It is a sweet cake that was eaten togehter with boiled eggs, chocolate and a kind of dried pork sausage that we call "llonganissa". The name comes from "munus", which in ancient greek meant "Present". Or maybe from the arab word "munna", which means "food for the mouth". The Mona is known by its name since the XV th. century. It meant the end of the fasting period previous to Easter.
Un parrain offrant une mona à son filleul. Vers 1865-1866.
This evolved to the current Mona, which can be made with butter,candied fruits and chocolate. And it is usually decorated with colourful feathers and yellow chiks.
This tradition is specifical to Catalonia and Valencia. There, the Godfather or the Granpa used to give the Mona as a present to Godsons and Goddaughters or to Grandchildren on Easter's Day. And it was eaten as a dessert on Monday's Easter familie's celebrations.
The Egg seams to be a symbol of the Resurrection of the Earth in Spring. It is found from Catalonia to England to Ukraine. And we can relate it with the tradition of Easter Eggs in Northern Europe and USA.
Isn't this a sweet tradition? I hope you will love to know about it as much as we do.
By the way,I hope a resurrection of colours in Spring.!
Happy Easter to everybody!!!
Isabel de Yzaguirre,
La Colorista.
