Becoming Italian Word by Word

Happy New Year in Italian!

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Eve as we know it was an invention of the ancient Romans. In 153 B.C. they moved the start of the new year from the Spring equinox to January 1 and dedicated the first month of the year to Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings, who looks back toward the old year and ahead toward the new one. 

For six days, Romans celebrated by hanging lights, preparing lavish banquets and decorating their houses with boughs of greenery, including holly and mistletoe (considered magical plants because they bore fruit in the dead of winter). The Romans gave each other glass jars filled with dates and dried figs in honey so the new year would be sweet and full of good fortune. These offerings, called strenne from the Sabine goddess of prosperity, Strenia, were the predecessors of the presents we now exchange at Christmas. 

Italians refer to New Year’s Eve by its liturgical name, la Festa di San Silvestro, the feast of St. Sylvester, a fourth-century pope. Traditionally families and friends share a huge dinner called il cenone (the big supper). Lentils, symbols of prosperity because they resemble coins, are almost always on the menu, often served with pork, another symbol of the richness of life. 

Tuscans eat lentils with cotechino, a big pork sausage cut like coins. Italians in Bologna and Modena eat them with zampone, or pig’s trotter.  In Piedmont, rice symbolizes money, so a cenone is sure to include risotto. Raisins, another symbol for coins, appear in desserts throughout the peninsula. 

In a relatively recent tradition, couples give each gifts of red underwear—a color that wards off the malocchio (Evil Eye) and a symbol of love, prosperity and fertility. Traditionally Italians wear these special undies only once and throw them away after New Year’s Eve.

That’s not all that Italians toss out. In order to make room for the new, they once threw old brooms, dishes, even furniture out the window. Regulations now prohibit this dangerous dumping, but the practice continues in some parts of Naples and the South. 

After the evening feast, most Italian cities throw a big party under the stars with music, dancing and fireworks. Italy’s equivalent of Times Square in New York is the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Huge crowds gather for an outdoor concert and a magnificent midnight fireworks display. The favored drink is spumante or prosecco, Italian sparkling wine, for a toast (brindisi) when the clock strikes twelve.

Whether public or private, il veglione di Capodanno (the New Year’s party) typically lasts all night. As they head home at the dawn of Capodanno (New Year’s Day), weary revelers watch the first sunrise—and look out for the first person they see in the newborn year. According to ancient traditions, an old man or a hunchbacked person carries good luck, while a child or a priest brings bad luck in the upcoming year. 

Words and Expressions 

Il conto alla rovescia -- the countdown to midnight (meno 10, meno 9, meno 8, meno 7 ...) 

I botti di Capodanno -- New Year’s firecrackers and fireworks 

“Anno nuovo, vita nuova” -- New year, new life (let’s make a fresh start)  

Dianne Hales is the author ofLA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered and the upcoming LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. Click here to preorder. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com

 

Three Days of Christmas Feasts in Italy

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 of the original recipes 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 the 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 Santo 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 

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 2019 -- best wishes for Holy Christmas and for 2019

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered  and the upcoming  LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. Click here to preorder. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com

Click below to listen to a beloved Italian Christmas song:

Christmas Family Traditions in Italy

 

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 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 e il presepio (the Christmas tree and Nativity scene)

Italians in the northern part of the country began decorating alberi di Natale (Christmas trees) after World War II, and this tradition has become 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 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, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered  and the upcoming  LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. Click here to preorder. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com.

Click below for a delightful animated video in Italian:

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Italian Christmas Carols

 

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 (Baby Jesus).

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). Click here to listen. Below is the  literal translation of the first verse 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 

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. Click here to listen. 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!

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered  and the upcoming  LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. Click here to preorder. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com.

Santa Lucia, Saint of Light and Sight

 

La Festa di Santa Lucia (December 13) 

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 Siracusa 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 she brings, Italians eat “gli occhi (the eyes) di Santa Lucia” usually made from bread or biscotti.   

Santa Lucia gained greater fame in 1582, when famine struck Siracusa. 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 Santa Lucia by lighting bonfires and abstaining from anything made of wheat flour on December 13. They traditionally prepare cuccìa (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 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, Santa 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  to Luciano Pavarotti has covered this iconic tune.  Click here for Andrea Bocelli's rendition.

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

Italian 

Sul mare luccica 

L'astro d'argento

Placida è l'onda 

Prospero è 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. 

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered  and the upcoming  LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. Click here to preorder. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com.

 

 

Christmas Markets in Italy

Mercatini di Natale 

Christmas Markets

In Northern Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige, il Mercatino di Natale (the Christmas market) brings light, joy and cheer. As a local website describes it, “Il Mercatino è una festa per tutti (the Market is a feast for everyone) -- a place to ascoltare e poi ammirare (to listen and then admire), respirare e poi gustare (to breathe and then taste), toccare con mano la tradizione (see/experience something first-hand, get a feel of tradition),
 vivere il clima di festa che avvolge e riscalda (to live the climate of the festival that surrounds and warms) visitors.

Nelle piazze e sulle strade (in the piazzas and on the streets) you experience un'atmosfera di sincero calore (an atmosphere of sincere warmth) and feel il valore più vero e profondo del Natale (the most true and profound value of Christmas). Il profumo (the scent) of il Mercatino di Natale  is unique: quello di cannella e spezie (that of cinnamon and spices), di legno di montagna (of mountain wood), di dolci fatti in casa (of homemade sweets) and di abeti decorati a festa (of fir trees in party decorations).


La luce (the light) comes from le casette di legno addobbate (the little decorated houses) and dall'albero di Natale (from the Christmas tree). Among le dolci note (the sweet notes) of il Mercatino are canti natalizi (Christmas carols), tradizione in musica (traditional music), dishes made from 
le antiche ricette della tradizione trentina e tirolese (ancient recipes from the traditions of Trentino and the Tyrol), le candele decorate (decorated candles)—and gli occhi brillanti dei bambini (the shining eyes of the children).

Here are some popular town markets:

Bolzano

This Sudtirol town hosts a charming Christmas market combining both German and Mediterranean traditions. On the weekends, traditional storytellers, trumpeters and musicians gather in the Piazza Walther and in local churches. Area restaurants offer a typical Sudtirolean menu, which mixes German culinary traditions with Italian delights. The artists' market in Piazza Municipio showcases unique Yuletide ornaments, terracotta and ceramics.

Bressanone

The lovely little ski town of Bressanone, hidden in the Dolomites and dating back to the year 901, puts on the Weihnachtsmarkt (literally, votive night market, another common Christmas market found throughout Germany). Visitors can also tour the Museo dei Presepi (Crèche Museum) in the Palazzo Vescovile.

Merano

Merano, una splendida città termale (a splendid spa town), invites visitors to its Christmas market to abbandonarsi alla carezza del wellness (to surrender to the caress of wellness). In addition to le occasioni di benessere (opportunities for wellbeing), there is una casetta in legno (a little wooden house) tutta dedicata agli artigiani che lavorano legno, pietra, cuoio, cera e feltro (completely dedicated to artisans working in wood, stone, leather, wax and felt).

Trento

Set amidst le antiche mura cittadine (the ancient city walls), Trento’s Mercatino boasts famose decorazioni natalizie impossibili da trovare altrove (famous Christmas decorations impossible to find elsewhere). A special section presents local specialties such as strudel di mele (apple strudel) and steaming cups of vin brulè (mulled wine). Christmas choirs in typical costumes (costumi tipici) of the region sing canti alpini (Alpine songs) agli angoli delle vie (at the street corners).

Words and Expressions

Oggetti d’artigianato –- artisan-made objects

Addobbi tradizionali –- traditional decorations

Specialità locali -– local specialties

Magica atmosfera –- magical atmosphere

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered  and the upcoming  LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. Click here to preorder. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com.

Celebrating Saint Nicolas, the Original Santa Claus

 

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, every 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 or faithful 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 (amore per i bambini) that remain timeless.

Words and Expressions 

Santità – saintliness, holiness

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, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered  and the upcoming  LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. Click here to preorder. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com.