Cascarones

Day 204 of My Italian Learning Journal*

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We had not had young children hunting Easter eggs in our backyard in a few years. This afternoon two grandsons came to hunt for cascarones -- colored, confetti-filled eggshells. We all had fun breaking the cascarones on each other's heads. So where did the idea of confetti-filled eggshells come from? Here's a one-minute history. First seen in Asia the idea was later brought to Italy by the famous explorer Marco Polo. At that time the eggs were often given as gifts and were filled with perfumed powder. The custom traveled to Spain and it was later brought to Mexico in the mid-1800s by Emperor Maximilian’s wife. It was in Mexico that the perfumed powder was replaced with confetti.Cascaras is the Spanish word for eggshells. There you are. (Grammar corrections are welcome for the practice script in Italian below.)

[ Source: Austin Times, 2018. ]

Ascolta Questo:

• Ai bambini piace rompere i cascarones la domenica di Pasqua.
  Children like to break cascarones on Easter Sunday.

• Cascarones è la parola spagnola per gusci d'uovo pieni di coriandoli.
  Cascarones is the Spanish word for confetti-filled eggshells.

• Sembra che Marco Polo abbia portato l'idea di gusci d'uovo pieni di polvere profumata proveniente dall'Asia.
  It appears that Marco Polo brought the idea of eggshells filled with perfumed powder from Asia.

• L'idea viaggiò in Spagna e poi in Messico.
  The idea traveled to Spain and to Mexico.

• Era in Messico, dove i gusci d'uovo erano pieni di coriandoli.
  It was in Mexico where the eggshells were filled with confetti.

Alla prossima!

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*Note: This is my personal journal of daily practice in learning Italian. I welcome Italian grammar corrections. Grazie.