Italians??

Question

Italians...What are the major Holidays and Fetivals in Italy? Compared to the United States?
I've always been curious.

What are the different holidays and festivals, and how do they compare to those that are celebrated in the United States?

I hope they have Christmas!
Oh, and what are they called so I could research them in the future?

Answer 1

We have Christmas just like everyone else. We have Advent calendars where there are 31 days in December and behind each day, you open a little door and there's a chocolate. On December 25 there's a chocolate Santa. For New Year's the men of the family buy the ladies of the family red underwear to wear to bring in the New Year. There are many patron St. days. Check them out on line.

The dude up there had it correct but it's called the "Assumption." :)

Answer 2

They have Christmas, though its called something different, there is Easter as well, and they don't have Halloween but they have another day in march i believe that has witches and costumes and the such. On OCT 30 they have the day of the dead and everyone goes to the graveyard to visit the dead. There are always days that are Saint ... day. Like they have allot of saints here and each city has a different one that they "praise" with parades and the such. Its really strange to me (an American) living in Sicily Italy because there are so many. These are only a few.
I wish I could tell you more but they are really hard to spell!

Answer 3

If It's a Catholic holiday, they celebrate. Plus a few Saints days. St. Gennaro, St Anthony. Plus the feasts, often for no apparent reason. And the big one in some places, is Carnival, preceding Lent. And of course, Palm Sunday, which isn't really a celebration but comes before Easter, which is. And of course, there are Fridays which are fast days, and call for fish and usually pasta.... A lot of fish. Then Sunday, which is always family day and a real feast. Anyone who diets on Sunday is sure to cause bad feelings with the cook. Probably a few more but I'm not Italian.

Answer 4

well most of the major holiday other than just the usual of christmas and such and for them halloween is celebrated the same as us, its just called carnivalle and its celebrated on fat tuesday like in new orleans... the celebration of religious events is big there...since they are mainly catholic they celebrate things like the 'feast of the assention' (when mary rose to heaven) and they celebrate the days of major saints like saint paul and saint anthony...then each city has its major gaurdian saint and that day is celebrated pretty heavily...where i come from in catania sicily, its st. agatha...the days are usually celebrated with fireworks and a procession of the statue of the saint...in the squares or piazzas of the churches they usually have candy and raosted nuts and balloons for the kids...

Answer 5

Sooooo,,,,,,, our holidays are similar to yours I think,,,,
Our most important holiday is of course Christmas,,,,, you know Italy is a christian land, and we couldn't celebrate Christmas! of course we celebrate the New Year, but also the Epiphany on the 6th of January,,,
From few years we celebrate also Halloween, but is not one of the most important holidays here,,,,, On February we celebrate the carnival,,, It seems to your Halloween, but it's more know than it here,,, There's the Easter, but for us is also important Ferragosto,,,, It's the 15th of August and we usually go out for it! I think that's all,,, these are the most important!
see you!

Answer 6

i'm italian,living in italy

our most important holidays are:
Christmas
easter
carnival
May 1(day of workers)
june 2 (republic holiday)
25 april (liberation holiday)
All Saints' Day
mid-August holiday (August 15)
Epiphany
saint stephan's day (december 26)
immaculate conception's day

Answer 7

All is about family, life, good food and love.

They do have Christmas but is not to have "gifts" the main thing is to celebrate life itself, to be grateful, to be a good person.

Answer 8

Here you Go.

BUONA PASQUA

The History and Tradition Of Easter In Italy. We all know about Christmas, Easter, and New Years, but Italy celebrates other holidays as well.

EPIPHANY

Celebrated on the sixth of January, it originally began as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, and is still celebrated as that in the Eastern Orthodox Church. However, when the Catholic Church decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25th instead, the meaning of the holiday changed. Greek for "miracle," Epiphany came to be known as a celebration of three important events that took place early in Jesus' life: his visit with the three magi, his baptism by John the Baptist, and the first miracle he performed at the wedding in Cana.

In Rome, Epiphany has evolved into a celebration of the end of the Christmas season, the literal Twelfth Day of Christmas. Children wake up to find presents from the Befana, an ancient Santa Claus-like figure whose name means "giver of gifts" and appears as a friendly old witch who rides through the air on a broomstick, dropping through chimneys to fill stockings up with toys and candy. The entire family then ventures out to take part in a giant street fair, where they buy more gifts, usually earthenware products.

LIBERATION DAY

Celebrated on April 25th, it commemorates the liberation of Italy by Allied troops in the Second World War. The holiday is meant to honor 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. The lives of those who served as partisans in the Italian Resistance are especially honored.

MAY DAY

May 1st is Labor Day for most of the world. In Italy, it is not just a workers holiday, but a day for political parties of the left to hit the streets and protest their various causes. The atmosphere is usually festive, like one big street fair, however protests can sometimes get carried away and become a little too rowdy.

FESTIVAL OF THE REPUBLIC

June 2nd marks the day in 1946 when Italy voted in a referendum to abolish the monarchy and become a republic. Support for the monarchy had plunged because the king of Italy had supported Mussolini. So hostile was the public, that the royal family was exiled from Italy forever as punishment.

FERRAGOSTO

Next to Christmas, Easter, and New Years, Ferragosto is one of the most celebrated holidays in Italy. Celebrated on the fifteenth of August, it celebrates the rise of Mary up to heaven to join her son Jesus, taking her place by his side to look after those of us remaining here on Earth. It is a day of great festivities with celebrations in the streets and prayers to the Virgin Mary for thanks and support. All of Italy shuts down to celebrate Ferragosto.

ALL SAINTS DAY

The festival of All Saints takes place on November 2nd. It is celebrated in honor of all the Catholic saints and martyrs, known and unknown. It is also a time to reflect on those who have passed in general, a Memorial Day of sorts.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th is generally a Holy Day of Obligation. The faithful are required to attend Mass, where they commemorate when Mary was graced by God to lead a life completely free of sin.

FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN

The Feast of St. Stephen is celebrated on December 26th, the day after Christmas. It is part of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and marks the day of St. Stephen, the first martyr for the newborn king.

OTHER FEAST DAYS

Individual cities in Rome celebrate the feast days of their patron saints.

June 24. Florence, Genoa, and Turin honor St. John the Baptist.


June 29, Rome honors Saints Peter and Paul.


July 15, Palermo honors St. Rosalia, a pious young woman credited for saving the city from plague in 1624.


September 19, Naples honors San Gennaro, a saint and martyr who died while visiting Christians imprisoned by Rome and forced to work as slaves in sulphur mines for the crime of being Christian.


October 4, Bologna honors its patron saint, San Petronio.


November 3, Trieste honors San Giusto, who is also known as St. Just.


December 7th, Milan honors St. Ambrose, one of the key founders of the early Roman Catholic Church.


November 21st, Venice honors St. Mark. His feast day is actually April 25th, but since that is also Liberation Day, the city gives its patron saint his own holiday in November instead.

AUGUST

The month of August itself can be described as one long holiday. Dating back to Roman times, it has been common for everybody in Italy to escape the hottest time of the year by going on vacation. It is a time for people to rest, travel, and to just celebrate life in general.

Answer 9

good question