Prajtl / Praitel (Slovenian) or Palmbuschen (German).
This tradition is celebrated mainly around Camporosso and Coccau, as well as in a few families in Tarvisio.
Palm Sunday is the start of the Holy Week, and the religious celebrations recall Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem.
The Prajtl / Praitel is created for Palm Sunday and is made of a stick, a large bunch of juniper and beech branches, pussy willow with its catkins, as well as apples, colourful painted eggs, savoury or chocolate bread and biscuits.
Once the branch has been blessed, it is planted in the fields to bring them blessings and encourage a plentiful harvest.
There are many liturgical events during the Easter period.
After the Gloria on Thursday, all the church bells fall silent and are substituted by a kind of rattle called “raganelle” (in Tarvisio they are now only found in Camporosso) which are rattled through the streets by young children.
In Camporosso and other towns in the Val Canale the Holy Sepulchre is set up, this is a serie of large wooden panels with scenes of the crucifixion painted on them and a representation of the Sepulchre where the body of Christ is laid, the tableaux also contains a niche with the monstrance in it.
In the early afternoon of Holy Saturday Easter foods are blessed, these traditionally include ham, horseradish, boiled eggs, sweet bread called “Reindling”, “Putica” or “Schartl”, sausages and tongue.