During Easter, churches around Italy are usually adorned with flower arrangements that recreate the symbols of Christ’s passion and resurrection.
Here we take a look at a very specific version of this tradition in which churches are decorated with vetche or “vecce” – ghostly pale plants that are grown in the dark. It may sound like an arcane ritual, but it’s very much alive in San Casciano Val di Pesa, a small town near Florence, and gateway to the Chianti region in Tuscany.
The ‘Tradition of the Vetches’ in San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tuscany
On the days before Easter – usually starting from Holy Thursday – it’s a tradition all around Italy to visit ‘seven churches’ (visita delle sette chiese), that are all lavishly adorned with flowers. It’s a short symbolic pilgrimage on the occasion of the catholic feast that celebrates the resurrection of Christ after the crucifixion. And in small towns and villages, where there are not seven churches, people simply enter the same churches more than once!
In San Casciano Val di Pesa, where I live, churches are decorated not only with seasonal flowers, like azaleas and begonias, but also with ‘vecce‘, or vetches (herbaceous twining leguminous plants, usually grown for animal fodder). Plants are arranged to create ‘natural paintings’, creating shapes and designs that have precise symbols.
Easter is the time of year where we celebrate the rebirth of Nature, in the never ending cycle of life and death. In reference to this, the white vetches represent death, while the colourful flowers and the vivid green spikes symbolise Christ’s resurrection.
But why are the vetches so pale? Well, it’s not their natural state. The milky white plants, that look other-worldly with their long chalky filaments, are grown in the underground rooms of churches which are humid and dark. Without oxygen or light, the plants grow very thin and pale, giving them an eerily beautiful look.
Every year the Churches of Santa Maria sul Prato and Santa Maria di Gesù fill up with the spirit of Easter, with huge crosses created from plants, and various symbols of Christ’s passion placed on the altars, including nails, spike crowns, and often dice (a reminder of the Roman guards who played games at the foot of the cross).
“The vetches are a very old tradition of our town”, says one of the volunteers that show us around “many volunteers help us keep this tradition alive linking us to our past and making our Easter even more special”. She opens a trap door on the church’s floor showing us the pitch dark rooms where the vetches were grown.
* Easter in Florence: Traditions and Festivals
The week that leads up to Easter recall Jesus’ final days: the last supper, the passion, and crucifixion (on Friday or Saturday). Thursday is the day of the last supper, when Christ said goodbye to the Apostles and forgave those who betrayed him.
DID YOU KNOW? The ‘seven churches visitation’ was an ancient Christian ritual that was formalised in the 16th century by Florentine priest Filippo Neri. The pilgrimage included seven churches in Rome and was 20 kilometres long. The devotees that completed the pilgrimage were invited to meditate on their sins and the sacrifice of Christ, using the symbolic number seven (think about the seven sins, seven sayings of Jesus on the cross and the seven acts of mercy).
READ ALSO:
* 10 Best Chianti Towns to Visit
* Discover some Great Traditional Festivals in Tuscany
* Scenic Drives in Tuscany, including Chianti Region and Val d’Orcia
Author: Sabrina Nesi, born in Florence, founder of Lovefromtuscany.com, passionate about sharing the beauty of Tuscany and Italy with the world.
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