1.3 Holidays and Leisure Time

Holidays/Traditions 🎊🎉

Religious Holidays

• Il Natale (Christmas)—the children receive presents, but there is a BIG focus on understanding the meaning behind the holiday and the importance of Saint Nichols 🎅🏽

• Il Carnevale—the day before Ash Wednesday, the celebrations and parties begin. People wear fancy masks and elaborate costumes and everyone attends masquerade balls 🎭 💃🏽
  • History: Can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans. It represents a moment in the mythic cycle and is the movement of the spirits between heaven, earth, and the underworld. It is a passage between earth and the underworld, and for a brief period, the living lend the dead their bodies, but masks must be worn :)
    

    Image Courtesy of Graham Guenther, from Unsplash

• Pasqua (Easter)—religious parades and celebrations are held, a statue of Jesus or Mother Mary is carried, and meals commonly include eggs, Easter pie, and lamb.

Italy vs. USA: Christmas Edition

• Christmas Dinner 🐟 🦃
  • Italy—fish is served (tradition says to avoid meat), and panettone or pandora are the desserts of choice, followed by a bingo match
  • USA—turkey is served with lots of cookies and pie
• Christmas Decorating 🎊 🎉
  • Italy—preparation begins Dec. 8, which is the national holiday known as the "Immaculate Conception." Fewer decorations, with a greater emphasis on environmental protection
  • USA—Americans start to decorate immediately after Thanksgiving. The buildings and homes are decorated beautifully and extravagantly, and one of the highlights is the giant Rockefeller tree in NYC -
• Christmas Presents 🎁 🎁
  • Italy—some gifts are given on Christmas day, but most are received 12 days after Christmas, on Jan. 6. This symbolizes when the Three Wise Men gave gifts to baby Jesus
  • USA—most gifts are opened first thing Christmas morning, with some families even allowing children to open 1-2 presents on Christmas Eve

Italy vs. USA: Easter Edition

• Easter Bunny 🐰 🐰
  • Italy—just a story, but not a focal point of the holiday
  • USA—a human-sized rabbit that brings chocolate and candies to children. Extremely commercialized and Americans can even travel to malls and have their picture taken with the animal
• Easter Mass
  • Italy—VERY important. Churches are darker, the sermons maintain a more serious tone, and the mood is peaceful
  • USA—lots of singing and dancing, and people leave in a jolly mood. For most, this is one of the only times they will attend church during the year
• Easter Dinner 🐐 🐓
  • Italy—not dinner, but instead Italians have lunch. Lamb or goat are the popular items
  • USA—small brunch in the morning then a HUGE dinner in the evening. Chicken is the popular dish

Non-Religious Holidays

• La sagre del vino—🍷🍷
• La sagre del riso del nord—🍚 🍚
• La sagre di cioccolata—🍫🍫

Leisure Time

Music 🎼 🎤

• Every region has distinct music with different characteristics

• Voices are usually emotional and authentic

Art ✍🏽 🖍

• Rich connection with ancient Romans and Greeks
• Many museums throughout the country with beautiful paintings

Food 🥦 🥂

• Mediterranean culture - fish, olives, vegetables, wine
• Always fresh ingredients

Sports ⚽️ 🎾

• The most popular sport is soccer (Calcio), but many individual sports also have big followings
• Seen as social events because of the extreme camaraderie

The Italian Piazza 🌇 🍕

• Identity—represent the culture, image, history, and character of the town
• Attractions—near civic buildings or religious figures
  • Per esempio, "Piazza del Duomo" is near one of the largest cathedrals in the world (Duomo di Milano) 💒 ⛪️
• Amenities—surrounded by cafes, restaurants, markets, retail stores

Image by Michele Bitetto, from Unsplash