Easter Monday in Verges: the communal rice meal

Easter Monday is a day to meet family or friends, take a walk and share a meal. In many homes it is also time to eat the mona Easter cake. After Easter Sunday, the celebration continues: Monday belongs to the Octave of Easter.

The road to Emmaus

The image of a shared walk may bring to mind the disciples on the road to Emmaus. It is a spiritual connection with the Gospel account of meeting the risen Jesus, rather than a documented origin for this day’s walks or picnics.

In Luke 24:13-35, two disciples walk from Jerusalem towards Emmaus, talking about what has happened. One is named Cleopas. Jesus joins them on the road, but they do not recognise him. When they share a meal and he breaks the bread, their eyes are opened. They return to Jerusalem to tell the others of their encounter with the risen Christ.

The account gives this journey a sense of hope and recognition. Easter continues beyond the weekend’s celebrations, as the wider Easter cycle explains.

Shared work in the Placeta

Serrà’s 1996 account emphasises preparation for the rice meal: setting up in the Placeta, neighbours bringing tables and chairs, and the cooks’ work. The meal resulted from shared tasks extending from preparing the space to serving the food.

The rice meal in the Placeta

The communal rice meal closes the local events of these days. Serrà describes rice combining seafood and meat, prepared by cooks connected with the Carnival Soup. These are two different celebrations connected by people and shared work.

The meal, conversation and music extended the gathering after Maundy Thursday night. This local conclusion is not the end of the Easter season: Easter has only just begun. Consult the relevant edition’s programme for the arrangements of a particular rice meal.

Monday’s programme

Check the programme for details of the arrossada and the parish bulletin for Easter Monday services. The day-by-day guide looks back over the week, from Palm Sunday to this farewell meal.