The Sweet Symbol of Easter in Catalonia: Mones de Pasqua

Each spring, patisseries across Catalonia are transformed into chocolate wonderlands, filled with sculptures of all things imaginable, all crafted from rich, colorful chocolate.  

These creations are not just edible art, they’re mones de Pasqua, a deeply rooted Easter tradition that brings families together and keeps Catalan godparents on their toes.

"The mona is an important Catalan tradition," explains Marta Massagué, manager of the beloved Barcelona pastry shop Natcha. Founded in 1958, Natcha has been creating mones for 66 years.  

"Traditionally, the godfather gives the mona to the godchild after Easter Sunday," she says. "It’s a celebration of baptism and family." 

Originally, mones were almond-based cakes topped with hard-boiled eggs; one for each year of the godchild’s life. Over the decades, this simple gift has evolved into a spectacular display of chocolate craftsmanship.  

"The pastry guild has developed a lot," Marta tells Catalan News. "Now, what’s most popular is the chocolate sculpture, ranging from traditional hens and castles to Spiderman and Goku." 

The shift from modest cake to extravagant chocolate scupltures reflects both changing tastes and Catalonia’s deep appreciation for artistic pastry. "Nowadays, children want to see color, and they love the mix of dark, milk, and white chocolate," Marta says, adding that children evolve, and so does their taste.  

Despite the rising cost of ingredients, chocolate prices have soared 80% in just one year, Natcha remains committed to the tradition. "We’ve made the mones slightly smaller and lighter, but we still make over 100 different designs," says Marta. "And we’re seeing that people continue to buy them like always. The tradition stays strong." 

And indeed, mones de Pasqua are more than sweet treats, they’re cultural cornerstones. Easter Monday is the big day where, in some families, a more traditional cake-style mona is shared as well, often filled with jam, chocolate, or buttercream. "It’s one of our busiest days, we work non-stop for 12 hours. But it’s beautiful. Nobody goes without a mona," says the patisserie's shop's owner.  

Beyond the mainstream creations, Natcha also crafts mones with an eye on the bigger social picture: 'La Keta' is a chocolate doll whose sales support children with cancer through the Enriqueta Villavecchia Foundation.  

Another, 'La Mia,' created in collaboration with the University of Barcelona, aims to inspire older children with career dreams, featuring professions like archaeologist or biologist and a scannable as well as edible QR-code, where curious kids can read about different studies the University provides.  

This blend of creativity, tradition, and community makes mones de Pasqua a cherished symbol of Catalan identity. As Marta puts it, "It’s a wonderful tradition, and we see it’s not fading away, on the contrary, it grows stronger every year. And here at Natcha, we’re surrounded by such good energy. We’re all very happy to be a part of it."