Becoming Italian Word by Word

Happy as Easter in the Italian Language

Buona Pasqua, Buona Pasqua Ebraica 

Happy Easter, Happy Passover

Wanting to send holiday best wishes, I looked up at the Italian word for Passover. "Pasqua degli Ebrei" or "Pasqua Ebraica" (Easter of the Hebrewsj was the dictionary definition."Really?" I asked my Facebook friends, who explained that "paschal" blood had marked the doors of Hebrew families exiled  in Egypt. According to my Italian etymological dictionary, the word Pasqua, which dates back to 1342, translates as "la festa che commemora la liberazione dalla schiavitù d'Egito" (the feast that commemorates the liberation from Egyptian slavery).  

Somewhere in time  Pasqua became synonymous with the Christian celebration of Easter.  "Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi"   ("Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want"), Italians say. An invitation to  Easter dinner with friends in Italy is a special treat indeed. After forty days of fasting during Quaresima (Lent), Italians celebrate with foods that form a mouth-watering vocabulary of their own.

Throughout Italy the traditional main dish is agnellino al forno  (roasted baby lamb) or capretto (baby goat). Rome’s Easter specialty is abbacchio, a suckling lamb no more than a month or so old.  Because it has ingested only its mother’s milk, its meat is especially tender.  The name comes from the Latin baculum, the cudgel used to kill lambs.  Until a few decades ago, shepherds would lead their flocks into Rome every Spring so people could select victims for the annual slaughter. The word abbacchiato became slang for someone beaten down, physically or mentally.

“Pasta matta”  (crazy dough) encases torta Pasqualina (Easter cake), a traditional savory pie from Piedmont and Liguria. Its distinctive feature is that whole eggs are baked inside.  

Italy’s traditional Easter dessert is Colomba cake, a sweet, eggy, yeasted bread topped with sugared and sliced almonds. Commercial bakers shape this confection into a colomba (dove), the symbol of peace and renewal, but home bakers usually do an oval approximation.

I’ve tried (without success) to explain the popular American Easter symbols of bunny rabbits and hard-boiled eggs to Italian friends.  In Italy uova di Pasqua (Easter eggs) come only in chocolate (or flowers, as in the photo from a florist in Rome above).  Festive displays decorate coffee bars, pastry shops, supermarkets, and chocolate shops in the weeks before Easter, with some mammoth eggs weighing in at nearly 18 pounds.

Although most commercial eggs contain a child’s toy or trinket, Easter eggs aren’t just for the kids (bimbi) in Italy. In the 15th century nobles encased works of art and other extravagances in enormous chocolate eggs. 

The very best modern eggs are still handmade by a cioccolataio, an  artisan  of chocolate, who will insert a surprise supplied by the purchaser. Inside a customized egg a lucky recipient may find jewelry, a watch, car keys—or an engagement ring. This in itself may explain why  “felice come una Pasqua” also translates into being “happy as can be.”

Words and Expressions

vigilia di Pasqua -- Easter eve

il coniglietto -- bunny rabbit

l'agnello pasquale -- the Easter lamb

colomba di Pasqua -- Easter cake

Dianne Hales is author of La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

 

 

The Holiest Week in the Italian Language

 

La Settimana Santa 

Holy Week 

In the week before Easter (Pasqua) pilgrims from around the world travel to Italy to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (la passione, morte e resurrezione di Gesù Cristo). Every region celebrates with rituals that are a rich blend of faith, folklore, tradition and community. 

Palm Sunday (La Domenica delle Palme) 

In the massive piazza of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, tens of thousands gather to re-enact Christ’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Chants of “Osanna!” echo through the vast square as the Pope blesses the palms and sends a special message -- the "Angelus" -- to the youth of the world. Throughout Italy you see worshipers carrying crosses made from palm fronds (foglie di palma intrecciate a forma di croce) and olive branches (ramoscelli di ulivo) as they return from church. 

Holy Monday (Lunedì Santo) 

In Castelsardo in Sardinia, famous for its elaborate Holy Week celebrations, an evocative ritual called Lunissanti begins at dawn and continues into the night. The Confraternita di Santa Croce (brotherhood of the Holy Cross), wearing long white hooded tunics and carrying religious symbols, march in processions and sing medieval songs in a unique style called faburden or fauxbourdon (French for false bass). Similar ceremonies are held in other Sardinian villages throughout la settimana santa. 

Holy Thursday (Giovedì Santo) 

The faithful gather in the late afternoon or early evening for the Mass of the Last Supper (La Messa del’ultima cena), when Christ created the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (il sacramento dell'Eucarestia). In a gesture of humility and Christian brotherhood,  priests (including the Pope himself) recreate Christ’s bathing of the feet (la cerimonia della lavanda dei piedi) of the Apostles by washing the feet of twelve parishioners. 

Church bells, including handheld altar bells. are silenced until the Easter vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. In some places parents tell children, “All the bells are flying to Rome.” (Tutte le campanelle volano a Roma). 

Good Friday (Venerdì Santo) 

Some villages in Italy stage dramatic processions or re-creations of the Stations of the Cross (le Stazioni della Via Crucis). In Enna in Sicily, more than 2,000 friars dressed in ancient costumes march through the streets. In Trapani, another Sicilian town, the solemn procession lasts for 24 hours. The oldest Good Friday procession in Italy, held in Chieti in the Abruzzi, features 100 violinists playing Selecchi's Miserere. 

In Sorrento there are two Good Friday processions:
 the white procession (processione bianca) in the morning, with participants wearing white, symbolic of Mary’s hope as she searches for her son, and the black procession (processione nera) in the evening, where black represents Mary’s sorrow as she beholds his dead body. 

In Rome the Pope leads a procession through the Stages of the Cross in and around the torch-lit Colosseum. As thousands of worshipers clutch candles in the dark, professional actors read dramatic interpretations of Christ’s suffering -- one of the most moving religious experiences I’ve ever had. 

Holy Saturday (Sabato Santo) 

Mass is not celebrated during this day of silence and prayer in honor of the dead Christ, and the tabernacle, which usually contains Communion hosts, is left empty and open. After sundown the solemn Easter vigil (Veglia pasquale) begins with the liturgy of fire (la liturgia del fuoco) and the lighting of the Easter candle (il cero pasquale), which represents the “Light of Christ” (la luce di Cristo). 

Readings from the gospels (vangeli) recount the appearance of the angels to the women who came to the tomb in search of Christ. During the liturgy of the baptism (la liturgia battesimale), all the faithful (tutti i fedeli) renew their baptismal vows. 

Words and Expressons 

Via Crucis -- Stations of the Cross,  a difficult time or challenge 

avere la propria Croce -- to have one’s cross or troubles 

mettere qualcuno in croce --  to put someone on the cross, to crucify or torment someone 

Testa o croce? -- heads or tails? 

“Ognuno ha/porta la sua croce" -- everyone has/carries  his own cross  

Dianne Hales is author of La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

Click below for a video of Sorrento's "black" procession:

Celebrating Carnevale in the Italian Language

Carnevale
Carnival

Thanks to my Catholic childhood, I could easily follow the Sunday mass in the tiny stone church of the Borgo Monte Vibiano Vecchio in Umbria.  Then the white-haired priest began to preach in ever more impassioned tones about the evils of “i peccati della carne,” which I translated literally into “the sins of the meat.”  

Had the Church reinstated its Friday ban on meat?  Had the dreaded mucca pazza (mad cow) returned?  I glanced at the dozen or so townspeople in attendance. Most were averting their eyes and looking embarrassed—or guilty. An Italian friend later explained why:  “carne” also means flesh, and a sermon on the sins of the flesh could discomfit almost anyone.

For centuries the pre-Lent festivities of carnevale sumptuously celebrated “carne” in every sense. However, the name comes specifically from the Latin for meat (carnem) and “take away or remove” (levare).  A church decree dating back to 653 declared that anyone who ate meat during the forty days of Lent (Quaresima in Italian) could not receive communion on Easter. Charlemagne reportedly sentenced Lenten meat-eaters  to death. 

The prospect of  long months without meat or merriment inspired Italians to gorge themselves  throughout -- and often long before -- la settimana grassa (the fat week) before Ash Wednesday. It also inspired a luscious vocabulary for the culinary treats of this festive time, such as the delicate fried pastries we might call fritters.  In Piedmont, they’re bugie (little lies); in Tuscany, cenci (rags); in Milan, chiacchiere (gossips); in Emilia-Romagna, lattughe (lettuce leaves).  Cooks elsewhere may call them nastri delle suore (nuns’ ribbons), galani or sfrappe and add ingredients such as raisins and anise.

The sin-drenched Venetian Republic was famous for indulgences of carne in its more sensual sense. During Carnevale, which lasted for months,  party-goers of all classes hid their identities behind elaborate maschere (masks).

Artisans known as mascherari gained fame for their exquisite creations, which came in three varieties.  The bauta covered the entire face but had no mouth opening and a lot of gilding.  The oval-shaped moretta was worn by women, often along with a veil. The full-face white larva (from the Latin for mask or ghost) was made of fine wax cloth.  For a dazzling display  of Venice’s Carnevale finery, click on this video:

 

Words and Expressions:

fare le frittelle –- literally, to make the fritters; to celebrate Carnival  
carnevalone –- the four extra days of Carnevale celebrated in places like Milan
carnevalata –- Carnival revelry
A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale –- Anything goes at Carnival time.
L’amore di Carnevale muore in Quaresima –- a love that starts during Carnival dies in Lent.

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

The Ride of the Witch in the Italian Language

 

L’Epifania 

Epiphany 

Long after many Americans have taken down their Christmas trees and packed away the decorations, Italians continue to celebrate. The final feast is L’Epifania, on January 6, which commemorates the arrival of i re magi, the three kings who followed the bright Christmas star (stella cometa) to bring gifts for Baby Jesus (bambino Gesù). 

Italian children traditionally received their presents on Epiphany rather than Christmas. However, as Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) has become more popular in Italy, youngsters often get gifts on both holidays — if they’ve been good. 

The job of delivering nice gifts to good children and cenere e carbone (ashes and coal) to naughty ones belonged to La Befana, a good-hearted but very ugly witch. Her name comes from befania, a corruption of the Greek word epifania, which means apparition or manifestation. Outside its Epiphany context, befana refers to an ugly woman.

According to one legend, the Magi stopped by Befana’s house and invited her to accompany them on their trip to Bethlehem. She refused because she had too much housework. Regretting her decision, Befana gathered presents in a bag, hopped on her broomstick, and took to the skies. Unable to pick up the Magi’s trail, she stopped at every house along the way to leave gifts for the children, just in case the Christ Child was there.   

Different towns and regions of Italy traditionally celebrated L’Epifania in various ways. Some had a living crèche, with the village’s newest baby in the role of Jesus. In others three children dressed as the Magi with a golden star atop a pole sang pasquelle (little songs) about the three kings as they paraded through the streets. 

In Friuli in northern Italy, families gathered around a big Christmas log that had been burning for twelve days in a special raised hearth called a fogolar. Others lit giant bon fires in their fields. The Friulians believed these Epiphany fires—called pan e vin (bread and wine) in some places and vecja (old one in dialect) in others--lit the way for the three Magi en route to Bethlehem. 

Throughout Italy January 6 marks the end of the long holiday season. “L’Epifania,” an old saying goes, “tutte le feste si porta via.” (Epiphany carries away all the holidays.) However,  another festival—the pre-Lenten Carnevale—isn’t far away. As a dialect proverb says, “Dopo le sante feste de Natal, le santissime de carnaval!”  (After the holy feasts of Christma, the most holy ones of carnival!) 

Words and Expressions 

Italian children memorize verses about La Befana and recite them for their families. The best known are:

 La Befana vien di notte 

con le scarpe tutte rotte 

con le toppe alla sottana: 

Viva, viva la Befana! 

La Befana comes in the night 

With shoes completely broken 

With her skirt all in tatters 

Hurray, Hurray, La Befana! 

Another version:

Viene, viene la Befana

Vien dai monti a notte fonda

neve e gelo la circondan. 

neve e gelo e tramontana!

Viene, viene la Befana


Here comes, here comes the Befana

She comes from the mountains in the deep of the night

Snow and frost (ice) surrounds her

Snow and frost and the West wind

Click here to see more images of Italy’s beloved Epiphany witch:

Christmas in the Italian Language: Three Days of Celebrating

 

Le Tre Feste di Natale 

The Three Christmas Feasts 

 Most families in Italy begin celebrating il Natale on the evening of December 24 (la vigilia di Natale) with a big dinner. Because Christmas Eve is a vigilia di magro (a day of abstinence on which the Catholic Church prohibits the consumption of meat), the centerpiece of the meal is fish. 

The traditional choice is eel, a favorite of the ancient Romans that appears in the earliest known cookbook, written by a gourmand known as Apicius. This symbol of life and immortality was sold alive and wiggling, then beheaded, chopped and dropped into boiling water, spit-roasted, grilled, stewed with white wine and peas, or pickled in vinegar, oil, bay leaves, rosemary and cloves.

 In some regions the Christmas Eve feast has seven courses (for the seven sacraments); others serve nine (the trinity times three) or thirteen (for Jesus and his twelve disciples). Some of the fish dishes include fritto misto with lemon (mixed fried fish), calamari, or pasta with anchovies.  

Families may go to midnight mass (la messa di mezzanotte) in their local church or watch the Pope’s televised outdoor mass at St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. At midday on Christmas the Pope again appears on television to deliver his annual “urbi et orbi” message to “the city and the world.”

Il pranzo di Natale (the Christmas day meal) usually starts with a rich pasta, such as cappelletti in brodo, little hats stuffed with chopped meats, cheese, eggs, or pumpkin. By tradition everyone is supposed to eat at least a dozen. Depending on the region of Italy, the main course may be capon, pork or turkey. 

Everyone saves room for the special dolci (sweets). Many were created by nuns who prepared special types of sweets as gifts for prominent clergymen and noble families. They include: 

 *cartellate -- curly ribbons of dough that symbolize the sheets on which baby Jesus lay 

 *calzoncelli—the pillows for his head 

 *latte di mandorla—Virgin’s milk 

 *calzone di San Leonardo— trousers of St. Leonard, which represent the cradle. 

Among the various types of holiday bread (pane) are pangiallo (a round bread crammed with fruits and nuts--an ancient symbol of fertility), panforte (a fruitcake-like specialty of Siena), and panpepato (peppery and dark, somewhat like gingerbread). 

The most famous is the tall cupola-shaped panettone, with origins that date back to ancient Rome. The term derives from panetto (loaf of bread) combined with “one” (a suffix meaning large and pronounced “oh-nay”), although some claim its name comes from the Milanese expression “pan di ton” (luxury bread).  

After the meal, families play a game called tombola, similar to bingo, with dried beans as markers. Players win coins or small prizes for covering two numbers (ambo), three (terno), five (cinquina), or the entire card (tombola). In towns and cities many Italians have started a new Christmas day tradition: going to the movies. 

December 26 brings Prima Festa (first feast) and another big family meal to honor Santo Stefano (St. Stephen), the first Christian martyr, who was stoned to death for his beliefs. This day gave rise to an idiomatic expression--da Natale a San Stefano (from Christmas to St. Stephen’s Day)—to describe a very brief period of time. 

Words and Expressions

Buone Feste -- Happy Celebrations/Holidays

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo -- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

un Natale pieno di amore, pace e felicità -- a Christmas filled with love, peace and happiness

i più cari auguri per un sereno Natale e per un anno nuovo ricco di soddisfazioni -- dearest wishes for a peaceful Christmas and a fulfilling new year 

I migliori auguri per il Santo Natale e per il 2012 -- best wishes for Holy Christmas and for 2012 

Click below to hear Nat King Cole blend Italian and English in this Christmas song:

Christmas in the Italian Language: Family Traditions

 

Le tradizioni di Natale 

Christmas Traditions 

“Natale con i tuoi; Pasqua con chi vuoi,” Italians say. “Christmas with your family; Easter with whomever you want.” An Italian Christmas centers on casa (home) and stare insieme in famiglia (being together as a family). Here are some of the most beloved traditions among Italian families:

L’albero di Natale (Christmas tree)

 Italians in the northern part of the country began decorating alberi di Natale (Christmas trees) after World War II, and this tradition is becoming more widespread. 

In some parts of Italy, families build a tree of light, a pyramid-shaped wooden frame several feet high with tiers of shelves decorated with colored banners and gilt pine cones. Often a Nativity scene (presepio) occupies the bottom shelf, with gifts of fruit, candy, and presents above, small candles fastened to the slanted sides, and a star or small doll hung at the top. 

In Sicily families make beautiful little altars, hung with green leaves and encircled by oranges, lemons, polished apples, pears, chestnuts, figs, and colored eggs. 

La letterina di Natale (the children’s Christmas letter) 

Italian children, like American youngsters, write special letters at Christmas time. However, rather than simply requesting presents, they describe how good they’ve been at home and in school so Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) can evaluate whether they deserve the toys they want. 

A few weeks before Natale, with the help of their teachers (le maestre), children write their thoughts and express their love and appreciation for their parents on special paper (carta) decorated with lustrini d’oro e d’argento (gold and silver glitter) and figure meravigliose (marvelous figures). The children hide the letters in a tovagliolo (napkin) or under their father’s plate before il pranzo di Natale (the Christmas meal). 

Every year the father pretends to be amazed to find the letter and to read the children’s self-evaluation and thanks for i sacrifici (the sacrifices) the parents have made on their behalf. In some families the father reads the letterina aloud; in others the children do so. 

La tredicesima (the thirteenth) 

This is the present Italian grown-ups most look forward to: a Christmas bonus usually consisting of another month’s salary (un’altra mensilità di stipendio), which is why it’s called “the thirteenth.” 

Regardless of whether the amount is modest or generous, the extra money creates a sense of abundance (abbondanza) that enhances the season’s celebrations. 

La filastrocca di Natale 

A filastrocca is a children’s nonsense rhyme. One of the best known is la filastrocca di Babbo Natale, which many boys and girls memorize and recite for their families at Christmas: 

Babbo Natale viene di notte,
 

viene in silenzio a mezzanotte.

 Dormono tutti i bimbi buoni
 

e nei lettini sognano i doni. 

Babbo Natale vien fra la neve

porta i suoi doni là dove deve.
 

Non sbaglia certo: 

 conosce i nomi
 di tutti 

 quanti i bimbi buoni. 

English translation:

Father Chrismas comes at night; 

He comes in silence at midnight 

All the good children are sleeping 

In their beds they dream of gifts.

Father Chrismas comes in the snow 

He carries the gifts where they must go. 

He never makes a mistake. 

He knows all the names 

Of all the good children.

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Click below to see Babbo Natale and assorted reindeers and snowmen dance:

Christmas in the Italian Language: An Italian Nativity Scene

 

Il presepio or presepe

The Nativity Scene

Centuries ago, in 1223, San Francesco (Saint Francis), the charismatic friar of Umbria, wanted to bring to life the story of il natale di bambino Gesù  (Baby Jesus’s birth). In the little town of Greccio, he placed a manger in some straw and added a living Madonna, San Giuseppe (St. Joseph), shepherds (pastori), and actual cattle (bue), sheep (pecore), and donkeys (asinelli), the animals that, as the story goes, once warmed the infant with their breath. 

Throughout Italy every church constructs a presepio. including presepi viventi (living crèches) with real people and animals, ranging from simple to stunning. Some include hills,  trees, lakes, rivers, angels suspended by wires, the Christmas star (stella cometa) and reproductions of an entire village or countryside with the cave (grotta) of Bethlehem where Jesus was born. The culla di paglia (cradle of straw) remains empty until the night of Natale. 

Naples is most famous for its presepi, with hundreds of nativity scenes, including many with handmade or antique figures, set up around the city. Throughout the year artisans along San Gregorio Armeno create elaborate statuine (clay figures) of the traditional Nativity figures as well as of contemporary personalities such as Silvio Berlusconi and President Obama. 

In the past many families would go to the woods (bosco) to gather moss and greens to serve as backdrop. for their presepio. Today it’s possible to buy plastic figurines, fake grass, and entire miniature villages. However, the tradition of putting together a unique presepio remains strong.  

One friend recalls the annual ritual of unpacking the box (scatola) in which all the statuini were stored. Her father would take out each pastore (shepherd), introduce him by name, and tell a little story about his life and what he was doing on that magical night so many years ago. Each of the children would do the same with the animals. Because the magi or wise men didn't arrive in Bethlehem until January 6, the date of the Epiphany, his family would place the three kings at a distance from the presepio and move them, along with the star they followed, ever closer every day.

 If you’re in Italy for the holidays, don’t miss a visit to the local presepi. In Rome you can find a huge presepio in St. Peter's Square as well as other elaborate ones in the Piazza del Popolo, Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria d'Aracoeli, and Piazza Navona. At any time of year you can view presepi at two museums: Il Museo Nazionale di San Martino in Naples and Il Museo Tipologico Nazionale del Presepio, under the church of Saints Quirico e Giulitta in Rome.  

Words and Expressions 

presepe vivente -- living nativity scene 

stella cometa -- the comet, guiding star 

culla di paglia -- cradle of straw 

il natale di bambino Gesù  or il natale del bambin Gesù  -- Baby Jesus’s birth 

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

To tour Naples’ famous street of the presepi makers, click below:

Italian Christmas Carols: Songs of Joy in the Italian Language

 

Il canto di Natale 

 The Christmas Carol 

You expect Christmas to look different in Italy, but it’s surprising to discover that it sounds different too. Rather than jingling sleigh bells, the traditional sound of Christmas in Rome and southern Italy is the music of bagpipes and flutes played by shepherds from the Abruzzi. 

According to legend, shepherds entertained the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem with their simple instruments. Zampognari (bagpipe players), wearing shaggy sheepskin vests, felt hats, and crisscrossed leather leggings, used to come to Rome weeks before Christmas to play in churches. These days the shepherds arrive later and play their ancient instruments in front of elegant stores along the Via Condotti and other shopping streets near the Spanish Steps. 

Like so many other Christmas traditions, il canto di Natale (the Christmas song or carol) has Italian origins. In the thirteenth century, San Francesco (St. Francis) of Assisi and his followers, the first Franciscan friars, created a large number of Christmas hymns to give praise and thanks for the birth of il Bambino Gesù. 

Italians, like people in other countries, sing hymns such as Adeste Fidelis (“O Come All Ye Faithful") in the original Latin. However, the lyrics of other classic carols are quite different in Italian. Stille Nacht, for instance, originally written in German by an Ausrian composer, translates, not as “Silent Night,” but as Astro del ciel (Star of Heaven). Here is the first verse and the literal translation into English: 

Astro del ciel / Pargol divin /mite Agnello Redentor! 
 Tu che i Vati da lungi sognar / tu che angeliche voci nunziar, luce dona alle genti 
pace infondi nei cuor! 


Star of Heaven / Holy child / meek lamb, you are our savior! / You are the one that far away prophets dream about/ You are the one that angelic voices announce/ Enlighten us all / instill peace in our hearts. 

Among the many beautiful Italian canti di Natale, the most beloved (and my personal favorite) is Tu Scendi dalle Stelle, written by Alphonsus Liquori in the 18th century. Here are the lyrics in Italian and an English translation of the first verse: 

Tu scendi dalle stelle 

 O Re del cielo 

 E vieni in una grotta 

 Al freddo al gelo 

 O Bambino mio Divino Io 

 Ti vedo qui tremar! 

English translation 

From starry skies Thou comest 

 The King of Heav'n foretold, 

 Appearing in a manger, 

 Near frozen from the cold. 

 Jesus, dearest little Baby, 

 How I long to make Thee warm! 

Italians have adopted some American carols, even though phrases like “jingle bells” don’t translate. Here is the Italian version: “Suona jingle bells / tintinnando nei cammin 
le campanelle d'or/ 

 Jingle bells, jingle bells / suona jingle bells / E suonando porterà 
la gioia in ogni cuor.” English translation: Ring little bells! Golden bells are jingling inside the chimneys. Jingle bells, jingle bells/ ring little bells!

You can find Italian versions of "The Little Drummer Boy" (Batte nel Cuore, Suona Natale) and "Joy to the World" (Gioia nel Mondo) as well as Italian classics on a wonderful new Christmas album, Extravergine: A Mediterranean Christmas, by Michael Castaldo. Click below to view the clever and joyous trailer:

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Christmas in the Italian Language: The Saint of Light and Sight

 

La Festa di Santa Lucia (December 13) 

The Feast of San Lucia

In the dark of December parts of Italy light up to celebrate a saint whose name derives from the Latin lux or lucis for light (luce in Italian). 

Lucia was a young girl who lived in Syracuse on the island of Sicily in the third century. According to various legends, this saintly virgin would wear a wreath of candles as she carried food to Christians hiding in underground tunnels. When a suitor claimed to be captivated by her eyes, Lucia plucked them out and had them sent to him on a platter. (In another version, she was blinded and miraculously cured.) 

Denounced as a Christian, Lucia was ordered to work in a brothel by Roman authorities. She refused to go, and nothing—not even a fire set under her feet—could get her to budge. One of her persecutors ultimately killed her by stabbing her in the throat. 

The patron saint of sight, Lucia is often portrayed holding a plate with a pair of eyes on it. As a way of tasting the enlightenment St. Lucia brings, Italians eat “gli occhi di Santa Lucia” (the eyes of St. Lucia) usually made from bread or biscotti. The same phrase also refers to shells shaped like an eye that bring good luck if found on a beach.    

St. Lucia gained greater fame in 1582, when famine struck Syracuse. On December 13 a boat filled with grain appeared in the harbor. Rather than processing the grain into flour, the starving people simply boiled and ate it. 

Sicilians honor the memory of St. Lucia by lighting bonfires and abstaining from anything made of wheat flour on December 13. They traditionally prepare cuccia (which rhymes with Lucia), a dessert made of whole wheat berries, cooked in water and mixed with sweetened ricotta flavored with candied orange bits and shaved chocolate. 

Missionaries and mariners carried the legend ot Santa Lucia to Sweden, where she is credited with again saving a town from famine by sending a boat filled with food. At its helm was a woman dressed in white with a glow above her head. 

According to tradition, in some parts of northeastern Italy, including the cities of Bergamo, Cremona, and Verona, St. Lucia rides a flying donkey (asino volante) to bring gifts (regali) to good children and coal (carbone) to bad ones. To make sure she stops, youngsters leave out a snack for Lucia and carrots and hay for her donkey. However, they are warned never to try to catch a glimpse of her.If they do, she may throw ashes (cenere) in their eyes and temporarily blind them.

The phrase “Santa Lucia” is famous for a different reason in Italy —as a traditional Neapolitan song written in praise of the picturesque waterfront district, Borgo Santa Lucia on the Bay of Naples. In 1849 Santa Lucia became the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian lyrics and sung as a barcarola (gondolier's song) in the early stages of the Risorgimento, the fight for the unification of Italy. 

Enrico Caruso, the great Neapolitan opera singer, recorded the most famous 20th-century version, but everyone from Elvis Presley (in his 1965 album Elvis for Everyone) to Luciano Pavarotti has sung this iconic tune. 

Here are the lyrics to the opening verses in Italian and English: 

Italian 

Sul mare luccica 

L'astro d'argento

Placida e' l'onda 

Prospero e' il vento 

Venite all'agile 

Barchetta mia 

Santa Lucia 

Santa Lucia... 

English 

Over the sea 

shines a silver star. 

Placid is the wave. 

Fair is the wind. 

Come to 

my swift little boat, 

Santa Lucia, 

Santa Lucia. 

Click below to hear this lovely tune and see a very young Elvis in uniform.

The Original Santa Claus in the Italian Language

San Nicola di Bari

In some parts of Italy the feast  of San Nicola, patron saint of Bari,  ushers in the Christmas season (stagione natalizia) with the giving of gifts (regali) on the eve or morning of December 6, his onomastico (name’s day). Although many stories of San Nicola’ s life may be mythical, he did inspire the figure of a beloved old man—whether he’s known as Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) or Santa Claus—who gives out presents in December.

The son of a wealthy Christian family, San Nicola grew up in a Greek-speaking colony of the Roman Empire (now part of Turkey) and became bishop (vescovo) of the city of Myra. In addition to saving a sailor from drowning during a voyage to Egypt, Nicola also reportedly restored three murdered children to life. And so he became the patron saint (patrono) of sailors (marinai) and children (bambini).

In the most famous legend about the saint, an impoverished man in his diocese couldn’t afford dowries for his three daughters, which meant they would never find husbands.  With no money to feed and clothe the girls, the desperate father was planning to sell them into prostitution. 

On  three separate occasions, Nicola, who had inherited a fortune, tossed a sack of gold down the family’s chimney (camino).  The coins landed in socks and shoes (calze e scarpe) left to dry by the fire, inspiring a  Christmas Eve tradition. As word of his generosity spread, any anonymous gift was attributed to the kindly bishop.

When San Nicola died of old age (a rarity at the time) in 343, his bones (ossa) were  placed in the cathedral of Myra, which became a popular pilgrimage destination. After the Turks conquered the city in 1087, sailors from Bari, racing against Venetian sailors with the same intent, rescued  the saint’s remains and brought them to rest in their home town in southern Italy. 

Bari’s fedeli (worshipers, believers) built an enormous basilica over the reliquie del santo (saint’s relics), which reportedly produce a clear liquid called Manna with mysterious healing powers. Every year a three-day festival celebrates the arrival of the sacred relics in Bari and the collection of the holy Manna on May 8. 

Over the centuries San Nicola inspired the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas (from a shortened version of Nicola’s name in Dutch), which emigrants carried to North America.  When the British took over the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, which later became New York City, they also adopted the tradition of the gift-giving Sinterklaas. However, they mispronounced the Dutch name, and so Sinterklaas became Santa Claus.

Today’s chubby, red-suited, white-bearded American Santa Claus may bear little physical resemblance to San Nicola di Bari. But both figures share a generosity of spirit (generosità  di spirito) and love of children (eterno amore per i bambini) that remain timeless.

Words and Expressions 

santità -– saintliness

festa del santo –- saint’s day

santino -– little holy picture reproducing the image of a saint and a prayer.

santificare le feste –- to observe the holy festivities.

santo martire –- martyred saint

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA, My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

If you're not yet in the Christmas mood, click below, and you soon will be.