Cultural Normalization Through the 'Mona'

Our four-year-old had wished for an airport or a car or, possibly, something with a Barça-football player - or just any of the elaborate chocolate figures which Vilanova’s pastry bakers have on sale these days.

It is time for the mona, the chocolate covered cake or creation which marks the end of lent (quaresma). Traditionally they are given to children by their godparents after mass on Easter Sunday (Diumenge de Pasqua) and eaten together with relatives on Easter Monday (which is a holiday in Catalonia, but not in most other parts of Spain).

All our relatives live far away from here, but our children have little to complain about. Although our oldest one first protested against the idea of a home made mona, he was happy to help his mother to decorate it. At his school, we have learnt that an egg in the middle and feathers for decoration are the only indispensable parts, but that you are otherwise allowed to improvise.

Aesthetically, I think that my wife made a great job. However, since we are not yet fully integrated into Catalan society we started eating the mona already today. Three out of four family members liked the cake very much. Only our youngest one was so busy eating chocolate eggs that he totally forgot about it.