Italian Update

BUONGIORNO! 

Salve a tutti! (Hello everyone!)

I hope everyone had un buon (a good) weekend. Just wanted to mention in this week’s newsletter about an important celebration that took place over the weekend throughout Italy, as well as throughout the world. The event that I am talking about is the Assumption of Mary - L’Assunzione.  

L'Assunzione, is celebrated sabato il 15 agosto and is also known as Ferragosto in Italia. In Italia, it is a major national public holiday that combines both Catholic traditions with an ancient Roman summer holiday. Many towns hold church services and processions with statues of the Virgin Mary to commemorate the day. Plus it is also a popular time for Italians to enjoy a summer break, with many heading to the coast or mountains. 

When I was a young girl living in Italy, I remember celebrating Ferragosto in montagna, (in my dad’s village in the mountains). During the day, there was a religious parade and mass then at night there were food stalls, music, dancing and fireworks!

A well known traditional event celebrating L'Assunzione, is the Vara di Randazzo, in Sicilia. This is whereby a massive, towering 20 metre high religious float parades throughout the town of Randazzo. About 25 children, dressed as religious and biblical figures, are safely strapped into elevated and rotating parts of the structure, singing hymns as the float moves through the town.

LA VARA DI RANDAZZO

I wonder if there are any families in our St Fidelis school community that have celebrated Ferragosto in Italia in an interesting way, either recently or in the past? If so, where in Italy were you and how did you celebrate this day? I’d be very interested to hear about your experiences. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this week’s Italian news article. Until next time…buona settimana a tutti! (Have a good week everyone). 🙂

Cordiali saluti 

Signora Rosa🌹