colosseum with candles in their hands. Across Catholic Europe, bells fall silent, it is believed that they "fly to Rome". As is known, many early Christians suffered martyrdom in the Colosseum. At nightfall, the Pope will lead the solemn ceremony of the "Way of the Cross", reflecting and "reproducing" the events preceding the crucifixion of Christ. Boys' choirs will perform mournful pre-Easter Gregorian chants. Similar ceremonies will be held in many European cities. //www.vatican.va
Feast of Saint Benedict, March 20-21, Norcia. The day of veneration of Saint Benedict of Nursia is magnificently celebrated by the modern residents of the city of Norcia (in the 5th century – Nursia), where the saint was born, considered the heavenly patron of this Italian city. Saint Benedict is called the father of Western monasticism. The rule he created, prescribing prayer, work, and study, became the norm of monastic life for all of Europe.
The celebrations in honor of Saint Benedict will open on the night from March 20 to 21 with a torchlight procession – as if a medieval atmosphere is recreated in the city. On the morning of March 21, a medieval festival will take place in Norcia with costumed processions, real knightly duels, and crossbow shooting competitions.
Cyprus
Carnival, March 3-13, Limassol. The history of this celebration goes back to ancient Bacchanalia – festivities in honor of the god of wine and winemaking, Dionysus. The carnival begins 50 days before Orthodox Easter in all major cities of Cyprus, but reaches a special scale in Limassol, where it has been held since 1890. Carnival days begin with a solemn and colorful ceremony of choosing the carnival king – his power for as many as 11 days will be unlimited while costumed processions, children's parades, music shows, and competitions take place.
The first week of the carnival will be "meat" – then participants and guests can eat their fill of souvla, similar to the shashlik we are used to. The second week will be "cheese". And in the evenings on Heroes' Square, the four main wineries of Cyprus (Keo, Loel, Sodap, and Etco) pour wine free of charge for everyone who wishes. On the last day of the carnival, the last Sunday of Maslenitsa, a large costume parade will take place. Two weeks of carnival are the last opportunity for Orthodox Greeks to have fun before Great Lent.
Netherlands
Stille Omgang procession, March 12, Amsterdam. In complete silence, people walk in a procession along Amsterdam's Holy Way – an ancient street of pilgrims – in memory of the so-called "miracle of the host" that occurred in 1345.
According to legend, this host (prosphora) did not burn in the fire after the anointing of a dying townsman. The dying man was very weak, and the host came back out with vomit, then the maid gathered everything and threw it into the fire. The next morning it was discovered that the host had not burned in the fire. This happened on Kalverstraat street. The rumor of the miracle quickly spread throughout the city, pilgrims flocked to this street, and many received healing from ailments, and a few years later a chapel was built there, which was demolished in 1908. In memory of these events, the silent procession takes place, which after the victory of the Reformation was banned for many years. //www.stille-omgang.nl
Finland
Music festival Musica Nova, March 4-12, Helsinki. The program of the annual music festival Musica Nova includes numerous concerts, meetings with composers, seminars, and master classes. The festival presents a wide range of musical genres – symphonic and jazz music, performances by choral and dance groups, children's concerts. The theme of this year's festival will be Focus Brittania, so the festival will feature much music by British composers: George Benjamin, James Dillon, Jonathan Harvey, James MacMillan, and others. On March 11, a jazz orchestra under the direction of Mike Gibbs will perform. //www.musicanova.fi
France
Jazz festival, March 3-19, Grenoble. The international jazz festival in Grenoble has enjoyed authority and enduring popularity in music circles for decades. The festival program is usually very rich, so musicians perform in the city theater, the museum, and clubs. This year the festival is expected to feature performances by Percussions de Treffort, Wayne Shorter Quartet, Jean-Francois Baez Trio, Tilbol, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Kordevan, and other jazz and blues musicians. //www.jazzgrenoble.com
Bullfighting, March 25-27, Arles. It is believed that corrida came to France in 1701, and the bulls have a famous Spanish pedigree. But Camargue bulls, like small white horses, are no less popular in Arles. Famous bullfights are held in Arles in the ancient Roman amphitheater called the Arena (remember Van Gogh's painting "The Arena at Arles"). The Roman Arena was restored in 1825, and the first bullfights took place in 1830. The fights are conducted both according to the rules of classical Spanish corrida and local ones: bulls are not killed, the essence of the fight is to retrieve objects attached with a ribbon between the horns or on the bull's horns. After the performance, the bulls are returned to the herd, which grazes in the Rhone delta until the next competitions. //www.arenes-arles.com.
Paris Film Festival, March 25 – April 4, Paris. One of the most prestigious French film festivals will traditionally open on the first Catholic Easter Monday. Usually about a hundred international films take part in the festival competition, and celebrities also like to attend this film festival. Last year, 80,000 people attended festival film screenings. More details about the Paris Film Festival program will be available later on the official website. //www.festivaldufilmdeparis.com
Switzerland
Carnival, March 11-13, La Chaux-de-Fonds. This city in western Switzerland, located in the Jura mountains, will riotously bid farewell to winter. Everyone is invited to say goodbye to winter cold at the annual carnival in La Chaux-de-Fonds, cheerfully and irrevocably. Performances by music groups on city streets, special children's processions that later grow into a five-hour adult parade with funny masks and original costumes, fairs, rides and sideshows – one must properly say goodbye to winter. The culmination of the festival will come on Sunday, when a giant snowman is solemnly burned on the central square. Now spring can be welcomed. It will come soon. //www.carnavaldelatchaux.ch
Long Night of Museums, March 18, Bern. If you want to see at once paintings by Paul Klee, Ferdinand Hodler, Pablo Picasso, ancient tapestries from the 15th-16th centuries, collections of firearms, clocks and cups, a unique collection of old stamps and letters, and also visit Einstein's apartment, then you need to go to Bern on the night of March 18. During the Long Night of Museums, many museums and galleries will be open, and specially designed bus routes will allow visitors to move quickly from one museum to another. //www.museumsnacht-bern.ch
Sweden
Easter celebrations, March 24-27, Stockholm and other cities. Swedish residents decorate their homes for Easter with flower beds – yellow, green and white – and place yellow chicks adorned with elegant feathers in rooms. Traces of pagan rituals remain in Easter celebrations, because on Maundy Thursday, according to ancient beliefs, "Easter sorcerers" go to a sabbath on Blakulla hill.
Today no one defends against them by shooting into the air and lighting fires, but the custom has survived: children dress up as good wizards, go from house to house with greeting cards, and in return receive candies and other sweets, which will be the main treats on the Easter table. Indeed, even Easter eggs in Sweden are traditionally made of papier-mâché with candies hidden inside. //www.skansen.se