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Holidays
January:
1 New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a worldwide celebrated holiday. It was set on January 1 by Julius Caesar because that was the date the Roman consuls took over their duties. In Italy, people gather at the churches and cathedrals to attend the midnight mass to welcome the year ahead. There are also huge fireworks displays at midnight to celebrate the coming of the new year, especially in the city of Naples. Dancing is also a major tradition on New Year's Day, many towns play music while people dance in the streets.
6 Epiphany
Epiphany means "appearance" in ancient Greek. The holiday corresponds to the presentation of Child Jesus to the Magi. This is the day of Jesus' first miracle, the Wedding in Cana, and the day of his own baptism. It is also a celebration of the arrival of the 3 kings. In Italy, children hang their stockings the night before waiting for gifts from La Befana, the Christmas witch who brings sweets to the good children on the night before the Epiphany. Live nativities are performed around Epiphany, too.
April:
4 Easter Sunday
In Italy, Easter is the second most important religious holiday. It is a time of religious parades and celebrations where often the focus is on statues of Jesus or the Virgin Mary which are carried through the city streets. There is an Easter Sunday mass in every town, with the biggest mass being held by the Pope at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Traditional Easter foods include eggs, artichokes, roasted lamb, a special sweet bread called “Colomba” and chocolate eggs, which almost always are hollow and have a special prize inside.
5 Easter Monday
Easter Monday, also known as Little Easter, is an official Italian holiday that is often spent enjoying the fresh Spring weather with family and friends in picnics. Many cities also hold outdoor events such as concerts and games, like the eggs races in Tredozio.
25 Liberation Day
Liberation Day commemorates the liberation of Italy by Allied troops from German occupation in the Second World War in 1945. The holiday honors all those who died during the war, from soldiers fighting overseas to civilian victims of Allied bombings and atrocities committed during Nazi Germany's bitter retreat from its former ally's territory.
May:
1 Labour Day/ May Day
May Day is also Labour Day, a public holiday as the day of the worker. The day is marked by parades and public speeches and demonstrations of the trade unions are widespread.
June:
2 Republic Day
Republic's Day commemorates the referendum on monarchy that resulted in the establishment of the Italian republic, and the adoption of a new constitution in 1948.
August:
15 Assumption (of Mary) Day
Assumption Day is one of the most celebrated holidays in Italy. It celebrates when the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life to join her son Jesus. The Catholic Church teaches as dogma that Mary "having completed the courses of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." It is a day of great festivities with celebrations in the streets and prayers to the Virgin Mary for thanks and support.
November:
1 All Saint's Day
The festival of All Saints takes place on November 2nd. It is celebrated in honor of all the Catholic saints and martyrs, even those not known by name. It's also a time to reflect on those who have passed in general, people usually bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives.
December:
8 Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is generally a Holy Day of Obligation that celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The faithful are required to attend Mass, where they commemorate when Mary was graced by God to lead a life completely free of sin.
25 Christmas Day
Christmas is the most important holiday in Italy. It lasts for 3 weeks, starting 8 days before Christmas known as the Novena and ends with the Feast of Epiphany. Mass is celebrated on Christmas morning and at noon on Christmas Day the pope gives his blessing to crowds gathered in the huge Vatican square. The main decoration is the Nativity Scene, which is displayed in every house and in churches. For 24 hours before Christmas people fast and on Christmas Eve they have dinner called a Cennone. Dinner on Christmas day is usually meat based.
26 St. Stephen's Day
The Feast of St. Stephen is celebrated the day after Christmas. It is part of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and it marks the day of St. Stephen who was the first Christian martyr for the newborn king.
2. Categorize the holidays into three groups: patriotic, religious, and other.
3. For the holiday(s) that you have categorized as neither patriotic nor religious, what is its purpose? What is it related to? How did it start? Give a brief explanation for each.
New Year's Day is a worldwide celebrated holiday. It was set on January 1 by Julius Caesar because that was the date the Roman consuls took over their duties.
Labour Day (May Day) is a workers holiday synonymous with International Workers' Day. It started as an attempt to celebrate workers' achievements in their struggle for their rights and for better social and economic conditions.
4. Overall, what kind of things does your target country celebrate/commemorate? What can you deduce from the trend in the purposes of your target country’s holidays?
Italy celebrates a lot of religious holidays. Most Italians are Roman Catholic, so there are a lot of holidays revolving around religion, especially since the Vatican City is located in Italy.
5. What are the differences between the U.S. holidays and Italy's holidays? What can you learn from them?
The U.S. has more holidays celebrating patriotism while Italy celebrates more religious holidays. Italy values religion more than patriotism, while the U.S. values patriotism more than religion.
6. Quiz Time!
1. Assumption Day is a religious holiday for
a. Jesus
b. Saint Peter
c. Mary
d. Saint John
2. Epiphany is celebrated on January 7.
True or False
3. Liberation Day is a _______________ holiday.
(political, religious, or other)
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